If you are running an e-commerce business and you know that you have an excellent product – whether it is an information product, eBook or physical good resale – but you lack sales or subscription conversions, the problem may be your website. Many internet entrepreneurs struggle with website efficiency and user experience effectiveness, and unfortunately website failure could be their sinking ship. Hopefully, I can help fix that and provide ideas to increase click-through rates and sales conversions on your website.

The first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one. After identifying the most common ways website designs cause sale problems, we will be able to solve those problems with some simple solutions. Always remember, on the internet, simplicity is king.

5 Most Common Problems with Website Sale Conversions

Too Many Steps to Convert – People want three things from the internet world – pretty, convenient, and safe (or the perception of safety). Satisfying these three steps will increase your sales exponentially, I guarantee it. Price is the fourth and is always important, but people would pay more for quality on the internet than low prices with shake interfaces and bad user experiences.

Simple, Colorful Interface – Standing out is important, but don’t be too loud. (I’ll tell you what that means later).

Captivate, Retain, and Remind – Attention span capacity of consumers continues to decline. Don’t lose potential sales by forgetting about customers.

Offer Every Option & Secure Storage – Amazon.com does not require a customer to enter financial information before every sale because this takes time and lowers the desire to buy. Always be closing!

Link Yourself to Social Media – Make your site organic and provide a community that links to your website personality and design. Provide a centralized brand with your proper message displayed all the time.

5 Best Solutions to These Problems

1. Minimize the amount of page reloads from the product purchasing opportunity to the checkout process. Make the checkout process clean and safe. I would recommend following some of the best e-commerce websites currently in operation and copycat the best you can with your development budget. Use third-party payment systems and checkout plug-ins in the beginning stages.

2. Too much on one page can scare people and screams “scam.” Don’t put information videos on the site unless they are professionally done – make the website look like you’ve been there before and are not attempting to scam people out of their money. I would recommend looking at website designs like AirBnB or Groupon to inspire your own designs from those types of interfaces. Simplicity is king on the internet for user retention and sale conversions.

3. Amazon.com remembers your previous purchases and stores your checkout basket for the next time you’re on the site if you don’t buy. You may not have the technology to do what Amazon.com does, but email marketing and followup responses to customers via social media will help them remember you – they are low-cost alternatives to implement. Have a niche and be the person to go to for a particular focus.

4. If you have a secure server than I would recommend storing financial information for your users to help streamline the buying process. Consumers do not buy when inconvenience arises, so your website should have the ability to enter credit card information or pay via PayPal without force. This will make the purchasing decision about the product or service, not about the interface and money.

5. By linking up your social media threads, you’ll be able to market 24/7 and offer real-time promotions or subscriptions. Unfortunately, many websites do not integrate social media components properly with website design, leaving talking consumers out to dry. Make sure you link your social marketing with a point of sale opportunity through back linking or other re-direction techniques.

If you find yourself unable to optimize the buying process yourself, outsourcing the buying process is another option, but make sure you find a company that is tailored to your product. For goods that can be stored or transmitted digitally (including e-books), the best option for you would be FastSpring. If you are selling physical goods that require shipping, Shopify would be a fantastic resource.