What to prioritise in a Shopify spring clean
That’s one May Bank Holiday gone already, which means if there’s spring cleaning to be done in your tech stack, now’s the time to get on it.
In ads we are in and out of campaigns day in, day out, monitoring and optimising performance. But websites rarely get anything like the same attention. For a lot of businesses it’s a job which gets ‘done’ and is then left until it’s deemed necessary to ‘do’ it again.
When, in fact, keeping your website working at optimum is one of the biggest cost savers you can make in your e-commerce business. If your Shopify site is converting at 2.5% rather than 4% that’s pure profit (which could be key to you successfully scaling) that you’re leaving on the table.
So, in the spirit of spring cleaning and oiling the cogs in the heart of your business, your Shopify site, here are a few areas you can quickly run your duster over.
1. Review your visual content
Buyers are so much more confident when purchasing online than they were even only a few years ago, but we are still human, and we still like to feel reassured. Images and videos, paying particular attention to key elements of your product will build trust.
Are yours up to date? Are they informative? Do they have alt tags? Do they reassure the buyer and answer their queries? Are your images and videos high quality and on brand? Poor quality media will influence the shopper’s perception about the quality of your product.
As well as increasing your conversion rate, good quality images, 360 degree views on products and helpful videos will increase the dwell time on your site, which will in turn increase your rankings in search results.
Have you tried an app like Videowise or Sauce on your Shopify site? We’ve seen some exciting movement in conversion rates where these UGC and influencer video-commerce apps have been added to DTC Shopify sites.
2. Review your product pages
This is where the conversion journey begins, and it needs to work hard! As well as the images and video that we’ve already covered, consider how well the following are working for you:
Product descriptions. Assume that your buyer has landed directly on the product page and they have no previous knowledge of your products. Even if you’ve covered your USPs or key features to death on your home page or further up the flow of your site, don’t assume visitors will be coming to your product pages informed. If it’s important that your eyeshadow is vegan, make sure it’s in the product description, even if every product on your site is vegan. Don’t forget to mention how your product offers a solution to their problem, or fits their needs.
Reviews. If you don’t have a stash of good third party reviews, it can set off alarm bells for shoppers. If this is an area you’re yet to build up, consider strategies to get some under your belt fast. Contacting customers directly with the personal touch or offering discounts or benefits for reviews can help get the ball rolling. And always make sure you respond to poor reviews. Leaving unhappy customers hanging is a big red flag.
Mobile first. Squeezing this one in here, but it applies to all of your site. Mobile has long been where the majority of e-commerce sales happen, and the chances are your site also sees more mobile visitors than desktop. Always review your site for mobile as the priority, paying particular attention to how pop ups affect mobile users.
3. Review your checkout
Optimising the journey from product page to checkout is going to increase your sales. A few pointers to consider here:
Keep your checkout button above the fold. This button needs to be the most accessible part of this page. Pay particular attention to this on mobile, and if necessary add it in twice, top and bottom. Test using a stand out colour which doesn’t appear on the rest of the page.
Keep your payment icons above the fold. These icons are associated with trust in the minds of consumers, and need to be visible, preferably under the checkout button.
Clear delivery and returns information. This should include delivery fees, thresholds on free delivery and your returns policy.
4. Clearing out apps that you’re not using
Get rid of any apps you’re not using and double check the theme code that there isn’t any code relating to those apps that you can also clear out. As well as potentially saving you some £££ this is good practice for keeping your speed tip top.
Your Shopify site is the heart of your e-comm business, and giving it a regular health check is essential for optimal performance. To avoid overwhelm when reviewing your site, prioritise two core jobs - trust and experience. If visitors to your site trust your business and your product, and can navigate and check out with ease, you’ve won half the battle.
If you’d like a fresh set of eyes on your Shopify site you can book in for a free 30 minute call where we’ll give some top line feedback on the content and usability.