Do you sell goods online through your own website?

Have you ever wonder how many of your visitors actually stop to buy something from your store?

If you answered 'yes' to both questions, then you're concerned about your conversion rate.

A conversion rate in ecommerce is a measurement or a percentage of how many people who visit your site become customers.

Say, if you have 10 customers that buy something out of 200 total visitors daily, your conversion rate is 5%.

The importance of a conversion rate

Knowing your conversion rate is important.

It says something about your store and its products. It indicates how people who look through your store perceive it.

Without any idea what your conversion rate is you may have no clue what attracts or turns away visitors. Quite frankly, not knowing your conversion rate is like driving blind.

An acceptable conversion rate is basically, any percentage of purchasing visitors earning your company a great bottom line.

This depends on the quantity and profit margins of your product sold. If you sell expensive items (as pool tables, or trucks) with a high profit margin (say 40% or more) you may not need as high of a conversion rate as one who sells $10 items with a 10% margin.

Hence, the latter needs a higher conversion rate to stay in business. Ideal rates are about 10% or greater.

Reasons why people don't buy products

• A product is something they don't need

• It's too expensive or overpriced

• It isn't stylish or up-to-date

• It doesn't suit the visitor's personal taste, hobbies, or interests

Improving your conversion rate

• Is it easy to navigate your site? If visitors feel getting around on your site is harder than it has to be, they too will become annoyed. Have others visit your site to get their feedback.

• Can your site be found easily? Register with as many search engines as you can. Advertise your business online and off and by word of mouth to let people know your business exists.

• Are your prices competitive? Compare yours with other sites that sell the same goods. See what your items are selling for on auction sites as eBay, Amazon, etc.

• Does your site have appeal? Is it dull looking or colorful. You may want to add perks like puzzles, daily jokes, news, tips of living a happier life, etc. Offer free prizes to repeat visitors. Things like these keep people coming back.

• What about payment options? Nowadays, if your site doesn't accept credit cards, you're not competitive. Be able to accept online checking account payments too.

• Do you offer discounts or sales? People also like to buy bundled items paying less per item than if purchased separately.

To the readers:

This article gives basic tips to improve the conversion rates of ecommerce sites, but is not a complete guide. Those selling online will want to seek professional help if their sales percentage is low.