SSO: Store Site Optimization - Why Aren´t They Buying?

If you own a commercial site and you’ve performed all of your search engine optimization (SEO) chores, you should be listed with the major search engines and visitors should be finding their way to your on-line boutique.

Driving traffic to a commercial site is difficult in the first place. So, once that traffic starts showing up, the last thing you want those potential buyers to do is to leave before making a purchase, especially true if they found you via PPC because that visitor is going to cost you money for that unfruitful click through.

The question becomes: once you have a visitor on site, how do you induce that person to make a purchase? Store Site Optimization, or SSO, is the ticket.

SSO: The Trust Factor

Most on-line purchases are made using a visitor’s credit card and those names and card numbers are hacked all of the time. So, before you ask a buyer to make a purchase using a credit card, you must first create trust between you and the potential buyer.

Get SSL Certified

Use SSL encryption to secure the on-line transaction. You’ll need an SSL certificate to transmit encrypted data. Sometimes, a web host will let you use its SSL certification but regardless, any savvy on-line buyer is going to avoid making a purchase unless s/he sees that little padlock in the lower right hand corner and an https in the address box. The “s” stands for secure.

Another trust building factor is the VeriSign logo. VeriSign provides SSL encrypted solutions for on-line businesses. They have an excellent reputation for security and regular on-line buyers and retailers know this. So, use the VeriSign logo throughout your site to build consumer trust.

Subscribe to the On-Line BBB

You can also build visitor trust by becoming a member of the on-line Better Business Bureau which indicates a commitment to service and honesty. The BBB logo displayed on your site’s home page and checkout pages is a comfort to new buyers.

Provide Assurances

Many visitors are reluctant to buy because they’re afraid of being inundated with spam – from you and other companies to which you sell your buyers list. Place a prominent notice on all zone pages and especially on the checkout page assuring buyers that you don’t sell sensitive, personal information. If you do use direct e-mail as a marketing tool (it’s a good one) let buyers decide whether to receive or not receive future offerings, newsletters and other digital clutter. If they click the ‘OK’ box, e-mail them. If they don’t, put them on the “Do Not Bother” list. And respect their wishes.

SSO: The Buying Process

Buying anything on-line (or off) is a process. The visitor arrives, searches for the item, reads the product description and so on. At any point during the buying process, you risk losing a potential buyer. And again, once you’ve got them there you want that sale.

Ease of Navigation

It may be clear to you. You designed it. But, if your visitors arrive on a home or zone page without a clue about how to find what they’re looking for, they’re gone. Easy and unambiguous navigation is critical to making that sale.

If you sell a variety of products, provide a product menu that takes visitors directly to the product they’re looking for. That product category menu should be available from any page on the site. Most commercial sites make it a part of the navigation bar at the top of the page.

Product Descriptions

They should provide information. Buyers want to know whether this is a product worth buying. Are batteries included? How big is it? How much power does it have?

If your product descriptions read like sales hype and you don’t provide essential information required for making a buying decision, those visitors will look elsewhere.

Product Pix

It’s always a good idea to include a picture of the product. It’s a good selling device because people like to see what they’re buying. Now, this may not be necessary if the buyer is purchasing 10 tons of cold-rolled steel, but it’s essential to the customer buying jewelry, clothing – in fact any personal or home products.

If you provide a thumbnail product picture, enable the visitor to enlarge the image by clicking on it. Again, the more information you provide a potential buyer the more likely you are to make a sale.

Offer Incentives

“20% Off Your First Purchase” or “Free Shipping” get buyers’ attention and make it more likely that they’ll (1) place the item in their shopping carts and (2) actually go through the checkout. And speaking of the checkout….

SSO: The Checkout

In a recent Market Live report called “The Perfect Shopping Cart,” researchers reported that 57% of visitors never complete the process of buying. More than half of those who put items in shopping carts fail to make it through the checkout.

Shipping Costs

One reason for this, according to the report, is shipping costs. The buyer has found the item, added it to his or her shopping cart, clicked on “Go to Checkout” and then abandons the sale when s/he sees the total cost of the item with shipping costs added.

You can do a couple of things, here. First, if you’re trying to improve your margins using profitable shipping costs, you’re losing more in sales than you’re making on shipping and handling. If you keep your shipping and handling costs down, you’ll generate more sales.

Second, offer “Free Shipping.” Of course, nothing is free. Shipping costs are  built into the retail price of the item but it makes buyers feel better when they get something “free.” Keep shipping costs as low as possible and offer incentives to make one more purchase, i.e. “Free Shipping on Orders Over $50.” You’ll be surprised at the number of visitors who add that one more item to their carts to avoid paying shipping. (For a great example of how this works visit Amazon’s checkout.)

Payment Gateways

Provide as many different ways as possible to pay for an item – credit card, PayPal, check or money order – there are dozens of money transfer sites that charge a fee but it’s a convenience your visitors will appreciate.

Terms of Sale and Returns

Make your purchase and return policies crystal clear. If you charge a restocking fee of 20% you better believe buyers will want to know that, and you can save yourself a lot of headaches and time by letting buyers know how you handle returns and other terms of sale.

SSO: Follow Through

Once the sale is made, follow up ASAP. Your site should be set up to generate an automated e-mail receipt providing all details – including order number – as soon as the sale is finalized.

Indicate in this e-mail when the buyer can expect to receive the purchase. You can even indicate how it will be shipped.

Include all contact information in this important informational e-mail as well in case questions come up.

Use a CMS (content management system) or d-base to keep track of orders. And, if you realize an order is going to be late, notify the buyer. In many states there are laws that require notification if the product is going to be more than 30 days late.

Ship promptly and work to resolve customer complaints. That’s how you build repeat business – the best business you can have.

SSO: The Basics of Buying

Build visitor trust. If your site looks cheesy you aren’t going to keep much traffic on site. Provide assurances that the site is secure and the buyer’s personal information is secure, as well. Don’t underestimate the importance of the trust factor.

Analyze the buying process on your site. Is it clear and simple? Can buyers re-enter the store once they’ve gone to the checkout? Can they delete items from the cart once in the checkout? Make it simple to make sales.

Scrutinize your site’s checkout. Do visitors see terms of sale, return policy, shipping costs and other “need to know before I buy” information. If not, ring up “No Sale.”

Finally, follow through once the sale is made. This is part of the trust factor. It’s reassuring to receive an e-mail detailing all of the important information regarding an order. Ship promptly, keep the customer up-to-date on order processing and work overtime to resolve customer complaints.

Once you’ve optimized your site for search engines, you’re only part way there. Now comes the hard part – optimizing your site to convert visitors to buyers. It takes some time and effort, but if you intend to be an on-line success, that time and effort will more than pay for itself. Store Site Optimization (SSO) is the key.