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Website Optimisation

How To Optimise Your Shopify Store

Running a successful Shopify store is all about creating a seamless experience for your customers. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up, optimising your store is key to driving traffic, improving conversion rates, and boosting sales. Here’s a detailed, ‘how to guide’ on what you can do to optimise your Shopify store for better performance.

Fix page loadspeed

1. Improve Your Store’s Speed

Website speed is a critical factor that influences both user experience and SEO rankings. Studies show that nearly half of users expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less, and a delay of even a few seconds can cause higher bounce rates. Shopify provides the tools for you to keep your site running fast, but it requires constant monitoring and improvements.

  • Compress and optimise images: Large images are often the culprit behind slow load times. Use tools like TinyPNG or Shopify apps like Image Optimizer to automatically compress image files without sacrificing quality. You should aim for images that are under 100KB in size, especially for product images.
  • Minimise the number of HTTP requests: Every element on your page (like images, CSS files, and scripts) requires an HTTP request. Reducing the number of requests by simplifying your design or using a custom built theme can significantly improve load times.
  • Use Shopify’s built-in CDN (Content Delivery Network): Shopify provides a fast CDN to deliver content quickly across the globe. This is especially important for stores with international customers. Ensure that you’re making full use of it by using the default image, video, and file hosting provided by Shopify.
Making navigation easier

2. Make Navigation Easy

A store that’s easy to navigate will naturally lead to a better customer experience and higher conversion rates. If visitors can find what they want quickly and easily, they’re more likely to buy from you.

  • Simplify your main navigation: Avoid clutter by focusing on key product categories. Shopify allows you to organise products into collections. For example, you can create categories like “Men’s Apparel,” “Fishing Gear,” or “Accessories” to group similar products. The simpler your navigation, the easier it is for customers to find what they need.
  • Use predictive search: Shopify’s search functionality can be enhanced with apps like Searchanise or InstantSearch+, which offer predictive search. As users type, product suggestions and filters can appear in real time, improving the shopping experience and reducing frustration.
  • Add breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are navigation aids that show the path a user has taken to get to their current page. This is particularly useful for stores with many products or deep category hierarchies, as it allows users to easily go back to previous sections.
Optimise Product Pages on Shopify for Conversions​

3. Optimise Product Pages for Conversions

Product pages are the heart of your online store. A great product page doesn’t just provide information about the item, it tells a compelling story that convinces customers to make a purchase. There are several elements that you should pay attention to:

  • High quality images and videos: Customers want to see exactly what they’re buying. Use high resolution images that allow users to zoom in and view fine details. If possible, add 360° product views or videos that show the product in action. Product videos can be particularly effective for demonstrating how your product works, like showcasing a fishing lure in the water.
  • Detailed and benefits focused descriptions: While the technical specifications are important, customers also want to know how the product will benefit them. Instead of just listing features like “made of stainless steel” or “available in three sizes,” explain why that’s important. For example, you might say, “This stainless steel lure is corrosion resistant, making it perfect for long days on the water without worrying about rust.” This helps customers visualise the product in use.
  • Clear pricing and offers: Display the price of the product prominently. If you’re running a sale, highlight the original price alongside the sale price, using a strikethrough to show the discount. You can also highlight shipping costs or any free shipping offers early in the process so customers know what to expect.
Optimise Shopify for Mobile

4. Mobile Optimisation Is a Must

More than half of all online traffic now comes from mobile devices, so it’s critical that your store provides an excellent experience on smartphones and tablets.

  • Mobile responsive theme: Shopify has many mobile optimised themes, but you should still test your site on multiple devices (iPhone, Android, tablets) to make sure everything works. Ensure that fonts are large enough to read, buttons are easy to click, and images adjust well to different screen sizes.
  • Simplified mobile navigation: Mobile users may struggle with complex menus and tiny navigation buttons. Instead of a large multi level menu, consider a simpler mobile friendly version with clear, one tap options.
  • Thumb friendly design: Mobile users often interact with sites using just their thumbs. Ensure that buttons are big enough to tap easily, and that form fields are optimised for mobile. Shopify’s one click checkout options, like Apple Pay or Google Pay, help make the checkout process as quick as possible.
Check all the SEO boxes

5. SEO Best Practices ✔

A great looking store won’t help if potential customers can’t find it. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an ongoing process that makes sure your store is visible in search results.

  • Product title optimisation: Product titles should be descriptive and contain keywords people are likely to search for. For example, instead of just “Lure,” use “RAPALA – Giant Rapala Lure – Multiple Colours.”
  • Meta descriptions and tags: Each page on your Shopify store, including product pages, should have a unique meta description. This is the short text that appears below your page’s title in search engine results. Keep it within 150 to 160 characters and include your primary keywords.
  • Improve internal linking: Linking to relevant products and categories from within your product descriptions or blogs not only helps customers discover more of your products, but it also strengthens your SEO by improving site structure and encouraging search engines to crawl more pages.

6. Leverage Email Marketing

Email marketing is an incredibly effective tool for keeping in touch with your customers, driving sales, and building brand loyalty.

  • Automated email campaigns: Set up automated email workflows for cart abandonment, welcome emails, product recommendations, and post purchase follow ups. For example, if a customer abandons their cart, you can send a series of reminders offering them a discount to complete the purchase.
  • Segment your email list: Tailor your messages by segmenting your email list. You can group customers based on their purchase history, location, or how they interact with your website. This way, you can send more targeted and relevant emails, which increases the chances of conversions.
  • Personalised offers: Include dynamic content in your emails, like product recommendations based on the customer’s browsing or purchase history. Shopify integrates with email platforms like Klaviyo and Omnisend, which provide advanced segmentation and personalisation options.
Social Proofing on Shopify

7. Enable Social Proof

People trust the opinions of others, especially when making purchasing decisions. Using social proof to highlight customer satisfaction and endorsements can increase your store’s credibility.

  • Encourage product reviews: After a purchase, send a follow up email asking customers to review the product they bought. Offer incentives like discount codes for leaving a review. Use Shopify apps like Yotpo or Loox to collect and display reviews on your product pages.
  • Showcase user generated content: Encourage your customers to post photos of themselves using your products on social media, and then feature these images on your site. This not only builds credibility but also creates a sense of community around your brand.

Highlight influencer endorsements: If an influencer or prominent figure has used your product, showcase this on your product page or in your marketing materials. User generated content and influencer marketing have become significant drivers of online purchases.

Faster Checkout = Better Conversations

8. Streamline Your Checkout Process

A complicated checkout process is one of the top reasons customers abandon their carts. To maximise conversions, you need to make sure your checkout is smooth, intuitive, and as fast as possible.

  • Offer multiple payment options: Some customers prefer PayPal, while others may opt for credit card payments or digital wallets like Apple Pay. Shopify supports a variety of payment gateways, so ensure you’re offering the options that best fit your audience.
  • Guest checkout: Don’t force customers to create an account before they make a purchase. Allowing a guest checkout option will reduce friction and speed up the process. Shopify also allows you to capture email addresses during checkout, so you can follow up with future promotions.
  • One page checkout: Shopify allows you to implement a one page checkout, reducing the number of steps needed to complete a purchase. Keep it simple and ask for only essential information, this makes the process as straightforward as possible.
Google Analytics

9. Monitor Analytics and Make Adjustments

Finally, optimising your Shopify store is an ongoing process. The more data you collect, the better you can fine tune your site and improve your performance.

  • Track key metrics: Regularly monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as your conversion rate, average order value (AOV), cart abandonment rate, and customer lifetime value. Shopify’s built in analytics will give you a clear picture of how your store is performing.
  • A/B testing: Regularly test different versions of your pages, checkout process, or marketing messages. A/B testing can help you understand what works best for your customers, whether it’s a new CTA button, a different product layout, or offering a limited time discount.

Final Thoughts

Optimising your Shopify store is a continuous effort, but it’s one that pays off in terms of customer satisfaction, conversions, and sales. By focusing on speed, user experience, SEO, mobile optimisation, and customer trust, you can create a store that stands out in a crowded market. Always test, monitor, and iterate on your store to stay ahead of the competition and provide the best possible experience for your customers.

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