Why Your Conversion Rate is Low and How to Improve It

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Google search results are riddled with websites that fail to deliver on their promises 

and instead offer an experience so bad not even the most determined user would return. 

This is the unfortunate reality of online businesses, but some e-commerce sites have certainly gotten it right when it comes to their conversion rate. 

In this blog post, we’ll give you a brief overview of what a conversion rate is and how you can identify areas where your own needs to improve. 

If your conversion rate is low, there’s no need to panic. 

We’ve got plenty of advice to help you improve your e-commerce website and drive more users through the sales funnel. 

Read on to learn more…

What is a conversion rate?

Before we go any further, we need to know what a conversion rate is. 

A conversion rate is a rate at which visitors turn into customers. 

When calculating your conversion rate, the best way to calculate your conversion rate is by using this formula:

• Conversion Rate = Total number of conversions  / Total number of sessions * 100
• Conversion Rate = Total number of conversions / Total number of unique visitors * 100
• Conversion Rate = Total number of conversions / Total number of leads * 100

This allows you to understand how many visits you’re getting and how many of those visits result in sales. 

This also allows you to identify areas where your conversion rate is low, and then you can work out how to improve it.

Identifying areas for improvement

Your conversion rate is likely to vary depending on the period of the year, the day of the week, the time of day, and even the amount of traffic you receive. 

If you want to determine whether your low conversion rate is out of your control, you need to understand what contributes to a low conversion rate in general. 

For example, if your site is taking too long to load and users are leaving before they even get to the product page, 

then you can take steps to solve this problem. 

However, if it’s clear that none of your users are buying anything, 

then you need to assess why this could be the case. 

You can do this by asking yourself why users aren’t converting:

Bad ad experience

If one of your primary sources of traffic is paid advertising, 

you should be aware that around 63% of Internet users block ads. 

This means that the majority of your visitors will not only be unable to see your ad but also be unable to click through to your website. 

This is a particular problem for e-commerce websites, as it means that users are unable to click through to your store and make a purchase. 

If this is happening to an alarming extent, you also need to consider how you’re choosing to advertise your products. 

If your product is a supplement that’s made from all-natural ingredients and is 100% safe for all consumers, 

but your ad is full of warnings about side effects and adverse reactions, you’re also doing your business a disservice.

Poor product quality and assortment

If you’re selling a product, you also need to make sure it’s fit for purpose and that it’s something that customers are actually looking for. 

If you’re selling a product that has a low re-order rate, this could be a sign that the product isn’t what your customers are looking for. 

If you’re stocking lots of products but they don’t match your target group’s needs, you need to reconsider what you’re offering. 

Alternatively, if you’re not offering a product that would be useful to your target group, you’re also likely to experience low conversion rates.

How to fix low conversion rates

If you’ve identified that your conversion rate is low, you need to make changes that will drive more traffic to your site. 

If a large portion of your traffic is leaving without making a purchase, you need to figure out what you can do to change that. 

You can do this by fixing the areas we discussed earlier in the post. 

If your site is taking too long to load, you need to take steps to solve this problem. 

By optimizing your images, adding an accelerated mobile page, and removing unnecessary plugins, you can get your site up and running in no time. 

If your product isn’t something that would appeal to your target group, you need to reconsider what you’re offering. 

You can fix all of these problems by conducting research, talking to customers, and making changes to your site.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many reasons why your conversion rate might be low. 

If this is the case, you need to address these issues as soon as possible. 

If your site is taking too long to load, you’re not appealing to your target group, or your product is low quality, you need to make changes. 

By fixing these issues, you can expect to see a significant increase in your conversion rate.