Web Design for Ecommerce: Conversion-Boosting Strategies
All site metrics have their place. For ecommerce sites, one metric is a key indicator of success: conversions. Conversion rate measures the percentage of website visitors who make a purchase, proving the effectiveness of your client’s sales funnel. A higher conversion rate means more revenue.
Conversions can be as elusive as they are important. That’s why we’ve turned to Circle member, Community Leader, and ecommerce expert Kristine Neil to answer questions on how to best present products, streamline checkouts, and build trust to maximize conversions for ecommerce clients.
What’s the most common mistake you see on ecommerce sites? How do you fix it?
Kristine Neil: The number one mistake I see is cluttered, confusing product pages with product descriptions that focus more on the store owner than the customer. To combat this, I try to keep that old journalistic credo in mind to put your most important info above the fold and keep descriptions short, sweet, and focused on the benefits to the customer. Every inch of digital real estate matters, though, so I add more information down below—usually in an accordion block so that the page is rich with info but visually streamlined. The goal is to guide buyers seamlessly from the product details page to checkout by minimizing any roadblocks they may encounter along the way.
Are there any basic features that ecommerce sites often miss?
Kristine: I have a couple! The first major one is ecommerce sites that don’t use shop categories as the main navigation. This is such a great way to help people see, at a glance, what your client is all about, and quickly guide them to what they’re looking for. Save links for extra pages like FAQs, the about page, or press mentions for the footer.
Another pet peeve of mine is encountering sites that make me feel like I have to work to feel confident in making a purchase. Have a robust FAQ page to address common concerns. Clearly advertise the return policy. Make it straightforward to understand when orders will ship. When in doubt, over-communicate.
What can analytics tell you about what potential problems a site has? What are the fixes?
Kristine: Analytics can spotlight weaknesses, but I always warn that you need to try to read between the lines to really understand what’s going on. Analytics can point you in the right direction, but truly understanding your client’s audience is hard to measure by clicks and conversions alone. With that in mind, here are some general rules of thumb:
If you have high site traffic but conversions are lackluster, the issue often lies in effectively enticing visitors to add items to their cart. You should focus on streamlining calls-to-action, fine-tuning product descriptions, and possibly investing in new product photography to spark desire and build buyer confidence.
Conversely, little to no traffic signals an opportunity to better define and reach the target audience through revamped SEO, influencer partnerships, and paid advertising. Once visitors arrive, ensure messaging and products align with the search keywords driving discovery. High bounce rates show content isn’t resonating or asking for the right things from visitors when they hit your client’s site.
My favorite metric to look at is the abandoned cart rate. [These visitors liked the products enough] to add them but then [abandoned them] for one reason or another. The reasons here are nuanced, but this is one of the easiest metrics to improve upon. Try streamlining shipping options or creating a free shipping offer for orders over a certain amount. This may be the boost people need to complete checkout.
Why is mobile responsiveness important to conversions?
Kristine: The numbers will vary from site to site, but there’s a good chance many buyers are on mobile devices. Considering the needs of mobile visitors is key when designing sites. In general, Squarespace makes this possible as shop pages automatically scale well to any size screen, but you can help too by ensuring your client’s site is well-organized. This means doing what you can to reduce the number of clicks it takes to get from [the homepage] to checkout and paying attention to your site’s navigation. You’ll also want to verify pages load quickly, so keep those image sizes in check.
Are there strategies or tips that you employ when presenting products? Does this approach vary depending on the type of product?
Kristine: Product presentation definitely depends on what your client is selling. For visual products like fashion or home goods, focus on dynamic, high-resolution images shoppers can zoom in on to see details. Have a high-quality image for each product variant so people can see the differences, like colors, clearly. For a gear or electronics site, you’ll want to spotlight specs and quality. For consumables, concentrate on imagery, flavor profiles, and ingredients. Give generous product descriptions for specialty and artisan goods to convey their uniqueness, and back up your words with photos that bring the products to life.
How do you streamline the checkout process in your designs to minimize friction and encourage visitors to complete their purchases?
Kristine: Mapping the shortest distance between product view and order confirmation is my ecommerce design specialty. There are a few tricks:
Wherever possible, I enable express checkout to swiftly guide shoppers from browsing to buying in one streamlined click. This saves time and reduces abandoned carts, especially for single-product stores.
I also always make sure to style the checkout page to match the brand’s colors and use their logo so the customer experience feels familiar from storefront to confirmation. On-brand checkout builds confidence to complete purchases.
Also on the checkout page, I recommend clients request the absolute bare minimum information and skip long, custom checkout forms, which can be really off-putting to consumers. The goal is to make checkout as fast and easy as possible.
How important is building trust, and what should ecommerce sites do to instill customer confidence and boost conversions?
Kristine: Simply put: without trust, you have no business. Every design choice either deposits to or withdraws from that trust account. Promote policies transparently, display authentic reviews, link to company bios, and display logos to highlight credible customers or press mentions. Curate products to demonstrate quality and care. The experience should say, “We’ve got your back,” while the product selection should say, “We’ve got good taste.”
How have you used personalization in web design to drive higher conversion rates?
Kristine: [W]hen you make someone feel special, they eagerly become a loyal brand ambassador. For many ecommerce sites, this happens both as much before and after the purchase as anything else. Adding a live chat widget to make your client’s team available to answer customers’ questions before they purchase shows that they provide support as if people were shopping in person. It also makes it possible to send personalized discounts or other promotions that help create a unique experience.
On the follow-up, there are two big ways your client can continue the good vibes: in their emails and with their packaging. Use Squarespace Email Campaigns to create follow-up emails that are personalized to each purchase and begin to nurture a relationship with customers. And use packaging to create a branded experience that invites people to interact with your client on social or IRL (in real life).
What is the role of storytelling in ecommerce web design?
Kristine: Storytelling transforms simple shopping into a captivating experience unlike any other. Across the sites I’ve worked on over the years, I’ve helped spotlight inspiring founders, meticulous artisans, and passionate entrepreneurs. Showcasing company values through stories can help forge bonds with visitors over shared ideals and help people feel a sense of belonging.
Long-lasting brands know to look beyond peddling products and use storytelling to help visitors see themselves reflected in the brand itself. That sense of belonging builds an emotional connection beyond what generic product descriptions can achieve. When visitors see their own lifestyle or values reflected in a brand's story, they more readily imagine themselves as customers. And when people envision themselves using or wearing a product, they become more invested in purchasing. Thoughtful storytelling transforms bland selling into shared meaning between brand and buyer.
How do you stay updated on the latest trends and technologies in web design?
Kristine: The secret here is just an insatiable curiosity about all things web design. I soak up inspiration from checking out fresh sites, reading ecommerce publications, and attending conferences (shout out to Circle Day). I’m also always inspired by so many of my fellow Squarespace web designer friends who are always pushing boundaries. I feel like I have to work hard to keep up with the cool stuff I see them put out.
The thing about ecommerce, though, is that sometimes it needs to be a little boring and predictable. Shoppers find it reassuring when the interface behaves as expected and there aren’t any strange surprises. So, with that in mind, I usually save the creative boundary-pushing for non-shop pages as a way to highlight the brand itself and keep actual product detail pages reigned in. There are times to surprise and delight, but the moment someone's about to pull their credit card out of their wallet isn't one of them!
How do you balance creative design elements with function and user-friendliness?
Kristine: I think this plays well off of my thoughts on the last question. It’s important to know when to get fancy and when to play it safe. It’s ultimately most important to stay radically committed to user experience. Before allowing any purely aesthetic choices, I ensure the site architecture is intuitive, pages flow effortlessly, and values are transparent. Any visual frills come second and have to reinforce the brand identity and storytelling. I’m not into [wild] design elements just for the heck of it. Form absolutely must follow user-centric function for optimal conversions.
How do you think about advertising in relation to a site?
Kristine: Just because you launch an ecommerce site doesn't mean that sales will come. Advertising and marketing keep growth accelerating long after launch and, honestly, it’s when the real work begins.
I understand the importance of social media for many brands, but it’s never where I focus my energy. I’m a strong advocate for a robust email marketing program, and for using email as a way to connect in a more personal, direct way with customers. It’s proven to be more highly converting than social media, so it’s the best [investment] if you can’t invest in any other forms of advertising.
Aside from that, I love more organic growth strategies like cultivating wholesale partnerships or exploring collaborations with complimentary brands where you can cross-promote your products to new audiences.
Optimizing websites for sales
Boosting conversions is both an art and a science. While maximizing sales can be complex, returning to the fundamentals can help demystify the process. “Ecommerce comes down to genuinely understanding shoppers and solving their problems,” says Kristine. Build confidence and trust at every opportunity, and remove friction points. “When the path feels effortless, secure, and even delightful, you earn the sale. Great design clears the trail.”
A special thanks to Kristine for sharing her expertise.
Kristine Neil is an ecommerce maestro and Squarespace Circle Member who crafts exceptional online shopping experiences. Her strategic approach ensures that every aspect of your store is optimized for success, empowering you to sell with confidence and focus on growing your business.
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