Look, I’ve seen it a hundred times. You’re paying for ads, you’re posting on social media, and people are actually clicking through to your site.
But then? Nothing. No orders. No notifications on your phone. Just a bunch of 'window shoppers' who look at a product and vanish into the ether.
It’s frustrating as hell. You’re doing the hard work of getting people to the front door, but they’re walking away before they reach the till. Most of the time, it’s because your product pages are making them work too hard.
If you want to make more sales, you don't necessarily need more traffic. You need to fix the pages you already have.
Here is my honest take on what actually works to get people to pull out their credit cards. No jargon, just the stuff that puts money in your bank account.
1. Get Rid of the 'Wall of Text'
Nobody goes to a product page to read a novel. They’re usually skimming your site while they’re on the bus or sitting on the couch watching telly.
If the first thing they see is a massive block of text explaining the history of your company, they’re going to leave.
Use bullet points. Keep your sentences short. Tell them exactly what the product does for them.
- Will it save them time? - Is it built to last longer than the cheap rubbish at the big box stores? - Does it solve a specific pain they have right now?
Focus on the result, not just the features. If you’re selling a waterproof jacket, don’t just list the fabric specs. Tell them they won’t get soaked while walking the dog in a Brisbane downpour. That’s why they’re buying it.
2. Photos That Actually Show the Product
I’m always amazed at how many businesses try to sell things using one blurry photo they took on an old phone in a dark garage.
You don’t need a $10,000 photoshoot, but you do need clear, bright images. People need to see what they’re getting.
Show the product from the front, the side, and the back. Show someone using it. If it’s a physical object, put something next to it so they can tell how big it is. There’s nothing worse than ordering something you think is the size of a toaster only for a matchbox-sized package to arrive in the mail.
3. Make the Price and 'Buy' Button Obvious
This sounds stupidly simple, but you’d be surprised how often the 'Add to Cart' button is hidden away or the same colour as the background.
Your 'Buy' button should jump off the page. It should be big, bright, and easy to hit with a thumb on a mobile phone.
And for heaven's sake, don't hide the shipping costs until the very last second. That is the fastest way to make someone abandon their cart. If you can’t do free shipping, just be upfront about the cost. People appreciate honesty; they hate surprises at the checkout.
4. Use Other People’s Voices
We’re all naturally a bit skeptical. When you tell a customer your product is great, they know you’re biased. You’re the one trying to sell it to them.
But when another customer says it’s great? That’s gold.
Putting reviews right under the product title is one of the best ways to use social proof to build trust instantly. If you have five-star ratings, show them off. If a customer sent you a photo of the product in their home, put it on the page.
"The biggest mistake I see is business owners being too shy about their happy customers; if someone said something nice about your gear, plaster it everywhere because that's what actually closes the deal."
— James O'Brien, Content Marketing Manager
5. Answer the Questions They’re Thinking
Every customer has a 'but' in their head.
"But what if it doesn't fit?" "But how long does shipping take to regional areas?"
- "But is it easy to clean?"
I recommend adding a tiny FAQ section at the bottom of your product pages. Just three or four questions. It saves you time answering the same emails over and over again, and it gives the customer the confidence to hit 'buy' right then and there.
6. Make Sure it Works on a Phone
Most of your customers are looking at your site on their phones. If your website is clunky, slow, or the buttons are too small to click, you are literally throwing money away.
Open your own website on your phone right now. Try to buy something. If it feels like a headache, your customers are definitely feeling it too.
When we help clients fix their product pages, the mobile experience is the first thing we look at. If it doesn't work on a phone, it doesn't work at all.
7. Create a Sense of Urgency (Without Being Annoying)
You don't need those tacky countdown timers that look like a bomb is about to go off. But a little bit of 'real' urgency helps move people along.
If you only have three items left in stock, say so. "Only 3 left!" is a great motivator. If you’re offering a deal that ends on Friday, remind them.
People are busy. They get distracted by a text message or a knock at the door. You need to give them a reason to finish the transaction right now instead of 'thinking about it' and forgetting forever.
What Should You Do First?
You don’t have to do all of this by tomorrow morning. If you’re strapped for time, start here:
1. Check your mobile site. If it’s broken, fix it. 2. Add three reviews to your best-selling product. 3. Rewrite your top product description. Get rid of the fluff and focus on how it helps the customer.
You’ll usually start seeing a difference in your sales within a few weeks of making these changes. It’s not magic; it’s just making it easier for people to give you money.
If you’re too busy running the actual business to mess around with website buttons and photo editing, that’s what we’re here for. We help local businesses in Brisbane and across Australia get more out of their websites without the headache.
Want to chat about how to get more people hitting that buy button?
Get in touch with us at Local Marketing Group and let's see if we can help you make more sales this month.