Common mistakes preventing you from getting sales in your online store

We don’t do a ton of e-commerce, but we do some. And one of the things people want to know is, how do I get sales? Or why am I not getting sales? And what I want to let everyone know first and foremost is this:

It’s probably your fault.

I don’t mean to be harsh. But the “if you build it, they will come” mentality isn’t going to help you when it comes to online sales. If you have an online store and you ship products, you are competing with every other online retailers for sales. And that means you can’t put in the minimal amount of effort. This means you have to put in a lot of effort.

Here is my list of the biggest mistakes people make when setting up their WooCommerce website:

1. They write poor product descriptions. Guess what? Words matter. Not only do people read them, but they also get picked up be the search engines. Be sure you write thorough descriptions that use great keywords but also answer all the buyers possible questions. If the buyer still has a question, they aren’t going to buy.
2. They have poor images. Can I just say this? Stop using your phone to take your product images. Stop doing it in your living room or your basement. Get a good camera. Hire a good photographer. Make those pictures fantastic. Because if you don’t, someone else will and they will be the one getting the sales.
3. They don’t have enough images. Are you selling something interesting but only have one photo? Guess what? That’s not enough! People want to see photos. They want to see all sides of the product. They want to enlarge it.
4. They don’t offer great shipping options. Are you only offering one shipping method? Is it expensive? Why not offer free shipping if possible? Why not offer overnight? Why not offer both UPS and USPS? If you aren’t offering free shipping, someone else probably is.
5. They don’t have a unique selling proposition. Why should I buy from you and not Amazon? This is super important. Make a compelling case for why anyone should buy your product. Is it better? Is it cheaper? Does it ship faster? What makes this a better option?
6. They don’t spell out their policies clearly enough. Is there a return policy? What happens if I hate the product? Is there a guarantee? Do I have to pay to return it? Is it non-refundable? All these questions and more should be answered on the website. Making the buyer feel confident in the sale will go a long way toward securing that sale.

If you want to make money on your website, don’t expect it to work for you unless you work for it. It’s not a one-way street. Every successful website has a hard-working website owner behind it who is dedicated to providing quality content and great service. Don’t miss the mark by forgetting to be thorough in your online store.