Conversion fixes that actually move the number
Conversion advice tends to arrive as a list of tweaks. Most of them are real but small, and running them in a random order means spending months for a rounding error.
Work the funnel instead: find the step with the biggest drop, fix its known cause, measure, repeat.
The usual order of magnitude#
| Fix | Typical impact | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Show shipping cost earlier | Large | Low |
| Speed up the product page on mobile | Large | Medium |
| Remove forced account creation | Large | Low |
| Better product images and real photos | Moderate | Medium |
| Clear returns policy near the buy button | Moderate | Low |
| Button and copy tweaks | Small | Low |
Find the leak before fixing anything#
- Count sessions reaching product page, cart, checkout start, payment, and order.
- Find the biggest percentage drop between two adjacent steps.
- Ask what the customer learns at that step that they did not know before.
- Fix that specific thing.
- Re-measure over a full week — traffic mix varies by day.
Why shipping cost dominates#
The largest single cause of abandonment in most stores is a shipping cost that appears for the first time at checkout. The customer has not changed their mind about your product; they have learned a price they were not told. Showing it on the product page costs you nothing and removes the surprise.
If free shipping over a threshold is viable, say the threshold on the product page. Half the effect is knowing, not paying.
Testing honestly#
Most Shopify stores do not have the traffic for meaningful A/B tests on small changes. Below a few hundred orders a month, prefer obvious fixes and before-and-after measurement over tests you cannot power. Pretending a test was conclusive is worse than not testing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good conversion rate?
It varies enormously by category and price point. Compare against your own trend, not against a published average.
Should I run A/B tests?
Only with enough traffic to reach significance in a reasonable time. Otherwise fix known problems and measure the trend.
Do trust badges help?
Less than a clear returns policy, a visible shipping cost and a fast page.
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