Boosting online sales is a top priority for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small retailer or an ecommerce giant, succeeding in the online marketplace can seem like aiming for a strike in bowling – deceptively simple in appearance, yet challenging in reality.

The good news is there are numerous ways to boost your online sales, many of which you can implement immediately. Some are specific strategies, while others are more broad. This article will explore 25 such strategies. Regardless of whether you sell physical products or offer services, you’ll discover 25 actionable techniques to elevate your online sales performance. Want to skyrocket your online sales? Download our free guide to Google Shopping and start attracting new customers right away!

1. Maintain Honesty in Your Sales Content

It might seem incredibly obvious, but it’s surprising how many websites make promises their products can’t deliver. Honesty in your copy is not only vital for your business’s reputation but also builds and nurtures trust in your brand. Avoid making claims you can’t support and use hyperbole sparingly. Today’s consumers are highly attuned to marketing hype, so maintain honesty, clarity, and approachability in all your sales content, from your homepage to your email campaigns.

This advertisement by PETA was removed from billboards in the U.K. by the Advertising Standards Authority in 2013 due to unsubstantiated claims. This principle extends to how you present your business. Have you ever encountered a website clearly run by one or two individuals that uses language better suited for a large corporation? This approach not only makes you appear unprofessional but also harms your brand’s credibility. If you’re a small business, embrace it and be upfront about it – many consumers are turning to smaller businesses specifically for the personalized service they provide. Don’t try to portray yourself as something you’re not.

2. Boost Ad Engagement with Ad Extensions

If you’re selling online, ad extensions are a must-have. Available in both AdWords and Bing, this feature allows you to expand your ad’s size and provide more clickable elements, all without any extra cost! Plus, it improves your ad’s click-through rate! Incredible, right?

In the example above, the “Men’s Sunglasses” and “Women’s Sunglasses” links offer individuals seeking new Ray-Ban sunglasses two additional points of interaction. This streamlines the process for potential customers, making it easier and faster to find what they want, leading them to your site instead of a competitor’s.

3. Showcase Customer Testimonials and Trust Signals

In today’s social media landscape, customer feedback is more critical than ever. The good news is that your satisfied customers can provide you with a powerful asset – testimonials.

A multitude of satisfied customers holds more sway than even the most well-crafted sales copy. Ensure you feature glowing testimonials and reviews from your most enthusiastic brand advocates, highlighting their positive experiences. These can be displayed on your product pages, landing pages, pricing page, and even your homepage. For more insights, explore my article on the impact of customer testimonials. Similarly, incorporating trust signals can significantly boost online sales and/or average order value. This is because it cultivates a more positive brand perception among potential customers and can preemptively address any reservations. If your business holds any professional accreditations (even something as common as a Better Business Bureau certification or local chamber of commerce membership), prominently display these trust signals on your site. If you have an impressive roster of satisfied clients, make sure your prospects are aware of it.

4. Instill a Sense of Urgency

While honesty and transparency about your identity and offerings are crucial, there’s no harm in creating a sense of urgency to encourage immediate purchases.

Many consumers respond well to incentives that create a sense of urgency, ranging from time-limited special offers to limited-edition products. While the methods to achieve this are as diverse as the products available online, some strategies might prove more effective than others. For instance, if you can’t (or choose not to) offer a limited-edition product as an incentive, consider a financial motivator for immediate purchases, such as free shipping or a discount. In AdWords, you can leverage ad customizers to display countdowns for seasonal offers or limited-time sales:

Regardless of your approach, creating a sense of urgency is a potent way to enhance online sales.

5. Provide an Ironclad Money-Back Guarantee

Often, a major deterrent for consumers is risk aversion – the desire to avoid potential loss. This perceived risk is usually financial. Why should someone purchase your products? What if they don’t meet expectations or the customer isn’t satisfied? Even small purchases can lead to buyer’s remorse. Address this concern upfront by offering a solid money-back guarantee.

By minimizing the risk associated with the purchase decision, you increase the likelihood of customers choosing your products. Remove any potential obstacles that might discourage prospects from buying from you.

6. Simplify Choices

This concept might seem counterintuitive to many businesses. Offering a wider array of products should naturally lead to increased sales! Well, not always. In many cases, excessive choices can overwhelm potential customers, leading to indecision and ultimately lost sales.

If you offer a wide range of products, consider structuring your site or product pages to present visitors with fewer options. This reduces the chances of overwhelming them with too many products. Achieve this by categorizing your products into increasingly specific niches (which also makes it easier for visitors to find exactly what they’re looking for) or by highlighting a smaller selection of individual products. Remember, the more choices you present, the higher the likelihood of customers bouncing and going elsewhere.

7. Leverage Lookalike Audiences on Facebook

One of the most effective methods to increase online sales is using your existing customer data to identify similar individuals. Facebook enables this through lookalike audience targeting.

Essentially, lookalike audiences on Facebook are users who share traits and behaviors with your existing customers. Upload your data to Facebook, and it cross-references it with its own data (and information from third-party data brokers) to find matches based on your chosen criteria. You can also utilize tracking pixels and data from app installations to create lookalike audiences. This approach effectively leverages your existing customer data by expanding your reach with minimal effort and using precisely targeted ads to attract Facebook users resembling your current clientele.

For a deeper understanding of lookalike audiences, refer to this blog post about Facebook ad targeting.

8. Streamline the Checkout Process

According to Business Insider, approximately $4 TRILLION worth of online merchandise was abandoned in incomplete shopping carts last year alone, with 63% being potentially recoverable. This astounding statistic highlights the critical importance of perfecting your checkout procedure.

Just like enhancing user experience, simplifying your checkout process can drastically impact your conversion rates. Similar to making your site easy to navigate, ensure that purchasing your products is even simpler.

Eliminate unnecessary steps in your checkout process that could deter conversions. Remove needless form fields. Don’t time out users and force them to restart. For more tips on combating shopping cart abandonment, check out these strategies.

9. Offer Diverse Payment Options

So, your business accepts credit cards. But what about Google Wallet payments? Or ApplePay? What about Stripe? WePay?

Consumers now have more payment choices than ever before, and not everyone prefers American Express. Providing multiple payment options, including newer services gaining popularity on mobile platforms, simplifies the payment process for potential customers. While optimizing your site (and checkout process, as discussed earlier) to include these options might seem like a hassle, it’s a valuable investment to increase online sales, particularly if your site attracts substantial mobile traffic. On a related note, site security is paramount, especially for ecommerce sites handling sensitive payment information. The best way to secure your site is with an SSL certificate. The specifics of the process, pricing, and type of certificate depend on your site’s size, industry, and your chosen provider. Some offer free certificates with regular renewal requirements, others offer paid one-time options, and some include them for free as part of a larger package. For example, HubSpot includes complimentary SSL encryption with its CMS.

10. Prioritize High-Quality Product Images

There’s strong evidence suggesting that well-presented food actually tastes better than sloppily plated dishes. Visual appeal significantly influences our perception of everything, including other people. Therefore, investing in professional product photography will likely have a similar effect on your site visitors.

Regardless of what you sell, showcase high-quality images of your products. Avoid tiny thumbnails or poorly lit pictures taken in your storage area. Also, include a variety of images. While it might seem excessive to show your products from every possible angle, give it a try. People appreciate examining products thoroughly before purchasing, particularly online.

11. Rethink Your Landing Pages

We’ve discussed this strategy before, and it usually raises eyebrows, to say the least. However, we’re not suggesting eliminating landing pages unnecessarily but rather optimizing your online ads to align with how consumers browse the web and shop online.

Call-Only campaigns in Facebook and AdWords exemplify situations where removing the traditional landing page makes perfect sense. Many people dislike spending several minutes navigating pages on their mobile devices – they simply want to connect with your business.

Call-Only ads allow prospects to easily reach your business, bypassing one of the leakiest stages in the traditional online sales funnel and potentially boosting call volumes – a highly valuable lead source for many businesses. People who call are practically pleading to make a purchase.

12. Experiment with Gmail Ads

Or maybe not… Gmail Ads are being phased out! After years of beta testing, Gmail Ads were FINALLY accessible to everyone. This presented an exciting opportunity to connect with potential customers and boost sales.

If you’re already reaching customers through search and social media browsing, why not take it a step further and engage them in their inboxes? Targeting competitor keywords is a highly effective way to leverage Gmail Ads. Individuals actively seeking your competitors’ products receive emails mentioning those brands. Targeting these keywords allows you to appear in their inboxes and potentially sway their decisions.

13. Maintain Consistent Messaging Across Campaigns and Your Website

Have you ever clicked a captivating PPC ad only to be redirected to an irrelevant landing page (bad) or the website’s homepage (worse)? Did you end up purchasing the desired product from that site? Probably not.

An example of a display ad for Air Canada and its corresponding landing page.

If a user clicks an ad for a specific product or service, the destination page should focus solely on that offering – not a related category, not a different product’s special offer, but the specific item they clicked. Ensure consistent messaging across your PPC and paid social campaigns and their associated pages to transform ad clicks into sales.

14. Address All Questions and Objections in Your Copy

One of the biggest pitfalls when selling online is assuming your prospects’ knowledge about your product, service, or even the market. Many companies mistakenly believe customers are more informed than they actually are, resulting in unanswered questions or unaddressed objections, both detrimental to sales.

Anticipate every possible question about your product and address it in your product page copy. Similarly, consider potential objections prospects might have and proactively overcome them in your writing. While this may seem impractical, remember, you’re not overwhelming prospects with unnecessary information – you’re providing the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. This approach also helps you write concise, clear, and focused copy. If you feel there’s too much content, you can always trim it down. Keep the emphasis on the customer and the benefits you offer, not on self-promotion.

15. Offer Generous Freebies

People adore free items, and the more you provide for free, the more favorably prospective customers perceive your brand, potentially leading to increased online sales.

Fantastic! Examine your current offerings. Can you offer anything for free? If you’re in the software industry like us, offering free, no-obligation software trials is a great option. You can also provide free tools like ROI calculators and other interactive content (Outgrow is a great tool for this!).

Even if your business isn’t software-based, you can still offer samples, trial memberships, two-for-one deals, and other reward-based incentives. Giving away freebies not only enhances brand perception but also introduces potential customers to your must-have products, enticing them to buy more.

16. Craft Detailed Buyer Personas

I’m assuming you’re already creating buyer personas (because if not, you’re in trouble). However, I challenge you to develop even more comprehensive buyer personas than before.

Facebook’s targeting options showcase the remarkable granularity available to advertisers – they can target users based on their home size, alma mater, and even their next vacation destination (as highlighted by Margot’s intriguing post about incredibly granular Facebook audiences).

While this level of detail might be excessive for your buyer personas, the better you understand your ideal customers, the more effectively you can tailor your messaging to their lives. Challenge yourself to create richer buyer personas than ever before. For deeper insights into this process, check out my comprehensive guide to creating buyer personas.

17. Implement Tiered Pricing

When dining out, you’re more likely to choose a mid-priced dish. This is because many restaurants use psychology to steer customers towards these options. We often avoid the cheapest and most expensive items, making mid-range choices seem more appealing. This technique is known as “decoy pricing,” and the same principle can boost online sales through tiered pricing structures.

Adding a third “decoy” option to your pricing structure encourages customers to choose the middle option – the one you actually want them to buy. While some might still opt for the most expensive choice (beneficial for revenue), most will instinctively avoid the decoy and select the middle tier, precisely as intended.

Many companies leverage this psychological principle (also known as the “asymmetric dominance effect”) to influence our buying decisions. To delve deeper into decoy pricing, explore this post by Neil Patel at MarketingLand.

18. Leverage Opt-In Pop-Up Offers

To increase retail sales, don’t underestimate opt-in offers – prompts encouraging website visitors to subscribe to newsletters, mailing lists, or loyalty programs. Opt-in offers not only expand your contact database (valuable for future email marketing) but also boost online sales in the short term.

Prospective customers hesitant about purchasing might be persuaded by a well-timed opt-in offer, such as free shipping or a discount on their first order. Even if they don’t buy immediately but subscribe to your offer, you’ve added them to your database, potentially leading to future purchases.

When launching an opt-in offer, test each element for optimal performance. Experiment with the copy, its placement on your site, and the user flow. A/B test different offers to determine which ones attract more sign-ups. Consider triggering the pop-up upon site exit, capturing visitors’ attention before they leave. The more subscribers you gain, the greater your potential for future sales.

19. Embrace Mobile Optimization

The number of online businesses with poorly designed, unoptimized “mobile” sites is astounding.

Mobile searches have already surpassed desktop searches in volume. To avoid losing potential sales, it’s crucial to optimize your site for mobile devices – and not just from a technical standpoint.

Make it effortless for mobile visitors to purchase your products. This might involve overhauling your checkout process (see tip #8) or designing and launching a dedicated mobile site. Amazon’s mobile site exemplifies effective mobile ecommerce execution, but you don’t need Amazon’s resources to create a user-friendly and engaging mobile experience.

Navigation and user experience are paramount for a well-designed, highly optimized mobile site. The more difficult it is for visitors to find and purchase products, the more likely they are to abandon your site and go elsewhere. Pages should load almost instantly, and navigation should be intuitive. Request only essential information, minimizing the effort required for purchases or future marketing efforts. Allow visitors to save their carts for later, even on different devices. Don’t expect mobile visitors to convert in a single session – they probably won’t. However, they might convert later if you provide a seamless experience.

Prioritize your mobile visitors and strive to make their on-the-go purchases effortless.

20. Impress New Customers with Excellent Follow-Up Emails

Unfortunately, many businesses consider the customer journey complete after securing a sale. This is a grave mistake for customer retention. To boost online sales, implement a thoughtful, considerate, and genuinely helpful follow-up process for new customers.

As a tech enthusiast, I frequently order from Newegg.com – replacement parts, new components, and other tech goodies. My loyalty to Newegg stems not only from their competitive prices but also from their customer service and follow-up procedures.

Every time I place an order, I receive detailed purchase summaries (including tracking information to obsessively refresh the order page) along with customer service details, links to relevant products, and various resources. I’m encouraged to leave reviews and feedback, contact a real person for any questions, and even engage in discussions with other users considering similar purchases. Overall, it’s a fantastic shopping experience, which explains my longstanding patronage.

Don’t forget about your customers after they’ve provided their payment information. The more attention you give them post-purchase, the more likely they are to become loyal brand advocates who’ll not only return for more but also recommend you to others. After a purchase, offer customers a freebie (see tip #15). Engage with them on social media (more on this later). Send them a thoughtful, valuable follow-up email with incentives to return. Regardless of your approach, treat your customers like the valued individuals they are – prioritize building relationships, not just transactions.

21. Highlight Your Value Proposition

Far too many companies lose sales and waste time by focusing inward. Remember, people buy solutions, not products. Another harsh reality is that unless your customers are already passionate advocates, most don’t care about you or your company – only how your products or services can improve their lives. Therefore, your value proposition should be central to all your marketing and website content.

Your value proposition is the core reason why customers should choose you over competitors – the promise of the benefits they’ll receive by investing in your offerings. Value propositions can be divided into three main areas:

• Relevance: How your product/service solves customers’ problems.
• Quantifiable value: The specific benefits your product/service offers.
• Differentiator: Why customers should choose you over competitors.

Breaking down a value proposition into these components highlights why they should shape your marketing messages and website content, from your homepage copy to your email campaigns. Why wouldn’t you prioritize these aspects of your products?

Review your landing page copy, sales materials, and other marketing content. Is the value proposition instantly clear? If not, it’s time to reassess. Everything your prospects encounter should reinforce your value proposition. The more perceived value you create around your products or services, the more you’ll sell.

22. Use the Customer’s Language in Ad Campaigns

Hopefully, you’re already leveraging PPC and paid social advertising to expand your reach. However, the language you use in your campaigns can drastically impact your conversion rates (and consequently, your sales). Therefore, my fourth tip is to adopt “the voice of the customer” in your campaigns – but what does that entail?

The voice of the customer is a market research technique that aligns copy with the needs, desires, pain points, expectations, and aversions of the targeted audience. This process often involves incorporating language and phrases used by customers during market research and focus groups.

The example above, from accounting software company FreshBooks, effectively utilizes the voice of the customer. During market research, FreshBooks discovered that their target market (small business owners) found bookkeeping tedious and challenging, and they incorporated this language into their messaging.

This technique is incredibly powerful because you’re using the exact phrasing your ideal customers use to reach them. To learn how to implement this strategy, check out this post about the voice of the customer.

23. Analyze Attribution and Conversion Paths

Sometimes, it seems like you’re doing everything right, yet your conversion rates remain disappointingly low. Often, this isn’t due to poorly crafted ad messaging or placement (though it’s worth scrutinizing) but rather a misunderstanding of when and where conversions are happening.

If your conversion rates are low, start by examining your attribution models and conversion pathways in Analytics. You might be surprised to discover that seemingly ineffective parts of your marketing strategy significantly influence your online sales. For instance, organic search might not directly generate many sales, but individuals who first discover you through organic search and then encounter a Facebook ad might have a high conversion rate. If so, you should prioritize content marketing and invest in Facebook remarketing (see Tip #25).

24. Engage with Prospects on Social Media

Many businesses undervalue active social media engagement with potential customers, perceiving it as having minimal impact on sales. However, it’s a highly effective way to enhance brand awareness, customer satisfaction, and sales.

Recall a time when you tweeted at a company or commented on their Facebook page, and they personally responded. How did this affect your brand perception? It likely improved significantly. Swiftly and genuinely answering potential customers’ questions about your offerings is an excellent way to boost sales. The more attentive you appear, the more likely people are to buy from you. This also generates organic social feedback among users – a form of brand exposure and “advertising” you can’t buy (legitimately, anyway).

25. Leverage Remarketing to Close More Deals

Whether it’s a PPC or Facebook advertising campaign, every digital marketing endeavor requires time, money, and effort. Without remarketing, you’re essentially hoping for immediate conversions, which rarely happens (and is as illogical as it sounds).

Whether you’re remarketing your content or a time-sensitive offer, it’s arguably the most effective way to increase online sales. Remarketing not only keeps your brand at the forefront of prospects’ minds but also provides them with additional opportunities to convert. Given the often-fragmented customer journey, which now typically spans at least a couple of days and multiple devices, remarketing aligns with how modern consumers prefer to shop – whenever and wherever they choose.

Remarketing is a complex topic with nuances depending on whether you’re using paid search or paid social. For comprehensive insights, explore The Complete Guide to AdWords Remarketing Best Practices and The Ridiculously Awesome Guide to Facebook Remarketing.

Boosting Online Sales [Summary]

Implement these 25 tactics to start closing more online sales:

1. Leverage Remarketing to Close More Deals
2. Engage with Prospects on Social Media
3. Analyze Attribution and Conversion Paths
4. Use the Customer’s Language in Ad Campaigns
5. Highlight Your Value Proposition
6. Impress New Customers with Excellent Follow-Up Emails
7. Embrace Mobile Optimization
8. Leverage Opt-In Pop-Up Offers
9. Implement Tiered Pricing
10. Craft Detailed Buyer Personas
11. Offer Generous Freebies
12. Address All Questions and Objections in Your Copy
13. Maintain Consistent Messaging Across Campaigns and Your Website
14. Experiment with Gmail Ads
15. Rethink Your Landing Pages
16. Prioritize High-Quality Product Images
17. Offer Diverse Payment Options
18. Streamline the Checkout Process
19. Leverage Lookalike Audiences on Facebook
20. Simplify Choices
21. Provide an Ironclad Money-Back Guarantee
22. Instill a Sense of Urgency
23. Showcase Customer Testimonials and Trust Signals
24. Boost Ad Engagement with Ad Extensions
25. Maintain Honesty in Your Sales Content