It’s hard enough to convince people to visit your website and read content: it’s even harder to convince them to buy something. When you offer products and services via the web, competition can be tough, consumers can be picky and search engines can be fickle. All of these elements affect just how much you can expect to sell to a given audience. However, once you’ve attracted the right shoppers, how can you be sure to generate the maximum number of sales? As it turns out, a few major influencing factors play a huge component in how successful you’ll be. Let’s take a look at these influencers below.

Checkout Process

One of the biggest influencers on how many products a business sells – but many do not think much about – is the checkout process. It helps to imagine the average potential shopper as neutral or nonchalant about following through with the purchase. After all, this person could come back at any time, choose to look elsewhere or ultimately decide not to buy. Every hurdle placed in front of the customer that gives them time to reconsider ultimately reduces the number of sales. By pinging your website with options such as one-click checkout and widely-used payment methods like PayPal, you’ll avoid losing a rather large number of customers who’d otherwise follow through.

Website Experience

One of the major ways we remember websites we have visited is by the feeling we had while we were there. In all but the most notable of brands, there is a need for ambiance and brand awareness – one of the most effective ways to create this is by giving visitors a great experience. The overall user experience on your website should be optimized to appeal to customers. From the domain name down to the color scheme, every aspect should be considered, data-mined and evaluated on a regular basis. Times change, so don’t think one particular ideal user experience will always be ideal.

Product Presentation

While the overall user experience on your website has to be good, the same goes for each individual product page and listing. How do people feel when they take a look at one of your products? Can they find enough relevant information to make a decision right then and there? Are you pinging your website with a sufficient number of benefits that the product provides? Ultimately, how you present the product on its own page determines whether you’re going to generate the maximum number of sales possible. Without elements such as FAQs, product images, benefits, specifications and testimonials/reviews, your ability to sell will be hindered.

It isn’t enough to merely have a great idea – or even a great product. You have to be able to convince others to part with their money in exchange for it. Ultimately, you’ll find that some strategies produce better results than others. Arguably, the three most influential elements in whether somebody will buy or not are website experience, product presentation and the checkout process. If you can optimize these three elements, you’ll also optimize the number of sales.