Finally fix your Shopify site! Grab a coveted spot in our 2024 schedule.

Hi Reader,

Happy new year! Now's the time of year that thoughts turn to optimizing websites (someone just reached out to me to tell me her website hasn't had a major overhaul since 2015!). I have some product page insights for you to use to evaluate and improve your own site.

Did you know? One thing that makes Aeolidia stand out in a sea of Shopify agencies is that we have a full-time Ecommerce Strategist. Helen on our team has a background in web development, but she doesn't do any development for us. She spends every week of the year making sure we're caught up on Shopify updates and changes, and best practices in ecommerce.

We have paid subscriptions that allow us to keep up on the best of-the-moment research that's relevant to you, and we have the time and resources to do so. So rest assured, when you hire us, you'll be getting a completely current website, built to work well for your business.

So, one peek at the kind of premium research we use to inform our work is mentioned in this free article about optimizing your product pages. I wanted to go through this list and let you know how you can make this happen for your own site:

The first three tips are all about product images, and there's one more that you can definitely work on yourself:

Provide "In Scale" Images
Provide a "Human Model" Image
Include Descriptive Text or Graphics for Some Product Images
Respond to Negative User Reviews

We have a bunch of product photography tips for you here.

A few of these you can take care of using apps, such as:

Make It Easy to Access and Use “Save” Features
Request Only Highly Relevant Personal Reviewer Info in Review Submission Forms
Provide a Ratings Distribution Chart at the Top of the Review Section

Many of them require the help of a developer, including (most shops we work with don't have products that require the following, though):

Display “Price Per Unit” for Products Sold in Varying Quantities or Amounts
Provide Highly Scannable Spec Sheets
Harmonize Vendor-Supplied Specs to Ensure Consistency and Uniformity
Explain or Define Most Specification Labels in the Spec Sheet

Then, finally we have a few where your Shopify theme may allow you to optimize this, or you may need to call a developer in:

Avoid These 4 Pitfalls When Displaying Price Discounts on the Product Page
Provide a “Total Order Cost” Estimate near the “Buy” Section (this is hard with Shopify but there are some shipping estimator apps...or use flat shipping with a free threshold to take the guesswork out of the picture.)
Display or Link to the Return Policy from the Main Product Page Content
Place “Free Shipping” Information in or near the “Buy” Section

These are the kinds of things we build in when creating your site or add in while optimizing your site. Best practices are general, of course, so it helps to work with a team that also understands your unique products and customers and can help you experiment to find what will work best for you.

Email me back with any questions! We'd love to help. We're also glad to schedule a call with you.

Q&A

Here's a reader question about homepage content, from Torie, as answered by Helen Hulskamp, Ecommerce Strategist on our team:

Q: What's the number one thing that should be included on your home page?

A: I can't pick just one! The most important homepage sections are different depending on the specific business. But the most important content that we often see missing from homepages is a unique selling proposition. At a glance, your home page should make it instantly self-evident what your site offers and the unique benefits your products provide to your customers. For more information, here are a couple of blog posts to check out:

Make Marketing Easy With a Unique Selling Proposition and How to Optimize Your Website Content To Resonate With Your Dream Customer.

Question: Answered!

Our team includes experts in branding, design, development, email & SMS/text marketing, search engine optimization, copywriting, conversion optimization, ecommerce strategy, business growth and more. Email me back with your question! I'll consult one of our experts and share one response per week over email.

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Recent Aeolidia Project!

Website optimization for Sister Golden.

Sister Golden, a nature-inspired art prints shop, hired us in 2022 for a custom Shopify site. They returned to us recently for a custom Rebuy integration and other website optimizations.

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