11 EASY Ways to Optimize Your Website to Increase Sales in Nigeria

In 2020, Nigeria’s number of online buyers was about 76.7 million (Source: Statista).

And that’s not all. The Nigerian e-commerce market is expected to register a cagr of 12.24% during 2022-2027.

As you can guess, there is no eCommerce without a website.

A website plays a crucial role in eCommerce and can help businesses increase sales and reach new customers.

So, as the number of online buyers in Nigeria continues to grow, it is important for businesses to have a website that is optimized for sales.

This article provides 15 easy ways to do just that. By following these tips, businesses can increase their sales and tap into the growing e-commerce market in Nigeria.

Page Contents

What is website optimization?

Website optimization is making a website’s marketing and technical capabilities more effective.

As such, the goal of website optimization is to improve the visibility of a site in search engine results pages (SERPs), increase the number of visitors to the site, and convert more visitors into customers.

On the flip side, many factors go into website optimization, including on-page elements like title tags and meta descriptions and off-page factors like link building and social media engagement.

But you might wonder, why bother?

If there’s one thing you can take from this guide is that: Website optimization can help you reach your target audience, increase your conversion rate, and ultimately boost your bottom line.

It is not enough to just purchase a domain name, install WordPress, and wait for the magic to happen.

You need to do something for something to happen?.

You need to know that website optimization is an ongoing process, as search engines constantly change their algorithms, and best practices are always evolving.

As much as there is something you need to do, it is not a set-and-forget kind of system. You need to keep showing up.

1. Homepage optimization

Your optimization should start from the homepage.

After all, it is the first thing your visitors will see when they visit your site. That makes it one of the most important pages on your site.

And don’t forget, you only have a few seconds to make a good first impression and persuade visitors to stay on your site.

Here are a few ways you can use to turn your homepage into a sales machine:

Make sure your homepage clearly states what your business does and what products or services you offer. You want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to see what you have to offer and how it can benefit them.
Use strong calls-to-action (CTAs) on your homepage that encourages visitors to take the next step, whether that’s signing up for a newsletter, downloading a free guide, or making a purchase. Your CTAs should be clear and concise and stand out against the rest of the content on the page.
Use images and videos on your homepage that help gives visitors a better idea of what your business is all about. You want to ensure the visuals are high quality and relevant to your products or services.

Remember this: The goal of homepage optimization is to get more visitors to take the action you want them to take, whether that’s signing up for a newsletter, downloading a white paper, or making a purchase.

2. Product page optimization

Besides the homepage, there’s also the product page. For the green ones (beginners), a product page is a page on a website that provides details about a product. This can include information such as the product’s name, price, description, and images. A product page can also include customer reviews and ratings.

There are several ways to optimize your product pages for sales.

One way is to ensure that your pages are well-designed and easy to navigate. In fact, according to this study, if given 15 minutes to consume content, two-thirds of people would rather read something beautifully designed than something plain.

This means that your product pages need to be visually appealing and easy to read. Use high-quality images, infographics, and videos to help explain your products.

Another way to optimize your product pages is by using persuasive copywriting techniques.

For example, you can use social proof (such as customer reviews) or scarcity tactics (such as “limited time only” offers) to persuade people to buy your products.

You can also highlight the benefits of your products rather than the features.

For example, instead of saying, “Our products have X feature,” you can say, “Our products will help you do Y.”

3. Cart and checkout optimization

The average shopping cart abandonment rate is around 69%. That means that for every 100 people who add items to their cart, only 31 will actually go through with the purchase.

If you are running an eCommerce store here in Nigeria, a lot of potential sales are being left on the table.

So, how can you optimize your cart and checkout process to increase sales and reduce abandonment? Here are a few tips:

Make the checkout process as simple and streamlined as possible. The fewer steps there are, the more likely people will complete the purchase.
Offer various payment options so that people can choose the one that’s most convenient for them.
Include customer testimonials or product reviews on your checkout page to build trust and confidence.
Make sure your checkout page is mobile-friendly. In fact, according to this study, 61% of people are more likely to buy from a website that’s optimized for mobile.
Ensure that your website is secure, so people feel safe entering their personal and payment information.

4. Search engine optimization.

Here’s something I bet you don’t want to hear: it doesn’t matter how optimized your site pages are; without traffic, you are wasting your time.

That is where search engines come in.

Search engine optimization is making a website’s marketing and technical abilities more advantageous to search engines, earning higher web traffic levels and improving sales conversions.

Despite its advantages, some business owners in Nigeria are still leery of using search engine optimization (SEO), thinking it’s too complex or time-consuming.

Here are some tips for getting started with SEO:

Start by doing keyword research to find out what people are searching for in relation to your products or services.
Once you’ve identified some target keywords, integrate them into your website’s content (e.g., blog posts, product descriptions, etc.).
Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices since more and more people are using their phones and tablets to search the web.
Ensure that your site pages load quickly since Google favors websites with fast loading times.

5. Mobile optimization

In 2021, the number of mobile internet users in Nigeria amounted to over 80.93 million (Source: Statista.com).

Ways to Optimize Your Website to Increase Sales

As mobile shopping continues to grow in popularity, it’s important that businesses make sure their websites are optimized for mobile devices.

According to a recent study, 76% of people shop on their smartphone, and more than 50% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices.

So, you can’t continue to ignore mobile users thinking it all work out on its own.

As the website owner, you can do a few things to ensure their website is optimized for mobile shoppers.

Use a responsive design: Make sure your website is designed responsively so that it can be easily viewed on all devices, from smartphones to tablets to desktop computers.
Use large, easy-to-tap buttons: Mobile users have smaller screens and fingers, so it’s important to ensure your buttons are large enough to be tapped easily.
Simplify your forms: Long and complicated forms can be frustrating for mobile users, so keep your forms short and simple.
Optimize your images: Mobile users have slower data speeds, so optimizing your images for faster loading times is important.
Use short and concise copy: Keep your copy short and to the point since mobile users have shorter attention spans than desktop users.

6. Speed optimization.

It is not enough to obsess about mobile optimization. You need to consider speed as well.

As it turns out, your website’s loading speed directly impacts your sales. Studies have shown that a 1-second delay in page loading time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.

Plain and simple; If your site is slow, you lose revenue.

Luckily, you can do a few simple things to speed up your site. First, make sure you’re using a good hosting provider. Second, optimize your images for the web. Images are often the biggest culprit when it comes to slow loading times.

Finally, minify your CSS and JavaScript files. This means removing all unnecessary characters (such as whitespace) from the code to make it smaller in size.

7. A/B testing

Quick question:

How do you know that whatever you are doing is actually making an impact?

Well, there’s no way to know without testing. That’s where A/B testing comes in.

A/B testing is a method of marketing experimentation in which two versions of a web page are shown to users at random, and statistical analysis is used to determine which version performs better for a given conversion goal.

You can use this tactic to test anything on your websites that can be measured, such as the effectiveness of your call-to-action buttons, the placement of your buy now button, or the copy on your product pages.

Here are examples:

Button color: Test different colors for your call-to-action button to see which one gets more clicks.
Button text: Try using different phrases on your button, such as “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart,” and see which one performs better.
Product copy: Write two versions of your product description and see which one converts higher.

That said, there are some tools that you can use to help with your A/B testing, such as Google Analytics, Optimizely, and Visual Website Optimizer.

8. Use pop-ups and exit intent modals.

Pop-ups are one of the most effective ways to increase sales and conversions on your website. In fact, according to Optimonk, pop-ups can increase conversion rates by up to 11.09%.

There are many different types of pop-ups that you can use on your website.

For example, you could use a welcome mat (fullscreen overlay), an exit intent popup (triggered when someone is about to leave your site), or a scroll-triggered popup (triggered when someone scrolls down a certain percentage of the page).

You can also use opt-ins forms on your website in sidebars and other places.

However, ensure they’re not intrusive and only appear after someone has engaged with your content for a while. Otherwise, it will annoy people, making them less likely to convert into customers.

That said, some tools can help you create pop-ups and exit intent modals, such as:

9. Use social proof and testimonials.

Social proof is the idea that people are more likely to buy a product if they see that others have bought it.

It’s a psychological phenomenon that occurs because people want to fit in and be like everyone else.

There are many different types of social proof.

Still, some of the most common ones include testimonials, customer reviews, social media widgets (showing how many people follow or Like your page), and celebrity endorsements.

Make sure that you prominently display social proof on your website so visitors can see it when they land on your site. The more visible it is, the more likely people will buy your products.

10. Use scarcity tactics.

Scarcity is another psychological phenomenon that you can use to increase sales and conversions on your website.

It’s the idea that people are more likely to buy a product if they think it’s in limited supply.

For example, if you only have a few products left in stock, people will be more likely to buy them before they run out.

You can also use scarcity tactics by offering discounts or coupons that are only available for a limited time. This creates a sense of urgency and encourages people to buy your products before the offer expires.

Make sure you’re using scarcity tactics in a genuine, not misleading, way. Otherwise, people will catch on, and it could damage your reputation.

11. Offer live chat support

Another way to increase sales on your website in Nigeria is by offering live chat support. This means you will have someone available to answer questions and help customers in real-time.

Chatters tend to spend 60% more per purchase, according to an Invesp survey. Visitors who engage with a live chat agent are 2.8 times more likely to purchase a product.

In fact, 38% of customers reported making a purchase after having a good session with a live chat agent.

Sounds interesting, right?

There are several ways to offer live chat support on your website. You can use a service like LiveChat or Pure Chat, which offers plans starting at $15/month.

Or you could hire someone specifically for this task (although it may be more expensive).

There’s also a free live chat service, Tawk.to. With this tool, you can easily monitor and chat with the visitors on your website, respond to support tickets, organize contacts and create a help center to empower customers to help themselves.

All are 100% free.

Offering live chat support is a great way to increase sales because it allows you to address potential customers’ concerns before they make a purchase.

It also shows that you’re committed to providing excellent customer service, which can encourage people to buy from you again in the future.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, you can do several simple things to optimize your website and increase sales.

By taking the time to implement these 11 easy tips, you’ll be well on your way to driving more traffic and generating more leads and sales from your website.

If you don’t have a website yet, go ahead and secure affordable web hosting in Nigeria.