Did you know that making minor tweaks on your website can improve your sales by 200%?

The colors of your “add to cart” buttons, the navigation links on your website, where your contact information is shown.

These are only just a few things that may seem inconsequential at first.

But many studies and tests have been done to show that these website elements can make or break your bottom line.

Having a great website and shop are key to the success of your online creative business.

You just need to make sure you’re not missing out on any of these important website elements!

I’ve made for you an easy-to-use and concise checklist, so you can review your website and shop yourself!

□ Build that email list

Having an email list is a great way to reach out to people who are interested in your products!

This should be a part of your marketing plan. You can use Aweber, Mailchimp or MadMimi to start collecting email subscribers.

Then you can add an email sign up form to your website with:

• Hello Bar
• Scroll Box by SumoMe for Wordpress
• HTML code to add your form to your website sidebar (if you have one)

To help increase email sign-ups, offer an incentive like a free digital download or a coupon code.

□ An about page that’s not about you

Your about page is one of the most visited pages on your website.

You probably already have an about page.

But is your about page about you or your customer?

On the contrary, your about page should really be about your customer.

Address the following questions when writing your about page:

1. Why should they buy from you?
2. How do your products make your customers feel?
3. Why is your shop different than the competition?

To quickly check if your about page fits the bill, count how many times you’ve said “you” vs “I” or “me”.

Your about page should have far more you’s than me’s!

□ Photos that make them drool

Be sure your photos are consistently styled from product to product.

You should use the same backdrop and light source for all of your items so your photos look cohesive.

Use crisp and clear photos that show your products off.

Have more than one or two photos of each product to give your customers a great idea of what they’re getting in the mail!

□  Clear calls to action

You should have a clear goal for your website.

What is the end destination you want your customers to take?

Do you want them to make a purchase?

Do you want them to contact you for a custom project quote?

Use larger font or use different colored text to draw attention to your call-to-action.

If you have a shop, you can also add your text call-to-action in a main cover photo on your front page:

• Shop our new products
• Shop our bestsellers
• Contact me now for a custom project quote

Make your shop’s “add to cart” button a different color than the rest of your website.

You want to make it stand out so as to draw your visitor’s attention to click on it and add your product to their cart!

□  Great website design

Is your text easy to read? Pick a color that stands out from the background.

How large or small is your text?

Avoid using bold and bright colors as your background – instead use them as your accent colors.

Don’t forget to include your logo on top along with a tagline that clearly tells visitors what you do in one sentence.

Turn off any autoplay music or videos.

□  Clear and easy navigation

Have one or two main navigation points on your website.

Include only links that are important to you and your customer, so remove any links that don’t serve your goals!

Avoid using funky words and phrases that make your navigation links sound cute, but that might confuse your customers (and search engines).

Your cart or checkout link should also appear on every page so it’s easy for your customer to complete their purchase when they feel ready.

Include pages that help answer a customer’s questions about the shopping process, such as:

1. terms of service and privacy policy pages
2. shipping page (how long does it take to arrive?)
3. returns, refunds and exchanges page
4. frequently asked questions page

□  A functional website

Test your website thoroughly! Click on any and all links to be sure they link to the correct pages.

Check each of the following to make sure they work!

• contact forms
• check out process
• social media links
• website navigation links
• add to cart buttons

These days, more than 50% of online shoppers are using their mobile phones to browse.

Is your website responsive – does it work well and look great on mobile devices?

Does your website load quickly?

A fast loading website looks good in Google’s eyes and they will rank you higher in the search engines!

Your customers will also be thankful for a quick website!

□  Your contact info everywhere

Include your email address clearly on every page of your website.

This helps your customers feel more comfortable shopping with you because they know you’re only an email away if they have any concerns!

If possible, I also recommend getting a phone number just for your business.

I use Grasshopper but you can get a free number at Google Voice and have it link to your direct phone number.

Just having a phone number on your website builds trust and credibility in your customers.

You’ll be surprised to find that very few people will actually pick up the phone and call your number, so don’t worry about that!

□  Build credibility, trust and social proof

Have a page just for your customer testimonials.

You can insert photos from happy customers and whatever positive messages they’ve sent you!

Also include a press, mentions of features page to show off where your shop’s been featured in.

This will help your customers trust you and know that you’re the real deal.

The more your visitors trust you, the more likely they are to buy something from you!

□  Checking out is easy

Your customer is ready to check out with their purchase!

But you haven’t gotten the sale yet, and your customer might get distracted or change their mind at any moment.

Make checking out an easy and smooth experience for them.

Ask as few questions as you can in the process.

If possible, enable guest checkout.

□  Product descriptions that convey feelings

Do your product descriptions list the materials and supplies used in making the product?

Do you talk about how you were inspired to make this and what your process was like?

That’s good information to give, but more importantly, you need to get clear on what your product will do for your customer.

The sale extends beyond an exchange of your physical (or digital) product and their cash.

Think about the extra value your products will give to your customers.

• Do they feel more confident with your jewelry?
• Are they more organized with your wallet and phone all-in-one organizer?
• Do they feel special wearing your hats?

Like writing your about page, your product description should address these questions:

1. Why should your customer buy your product?
2. How do your products make them feel?

Did I miss anything?

Please let me know in the comments if you have other items to share!

If you’ve found this helpful, please let me know too.