The way you design and operate your UI (user interface) can make or break your Magento web store. If you want to run a successful shop you want to make sure that all visitors get a smooth browsing experience and that they can access all the information they desire.

It’s not the easiest thing in the world, to balance product placement with customers support, but it is worth it when done right. Sometimes it’s as easy as starting with the perfect catchy title that draws viewers and doesn’t upset search engines. Of course, once that’s done there’s a lot more that needs optimizing, so here are some more advanced tips on how to turn visitors into happy customers.

Product showcase

When you’re selling something out of a web store your potential clients won’t be able to touch it or test it. People are wired to try and find flaws in everything so they usually want as much information as possible when buying something new.

Because you’re not able to give potential customers more than a peak into what you’re selling you have to make sure that peak shows the full story. It all starts with the images you choose and how you display them on your site.

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, you should always give away as much detail as possible. This means that high resolution pictures are a must have feature on any product page. You should also try to give customers views from different angles and allow them to zoom in and out on whatever feature they might be interested in.

Furthermore, it doesn’t hurt if you can display your product in action. If you’re selling clothes online feature them on models. If you’re selling fridges or large electronics take pictures of them being used and again, from multiple angles.

This allows your site’s visitors to get a sense of how the product performs and it also lets them gauge the size and potential fit a lot better. If you want to convert your visitors into customers you have to give them enough information so that they are satisfied and don’t feel the need to go into a brick and mortar shop.

Showcase your reviews

No one has a perfect track record in the online world. Whatever you’re selling chances are someone will complain at one point and it doesn’t matter if they’re right or wrong. You should still assume that the customers are always right and let them voice their complaints.

By allowing others to browse through your history of reviews on your business, services, and products, you have a better chance of gaining their trust. You want to convey transparency in the way you conduct your business. Only then will your Magento web store be optimized for attracting new buyers.

Presenting the information

In developer circles this would be referred to as design. However, just using the term ‘design’ is meaningless if you’re unclear on what it means. Making a product page look pretty may not be enough to get new customers.

Simply displaying the price in a large font doesn’t offer enough information. When you’re trying to sell something you want to convince people to press the ‘Add to cart’ button. This often times leads to two different trains of thought.

One focuses on distracting people from the purchase button so they don’t feel pushed towards it. The other one emphasizes on a simplistic design with very little distractions away from the purchase button. In most cases, you want to hit the sweet spot which is right in the middle.

Showing too much additional information on screen is never a good idea because it forces the potential customer to read that much more text. By the time he or she is done taking in all the info it’s possible they lose interest.

However, making the product page simplistic is also a trap. Not sharing enough information about a product such as highlighting features, giving manufacturing details, presenting customization options (if any) may not give enough information to convince someone they need it.

No one said it was easy to get things right. Luckily this is where you can rely on customer feedback as well as expert advice. Listening to constructive criticism is one of the easiest things you can do to begin improving your Magento web store. That, and acting upon said criticism of course.

Don’t mistake product information with product description

They may sound similar but the two notions are very different. The product information must be clear and concise as it will determine whether or not it is right for a customer. The product description, on the other hand, leaves room for creativity.

Using a few catchy phrases to hint as to what the product can do and who simply can’t live without it will draw visitors to the product page. From there they should be able to see facts on how the product operates, what it can do, how much it costs, if it can be customized, and how long the delivery would take.

Embellishing on the product information page is not a great idea. It may work on a few people but remember that you want to maximize your profits. So, only present information that has value and that can be verified from exterior sources.

Optimizing your mobile site

More and more people like to shop directly from their smartphones. The screens are getting bigger and bigger so clicking links and reading fine prints is becoming easier. That being said, you can’t and shouldn’t use the same design for your web store when targeting mobile users.

You want to keep things even simpler and highlight your biggest sellers when possible. Pick a few important categories and make sure they’re showcased above everything else. Think ‘Top Sellers’ or ‘Most Popular’, or ‘What Others are Buying Right Now’.

You should also try and limit the use of ads in your mobile design. Anything that crowds the screen and makes the site harder to navigate can turn away potential clients. Remember to also allow zooming in options for pictures.

If you follow these guidelines you’ll have a better chance of maximizing your profits. People like catchy text and fancy pictures but they also need relevant information if they’re going to make a purchase. Remember that you can’t physically interact with online shoppers so you must do everything in your imagination to make them feel as informed and as important as if they were walking into your shop.