CONVERSION RATE OPTIMIZATION

DESIGN
CHECKLIST
FOR DROPSHIPPERS
2020 - 2019
TONS OF VISITORS BUT LOW
CONVERSION RATES? THIS
COULD BE THE REASON WHY:

94%
of online shoppers' first
impressions are design-driven

59%
of consumers will engage with
content that’s well designed
and attractive.
7 OUT OF 10
online shoppers judge a
company's credibility based
on the company's website

ON AVERAGE, COMPANIES THAT

OPTIMIZE THEIR DESIGN SEE AN
INCREASE IN 2% OR MORE IN
WEBSITE CONVERSIONS
CONVERSION RATE OPTIMIZATION
CHECKLIST
Header 
Size
Keep the header size to a minimum (80px or less)
Logo
Should be small (80px or less), full HD, and should fit the header without forcing it
to resize
Link your logo to your home page
Colors
Colors should be parallel with the rest of the branding colors.
Menu Items
Limit menu items to less than 7
Only add important items to your menu bar (i.e. Shop. About Us, Contact, Blog,
FAQ, Returns)
Avoid the use of drop-down menus if possible
Font
Font should be between 12px - 15px
Use high contrasting colors (i.e. black on white)
Misc.
Add a shopping cart for easy cart access
(Optional) Add a search bar

Hero Section 
Image
Use relevant images that resonate with what you are selling and/or your branding
Avoid obvious stock images
All images need to be full HD (1920 x 1080 resolution or higher)
Make sure the images don't break proportion on mobile view
Avoid sliders (1 static image is 53% more converting than auto-rotating slides)
Layout Design - Leverage the "Rule of Thirds"

Using the rule of thirds is

a great way to kick off
your hero image's
composition as it gives
you a quick guide to
positioning and framing
your elements.
In short, fit your content +
CTA button somewhere
in one of the middle 3
squares
Hero Section (con.)
Font
Use clean/standard typefaces (i.e. Montserrat, Roboto, Open Sans)
When in doubt use default settings for typography
Design the hero section for both mobile & desktop screens
Make it a habit to switch between the desktop & mobile views when designing
your hero section to make sure the experience is mutual on all screens
Content
Emphasize a unique value proposition (UVP)
Use bullet points to list multiple UVPs/benefits
Use benefit/results driven headlines that are brief & to the point
Make use of power words
Use a color that helps your CTA button stand out from the background

Featured Products
Product Images
Avoid low quality product pictures
Your product images should be clean & without any distractions
Product images should NOT contain any text
Make sure the product is fully visible
Layout Design
Make use of white space throughout the sections
Avoid featuring more than 4 products per row (no more than 2 per row for mobile)
Keep your featured product section clean (messy design confuses the brain)
Font
Keep your fonts between 13px - 17px
Use high contrasting colors (i.e. black on white)
Content
Avoid long product titles. If you are exporting products from Aliexpress, re-write
the titles in 3 words or less
Make the price fully visible
Your CTA should read: Add to Cart/Purchase Now/View More
Inner Sections
Layout Design
Divide your sections evenly
Add white space between the sections to give them "room to breath"
Use the 30-70 or 50-50 principle
30% visual & 70% text OR 50% visual & 50% text
Alternate text/image position from right to left
Keep the colors clean & avoid using more than 2 colors for the background
Content
Talk about what sets you apart
Mention your benefits/about your website/other UVPs
Tell a story about your brand
Highlight what makes you different/tell your journey
Font
Keep your fonts between 13px - 17px
Images
Use the same methodologies as discussed in previous sections of this checklist
(Full HD, doesn't break proportion on mobile, etc)
Reviews Sections
Layout Design
Add white space between the sections to give them "room to breath"
Keep the colors clean & avoid using more than 2 colors for the background
Content
Keep the reviews short
Include the review stars
Font
Keep the font between 13px - 15px
High contrasting colors (preferably the same colors as used in other parts of your
website)
Images
Images of the product/people using the product/the person who bought the
product
Avoid text-only review sections. Images provoke trust & credibility
Footer 
Size
Keep the footer size as close to default as possible
Colors
Colors should be parallel with the rest of the branding colors
Menu Items
Dedicate a column with the header menu items
Dedicate a column for other menu items such as Privacy, Support Page (or
Contact Us), Terms of Service
Do NOT use drop-down menus in the footer
Font
Font should be between 12px - 15px
Use high contrasting colors (i.e. black on white)
Misc.
Add payment badges
Remove "Hosted with Shopify" from copyrighted section
(optional) Include newsletter subscription
(optional) Include your logo
Add company information (email, address, phone)
Add social links
THANK YOU FOR READING

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