Is Your WooCommerce Store Holding You Back?
If you’re like most WooCommerce store owners, this is probably how your website came together:
- You picked a theme that looked nice and professional.
- You built the homepage, showcasing your products, maybe adding a few images or sliders.
- You created your product pages, focusing on descriptions and prices.
- You started driving traffic through paid ads or email marketing, sending people directly to your product pages.
- And now you wait, hoping for the sales to come through.
Sound familiar?
The truth is, while this process seems logical, it’s actually hurting your ability to sell products.
Why This Approach is Wrong and Hurts Your Sales
Here’s why building your website like this is not enough to grow your business:
- No Sales Strategy: Your website looks good, but it doesn’t have a clear strategy for converting visitors into customers. Without sales funnels guiding visitors to make a purchase, you’re relying on luck, not strategy.
- Unoptimized Checkout Process: Most WooCommerce stores have a basic checkout process. This leads to high cart abandonment because it doesn’t address customer hesitations or offer upsells to increase the value of each sale.
- No Lead Generation: If you’re not actively capturing leads through lead magnets or building your email list, you’re missing out on future sales. Not everyone buys the first time they visit your site.
- Lack of Automations: Without email automations like welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, or post-purchase follow-ups, you’re leaving money on the table and losing opportunities to engage and convert potential customers.
- Disjointed Messaging: When you don’t build your site with a marketing strategy in mind, your messaging can become inconsistent. Visitors might not clearly understand the value of your products or what sets you apart from competitors.
It’s Not Your Fault: Why Most WooCommerce Stores Follow This Path
Chances are, you were drawn to WooCommerce for the same reason most people are: the easy-to-install themes, the quick website creation process, and the flexibility of WordPress. It’s a platform that promises speed and simplicity—within a few clicks, you can choose a theme, install WooCommerce, and have a store up and running.
You likely followed the same steps as everyone else:
- Picked a theme that looked polished and professional.
- Built your homepage first, because that’s what you’re told to do.
- Created product pages that focus on showcasing your products, hoping to drive traffic and see sales.
But here’s the thing—most people aren’t selling products well online. That’s not because WooCommerce is the wrong platform. It’s because building a store that’s optimized to sell in a methodical, proven way—one that helps you sell more products and generate more revenue per order—requires a different approach.
It requires building a Marketing-first Website.
Introducing the Marketing-first Website
A Marketing-first Website fixes all of these issues by focusing on one key principle: your website should be a conversion-driven tool that actively helps you sell more products. It’s built from the ground up with sales funnels, lead magnets, and automations as the foundation, not an afterthought.
Here’s how a Marketing-first Website solves the problems above:
- Sales Funnels for Conversions: We create structured funnels to guide visitors through the purchase process, increasing the likelihood of conversion at every step. Whether it’s a lead magnet funnel or a tripwire offer, we ensure that every page on your site is optimized to turn visitors into paying customers.
- Optimized Checkout with Upsells: Your checkout process is optimized for conversions, with built-in order bumps and post-purchase upsells to increase your average order value. This turns every transaction into an opportunity for more revenue.
- Lead Generation from Day One: A Marketing-first Website captures leads from the start, using lead magnets to build an email list. This way, even if someone doesn’t buy right away, you can nurture them through automated email campaigns.
- Automations that Drive Revenue: From welcome series to abandoned cart recovery and post-purchase review requests, we set up automated workflows that keep your business running efficiently, converting visitors into loyal customers with minimal effort.
- Consistent, Strategic Messaging: Every part of the site—sales pages, case studies, and even the About page—is written with a clear USP in mind, ensuring that your message is consistent and compelling.
How to Build a Marketing-first Website
Creating a Marketing-First Website involves a step-by-step approach designed to optimize conversions, increase sales, and maximize the traffic you already have. Here’s how you can transform your store into a powerful marketing tool:
Step 1: Store Creation
- Define Your USP and USM
- Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and Unique Selling Mechanism (USM) are the foundation of your business. Identifying what sets you apart is the first step in creating a website that converts.
- Start with Results (Case Studies & Testimonials)
- Build your site around case studies, testimonials, and project data. These results show credibility and build trust, proving your USP and making visitors more likely to convert.
- Create Your Money Pages
- Focus your sales pages and service pages on your core offerings. The messaging should clearly highlight your USP, persuading visitors to become paying customers.
- Build a Trust-Building About Page
- Craft an About page that showcases your expertise and connects your experience to the results you’ve achieved. Make sure visitors understand why you’re the best choice for them.
- Optimize the Rest of Your Site
- Move on to pages like blogs, product descriptions, and service details. Consistent messaging and a marketing-first approach ensure all parts of the site contribute to higher conversions.
- Finish with a Data-Driven Homepage
- Complete your site with a homepage that summarizes key statistics, real results, and clear calls to action. Use data and results to build trust and encourage conversions.
Step 2: Store Optimization
- Optimize Your Checkout Process
- Simplify your checkout to reduce friction and increase conversions. Add features like Google Address Autocomplete, multi-step checkouts, and cart abandonment recovery to close more sales.
- Create Dedicated Sales Pages and Funnels
- Build sales funnels that guide visitors from interest to purchase. Use upsells and order bumps to boost average order value and improve conversion rates.
- Run A/B Tests for Continuous Improvement
- Test different designs, layouts, and offers to see what converts best. Regular A/B testing on key pages and checkout flows helps optimize performance. For an example, check out Josh’s Case Study where small changes made big differences to his revenue in just a few days.
- Set Up Lead Generation and Email Marketing
- Use lead magnets to capture leads and set up automated email sequences to nurture them into customers. Building an email list ensures repeat business and long-term customer loyalty.
- Add Automations to Drive Sales on Autopilot
- Implement automations for abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups, and customer re-engagement. These workflows keep your store running efficiently while maximizing revenue.
- Incorporate Order Bumps and Post-Purchase Upsells
- Use order bumps and post-purchase upsells during checkout to increase the value of each sale. These smart offers can boost revenue with little effort.
- Optimize the Speed and Performance of Your Website
- Ensure your site is fast, responsive, and user-friendly. Optimizing for speed improves SEO and provides a seamless shopping experience, reducing abandoned carts and increasing sales.
This methodical approach ensures that every aspect of your site is designed to sell, optimize customer experience, and maximize revenue.
Core Features of a Marketing-first Website
- Sales Funnels: Structured to guide visitors through a logical path to purchase, increasing conversions.
- Lead Magnets: Capture leads from day one, building your email list and keeping your pipeline full.
- Order Bumps & Upsells: Increase revenue per order with smart offers placed at checkout and post-purchase.
- Automated Email Campaigns: Set up automated workflows to nurture leads, recover abandoned carts, and request post-purchase reviews.
- Optimized for Conversions: Every page is written and designed with conversion in mind, from the product pages to the checkout.
It’s Not Too Late to Evolve Your Website
Don’t worry, it’s not too late to make these changes. Even if your current WooCommerce site isn’t a Marketing-first Website yet, we can fix that. Through my Sidekick Program, we’ll transform your existing site, evolving it into a Marketing-first Website that’s built to sell more products and generate more revenue.
Let’s Turn Your Store Into A Marketing-first Website!
By not making a change, you’re likely missing out on sales and holding your business back from reaching its full potential. Don’t leave growth to chance—let’s turn your site into a powerful sales engine.
Grant Ambrose
WagePirate Founder