Most webshops don't have one big conversion problem. They have a few small leaks at specific steps, and they usually try to fix the wrong one first.

This is the checklist I use, stage by stage. Start with the data so you know where people leave, then work through the stage that loses the most.

First, find the real leak

Before changing a button color or rewriting product pages, look at where people actually stop. In GA4 that means checking that the standard ecommerce events are firing: view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout and purchase, ideally with view_item_list, view_cart, add_shipping_info and add_payment_info in between.

Then build a simple funnel exploration with those steps, split by device. You'll often see one step that drops much harder than the rest. Maybe plenty of people add to cart, but few start checkout. Maybe mobile visitors fall away at the payment step while desktop is fine.

That step is where you start. Fixing a strong step won't help much if the one after it is broken.

If the events aren't there, or the numbers don't add up, fix the tracking first. Otherwise every change you make is a guess.

Landing and category pages

This is where people decide if they're in the right place. A lot of traffic from ads and search lands here, so it matters more than it looks.

  • The heading matches what the visitor searched for or clicked on in the ad.
  • Products are visible without scrolling past a big banner on mobile.
  • Filters match how customers choose: size, color, price, use. Not how your warehouse sorts things.
  • Prices are visible on the listing, including any sale price.
  • Out of stock products are marked clearly, or moved down the list.
  • Ads go to the most relevant category or product page, not the homepage.

Product page

This is where most buying decisions happen. The visitor wants to know three things: is this the right product, what does it really cost, and can I trust this shop.

  • Clear photos, including the product in use and details that matter (fabric, connectors, scale).
  • The key information near the top: price, variants, stock, delivery time.
  • Variants that are easy to pick on a phone. No tiny dropdowns that hide the size you need.
  • Shipping costs and delivery time shown on the product page, not first revealed in checkout.
  • Answers to the common questions: sizing, compatibility, materials, returns.
  • Reviews, if you have them, close to the add to cart button.
  • An add to cart button that is easy to find and stays reachable on mobile.

Cart

The cart is a check moment. People come here to see the total, and that's often where surprises show up.

  • The full cost is clear: products, shipping, any discount. No vague "shipping calculated later" if you can avoid it.
  • Easy to change quantity or remove an item without the page jumping around.
  • A free shipping threshold, if you have one, shown as a clear amount still to go.
  • A visible next step to checkout, and a smaller link back to keep shopping.
  • No distracting upsells that push the checkout button below the fold.
  • A discount code field that doesn't send everyone off to search for codes. A small link that opens the field works better than a big empty box.

Checkout

This is usually where the money leaks, and it's often the part nobody has looked at since launch.

  • Guest checkout is possible. Creating an account can be offered after the order.
  • Only the fields you actually need. Every extra field is a reason to stop.
  • Address lookup or autofill works, especially on mobile. In the Netherlands, postcode plus house number lookup saves a lot of typing.
  • Clear error messages next to the field, not a red banner at the top that says "something went wrong".
  • The payment methods your customers expect. For Dutch shoppers that means iDEAL. For Belgian shoppers, Bancontact. Check what's normal in each market you sell to.
  • No surprise costs at the last step. If shipping or a payment fee only shows up here, a lot of people will leave.
  • The checkout still looks like your shop, so people don't wonder if they've been sent somewhere else.

After the purchase

A lot of shops stop caring once the order is in. But this is where repeat sales start, and where some orders quietly go wrong.

  • A clear confirmation page with what was ordered, when it arrives and what happens next.
  • A confirmation email that arrives quickly and doesn't land in spam.
  • Shipping updates, so people don't email you to ask.
  • A simple returns process that is easy to find.
  • A follow-up flow, for example a review request or a useful tip for using the product, set up once in your email tool.

Speed and mobile

These cut across every stage. A slow product page loses people before they even see the price.

  • Test on a real phone on mobile data, not only on your desktop.
  • Compress and correctly size images, especially on category pages.
  • Watch out for apps and scripts piling up. Every chat widget, popup and tracking tag adds weight.
  • Make sure popups don't block the page on mobile, especially in the first seconds.
  • Check Core Web Vitals in Search Console to see which page types are slowest.

Trust

People buy from shops they believe will deliver. You don't need badges everywhere, but the basics have to be there.

  • Contact details that are easy to find, ideally with a real address and phone number.
  • Clear delivery, returns and warranty information, written in normal language.
  • Reviews from real customers, on the site or from an independent review platform.
  • Secure payment options people recognize.
  • A site that looks maintained. Broken links, old banners and placeholder text all chip away at trust.

Fix one leak, then measure

Pick the stage with the biggest drop, fix the clearest problems there, and give it a few weeks before you judge. Compare the same step in the funnel before and after, on the same device type. Then move to the next leak.

Small, focused changes are easier to measure than a full redesign. And they usually pay off sooner.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your shop, I can help find where visitors drop off and what to fix first. That's part of the conversion work I do, often together with tracking. Discuss your project.