Product page checklist: 12 things that stop people buying

The product page is where the decision gets made. Your homepage, your ads and your emails all send people here. If the page loses them, nothing upstream matters.

These are the twelve problems we find most often when we read stores.

1. The headline is a name, not a reason

"The Aria" tells a stranger nothing. "The Aria: waterproof leather backpack for a 16-inch laptop" does. Keep your product name, but add what it is.

2. The price is hard to find

It should sit right under the name. If you have a sale, show both prices clearly.

3. Shipping cost is a secret

A line under the price: "Free UK delivery over £40, otherwise £3.95. Ships in 1 to 2 days." That one sentence answers the question behind most abandoned carts.

4. The buy button is below the fold on a phone

Load the page on your phone. If you have to scroll past three photos to find "Add to cart", move it up or add a sticky button.

5. The photos show the product but not the use

People need to see it on someone, on a desk, in a kitchen, next to something for scale. And a close-up of the detail that justifies the price.

6. The description is brand story, not answers

Lead with three or four lines on what it does for the buyer. Materials, dimensions and care go in their own sections underneath. The story of how you started the brand belongs on the About page.

7. No sizing help

For anything that fits a body or a space, a size guide in context (not a link to a generic chart) cuts returns and hesitation. "Most people take their usual size. If you're between sizes, size up."

8. Returns policy is a link to a legal page

Say it in one line: "30-day returns, free on UK orders". Link to the full policy after.

9. Variants that break

Select every colour and size. Does the photo change? Does the price change correctly? Does any variant show "Sold out" by mistake?

10. Reviews that don't reassure

No reviews at all on a new store is normal, but a broken review widget with empty stars looks worse than nothing. Remove it until you have real reviews. When you do, show the ones with detail and photos first.

11. Nothing to answer the last doubt

A short FAQ near the button: "Will it fit my laptop?", "Is it really waterproof?", "What if it doesn't suit me?". Pull the questions from your inbox.

12. Too many distractions

Pop-ups before the page has loaded, chat widgets over the buy button, three "you may also like" rows above the description. Every one of these competes with the thing you want people to do.

Where to start

Fix 3, 4 and 9 first: they're quick and they catch the most money. Then rewrite the headline and the first lines of the description. If traffic is decent and sales are still flat, work through our eleven checks for traffic with no sales, which looks at the rest of the site.

Questions people ask

How long should a product description be?

As long as it takes to answer buyers' questions. Short answer first, detail below.

How many product photos do I need?

Usually five to eight: alone, in use, close-up, scale, and what's in the box.

Do reviews really matter?

Yes. A few honest reviews with photos beat a wall of stars with no text.