How to Get More Sales Online (Proven Ways)

26 June 2026·4 min read

Quick answer: More online sales usually comes down to fixing the leaks before adding more traffic: a slow or confusing website, a checkout or enquiry process with too many steps, and no follow-up for people who almost bought. Fix those three first — more visitors to a leaky funnel just means more people leaking out. Below is the audit we run for clients, three real examples, and the order to tackle it in. ✨

“I need more traffic” is usually the wrong diagnosis when sales are stuck — most small businesses have more untapped conversion sitting in their existing visitors than they realise. Here's where to look first. 💖

What most businesses get wrong

Chasing more traffic before fixing conversion — doubling visitors to a page that converts at 1% still only doubles a small number.
Too many steps to buy or enquire — every extra field or click loses a percentage of people who were ready to act.
No urgency or clear next step — a page with no reason to act now gets bookmarked and forgotten.
Ignoring people who almost converted — cart abandoners and form-starters who didn't finish are often your easiest additional sales.
Not testing anything — assuming what worked once still works, instead of checking what's actually converting now.

The three-leak audit

Before spending on more traffic, check these three spots for leaks:

1. Speed: does your key page load in under 3 seconds on mobile? 2. Steps: how many clicks or fields between “interested” and “done”? Cut anything non-essential. 3. Follow-up: what happens to someone who starts but doesn't finish — do they get a reminder, or silence?

Fixing these three usually lifts conversion more than any amount of extra traffic would.

Three real examples

Each one found a leak hiding in plain sight. 📈

Accounting firm: Cut their enquiry form from 12 fields to 4, asking only for name, email, phone and a one-line description — enquiries rose noticeably once the friction dropped.

Real estate agency: Added a simple “email me when similar listings come up” option for people who viewed a property that had already sold, turning a dead-end page into a lead capture point.

Allied health clinic: Replaced a “call to book” only option with an online booking widget, since many enquiries were happening after hours when nobody could answer the phone.

What actually drives more sales, in order

Once the leaks are fixed, the highest-leverage next steps are usually: making your offer clearer (what exactly do they get, and why you), adding genuine social proof near the point of decision, and only then investing in more traffic through ads or SEO. Skipping straight to traffic before the first two are solid is the most common reason ad spend feels wasted — you end up paying to send more visitors through the same leaky funnel that was already losing them for free.

💡 Heads up: Check your website analytics for where people actually drop off, rather than guessing. A form or checkout with a sudden drop at one specific field usually points straight at the fix.

Mistakes that quietly cap online sales

No mobile optimisation — most traffic is mobile; a clunky mobile experience caps sales regardless of how good the desktop site is.
Pricing hidden behind a “contact us” — this filters out otherwise-ready buyers who'll simply go to a competitor who's upfront.
No trust signals near the decision point — reviews and guarantees work best right where someone is deciding, not buried on a separate page.
Treating a one-time sale as the end goal — no follow-up sequence for repeat business leaves money on the table.

Frequently asked questions

Should I focus on traffic or conversion first?

Conversion first, almost always — it's cheaper to fix a leaky page than to keep paying for traffic that leaks straight through it.

How do I know where people are dropping off?

Basic website analytics (like Google Analytics) will show page-level and, for forms, field-level drop-off if set up correctly — it's worth the twenty minutes to check, and it usually points at one obvious fix rather than a dozen small ones.

Does live chat actually increase sales?

For many service businesses, yes — it catches hesitant visitors at the exact moment they have a question, before they leave to “think about it”.

What's a realistic conversion rate to aim for?

It varies hugely by industry and traffic source, so compare your own page over time rather than chasing an industry average that may not reflect your specific offer — a steady month-on-month improvement matters more than hitting a number you saw quoted somewhere else. 🌴