Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
Last month, a client came to me with a frustrating problem: their Facebook ads were getting clicks, but their checkout conversions were terrible. Sound familiar?
They'd followed every "landing page best practice" in the book. Clean design, minimal distractions, social proof badges, the works. Yet visitors would land on their page, browse around, and vanish without buying.
The problem wasn't their product - it was brilliant. The problem wasn't their targeting - their click-through rates were solid. The problem was that everyone in e-commerce was following the same tired playbook, and it was creating noise, not conversions.
So I decided to break the rules. Instead of optimizing their checkout button placement, I completely reimagined what a checkout experience could look like when you stop thinking like everyone else.
Here's what you'll learn from my contrarian approach:
Why traditional checkout button optimization is missing the point
The psychology behind why "best practices" often fail
My step-by-step framework for rethinking the entire checkout flow
Specific button psychology tricks that actually work
How to test unconventional approaches without killing your current performance
Ready to stop following the crowd? Let's dive into what actually converts.
Industry Reality
What every ecommerce owner has been told
If you've ever Googled "checkout button optimization," you've probably seen the same advice recycled everywhere:
The Traditional Approach:
Place your checkout button "above the fold"
Use action words like "Buy Now" or "Add to Cart"
Make it bright orange or green for maximum visibility
Add urgency with countdown timers
Include trust badges nearby
This advice exists because it's based on aggregate data from thousands of A/B tests. In theory, it should work. But here's the thing about "best practices" - when everyone follows them, they become noise.
The real issue is deeper than button placement. Most landing pages treat the checkout button like it's the finish line, when actually it should be the starting gate. You're not trying to end the visitor's journey - you're trying to begin their relationship with your brand.
But conventional wisdom misses this entirely. It focuses on friction reduction instead of trust building, on urgency instead of value, on conversion optimization instead of customer experience optimization.
The result? Landing pages that look identical, feel pushy, and convert poorly because they're optimized for the wrong outcome.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The project that changed my perspective on checkout optimization came from an unexpected place: a fashion e-commerce store struggling with Facebook ad conversions.
The client had a beautiful Shopify store with over 1,000 products. Their Facebook ads were generating solid traffic, but their conversion rate was stuck at 0.8%. They'd tried everything the "experts" recommended - different button colors, placement tests, urgency copy - nothing moved the needle.
When I analyzed their user behavior data, I discovered something interesting. Visitors weren't bouncing because they couldn't find the checkout button. They were bouncing because they felt overwhelmed by choice and uncertain about their purchase decision.
The traditional landing page structure was actually working against them. Following "best practices," they had:
A prominent "Shop Now" button that led to a massive product catalog
Generic trust badges that felt impersonal
Urgency copy that made visitors feel pressured
A checkout process optimized for speed, not confidence
The breaking point came when I realized we were solving the wrong problem. Everyone was obsessing over checkout button optimization when the real issue was checkout button context.
Instead of making it easier to buy, we needed to make it easier to want to buy.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
My approach completely flipped the traditional landing page strategy. Instead of optimizing the checkout button, I optimized the entire journey to the checkout button.
The Core Philosophy Shift:
Rather than treating the landing page as a conversion tool, I treated it as a confidence-building tool. The checkout button wasn't the hero - it was the natural conclusion of a well-built case.
Step 1: The Homepage-as-Catalog Experiment
Instead of a traditional landing page structure, I turned the homepage into the product catalog itself. We displayed 48 products directly on the homepage with only a testimonials section below. This eliminated the intimidating "browse all products" step that was causing analysis paralysis.
Step 2: Context-Aware Checkout Flow
I implemented a shipping cost calculator directly on product pages instead of hiding costs until checkout. When visitors could see total costs upfront, checkout abandonment dropped dramatically. Transparency beat "optimization" every time.
Step 3: Payment Flexibility as Conversion Tool
I added Klarna's pay-in-3 option prominently on product pages. Here's what surprised me: conversions increased even among customers who ultimately paid in full. The mere presence of payment flexibility reduced purchase anxiety.
Step 4: Strategic Button Psychology
Instead of generic "Buy Now" buttons, I used contextual copy that matched the visitor's mental state:
"See if this fits" for uncertain browsers
"Complete your look" for engaged shoppers
"Secure your size" for popular items
Step 5: SEO Integration Hack
I modified the H1 structure across all product pages, adding our main store keywords before each product name. This single change, deployed across all 1000+ products, became one of our biggest SEO wins for overall site traffic - proving that checkout optimization and discoverability optimization could work together.
The key insight: Stop optimizing individual elements and start optimizing the entire ecosystem that leads to conversion.
Smart Psychology
Button copy that matches visitor intent creates 40% higher engagement than generic action words
Transparent Pricing
Showing total costs upfront reduced checkout abandonment by 60% compared to hidden shipping
Payment Flexibility
Adding payment options increased conversions even among full-payment customers - psychology over functionality
Traffic Integration
SEO-optimized product titles drove 300% more organic discovery while improving conversion context
The results spoke for themselves, but not in the way I expected.
Conversion Impact:
The client's conversion rate doubled from 0.8% to 1.6%. But more importantly, the average order value increased by 25% because customers felt more confident about their purchases.
Unexpected SEO Win:
The H1 optimization strategy I implemented across all product pages drove a 300% increase in organic traffic. We'd solved two problems with one solution - better checkout context AND better discoverability.
Customer Behavior Changes:
Time spent on product pages increased by 45%. Customers weren't rushing to checkout - they were engaging more deeply with the content, which led to more confident purchases.
The Compound Effect:
Higher confidence purchases led to lower return rates, which improved inventory management and customer lifetime value. We'd optimized beyond the checkout button to optimize the entire business model.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
This project taught me that checkout optimization is really trust optimization in disguise. Here are the key lessons that apply to any e-commerce business:
1. Context Beats Copy
The words on your button matter less than the confidence level of the person clicking it. Build confidence first, optimize buttons second.
2. Transparency Is Conversion Optimization
Every hidden cost, unclear policy, or surprise fee is a conversion killer. Make everything visible upfront.
3. Psychology Over Best Practices
Understanding why people hesitate to buy is more valuable than knowing where to place a button.
4. Multiple Problems, Single Solutions
The best optimizations solve several challenges simultaneously. Our H1 strategy improved SEO AND checkout context.
5. Test Your Assumptions
Payment flexibility options work even when people don't use them. Presence matters as much as function.
6. Friction Can Be Good
Adding the shipping calculator created more steps but higher conversions. Sometimes friction builds confidence.
7. Ecosystem Thinking
Don't optimize buttons in isolation. Optimize the entire journey that leads to the button click.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS products applying this framework:
Replace "Start Free Trial" with "Explore [Specific Benefit]"
Show pricing upfront instead of "Contact Sales"
Add implementation timelines to reduce uncertainty
Use social proof specific to company size/industry
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores implementing this approach:
Display shipping costs on product pages, not at checkout
Add payment flexibility options prominently
Use contextual button copy based on product category
Integrate SEO keywords into product page structure