Small family business - need advice conversion rates dropping daily

Topic summary

A family business selling guinea pig and rabbit products in Australia is experiencing declining conversion rates (averaging 1%, sometimes dropping to 0.3%) despite receiving 1,000 daily visitors. The site uses an outdated Boost theme that cannot be updated due to extensive customizations, prompting consideration of a complete rebuild.

Key Issues Identified:

  • Mobile performance is severely impacted, with Largest Contentful Paint exceeding 12 seconds
  • Slow site speed and cluttered homepage design
  • Inconsistent button styles and weak call-to-action language
  • Mobile menu requires multiple taps to access categories
  • Clickable elements positioned too close together
  • High Total Blocking Time from scripts and apps

Recommended Solutions:

  • Compress images using WebP/AVIF formats and implement lazy loading
  • Defer non-critical scripts (analytics, popups) to load after main content
  • Simplify homepage with clearer CTAs like “Shop Best Sellers”
  • Add urgency elements (limited-time offers, low-stock alerts)
  • Improve mobile navigation and button spacing
  • Highlight Australian-made products more prominently
  • Add FAQ page and customer reviews above the fold
  • Consider tools like Website Speedy for automated optimization

One respondent suggests high traffic may stem from social media curiosity rather than purchase intent, given the brand’s strong social presence.

Summarized with AI on October 24. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.

Hi,

Our website is https://guineapigsaustralia.com.au/ and our conversion sits on average at 1% . We can get 1000 visitors a day. It is dropping more and more with every week less sales.

Some days it is at 0.3%. What can we do to convert more?

I’m thinking a total site rebuild, we use Boost theme, but can’t update the theme since we have too many changes made over the years and will have to start all over again.

Any feedback and simple suggestions to try get more visitors converting while we rebuild would be much appreciated.

We manufacture, design and sell products for guinea pigs and rabbits in Australia.

2 Likes

hey @gpa2023

To improve conversions, optimize product pages with better images, clear CTAs, and social proof, enhance site speed, run targeted retargeting ads, offer limited-time discounts, and simplify checkout.

best regard
MUSTUFA

Hi @gpa2023

First, I see that your site loads a bit slow — speeding it up with compressed images and a lighter theme could keep visitors from bouncing. Also, let’s check the site speed at “PageSpeed Insights”.

The homepage feels a tad cluttered; simplifying it with a clear call-to-action (like “Shop Best Sellers” or “Discover Cages”) might guide people better.

Add some urgency with limited-time offers or low-stock alerts, pet owners hate missing out! Your Boost theme’s customizations are locking you in, so a rebuild might be smart long-term, but for now, test a pop-up with a small discount for first-time buyers to nudge conversions. Highlight your Australian-made angle more, it’s a big trust factor!

I also find out that:

  • The mobile menu requires multiple taps to access key product categories. Fixing this can reduce friction and improve mobile conversion rates.
  • Button styles, colors, and wording vary across the page.
  • Current CTAs lack compelling action words → Replace generic “Shop” and “View” with more specific, action-oriented text like “Get Your Cage Today” or “Find Perfect Treats”. This can increase click-through rates and engagement.

Btw, I do store audits for free! If you don’t mind, you can message me, I will audit your store and send you a detailed report about your store.

Hi @gpa2023 ,

We appreciate your inquiry in the Shopify Community. We are MooseDesk, a comprehensive Live Chat, FAQ & Helpdesk App designed to elevate your customer support experience.

Congrats on your new store! I can tell you have put a lot of effort into building this. Especially your Homepage has offered lots of information to build trust: supplier logos, testimonials, brand’s story. Then, I could say that it’s normal to have lots of traffic but little conversion because not every page visitor has a guinea pet for demand.

However, I have some comments to boost conversions. Here are some of my recommendations, please kindly check.

1. Optimize pop-up window & add CTA link to Homepage banner

I notice that your message in your pop-up window refers to a mystery discount, which really intrigues customers yet could be more incentivizing if you add a boundary (>3x % discount) or a timing countdown (20 hours:30 minutes left…).

Also, I see you put the banner “FREE SHIPPING ON ALL AUS ORDERS OVER $299” at the top of the website, which can redirect the customer to the pop-up window or the products to purchase.

2. Add Value Proposition and Best sellers on Homepage

I have to say that your Homepage is quite sufficient and comprehensive, yet, could be more complete with the addition of Value Proposition. This lets customers know your best benefits and differentiation, which leads to conversion boost.

Also, I notice that there are lots of products showcased on your Homepage, which could puzzle customers a bit. Instead, try to sell your best sellers with lots of reviews, functional highlights and discounts to boost product click and purchases.

3. Categorize your pages into bigger groups

As a customer, I would say that there are too many side pages which discourage the click a bit. Instead, you could group them into big significant pages:

  • Shop (For guineas & For bunnies)
  • About us
  • Guide and Blogs (Guide, Tutorials, Blogs)
  • Community and Resources
  • Contact us

4. Include referral offers

As I notice that not everyone has demand for the products, the page visitors could refer to their friends and acquaintances that have guinea pets and both get some offers (gifts for the referer, discounts for the referee). Offer could be placed at the bottom of the page with CTA link.

5. Add FAQ page

Your store looks great overall! To make it even better, you could consider adding an FAQ and a “Contact Us” page. These are essential for helping customers quickly find answers or reach out for support, which can significantly enhance their shopping experience.

For an easy solution, I recommend trying MooseDesk App. It provides free, professionally designed FAQ and Contact Us templates with a simple one-click setup that perfect for elevating your store effortlessly!

So those are some of my suggestions for your store as an UX expert. If this is helpful for you, please let me know by giving me a ‘LIKE’. If your question is answered please mark this as 'SOLUTION’.

Once again, keep up the fantastic work, and I wish you the best of luck in the future!

Hi @gpa2023

If available, please enlarge these logos on this aspect I mentioned in the screenshot below, and in this way, it would be more attractive!

Hi @gpa2023

I had a look at the performance reports you shared, and a few things stand out that can explain why conversions are dipping even though you’re getting good traffic. The good news is, you don’t need to do a full rebuild right away — there are simple steps that can help you stabilize sales while you plan for bigger changes.

1. Mobile performance is the main issue
Your desktop performance looks decent, but the real challenge is on mobile, where your Largest Contentful Paint is above 12 seconds. Since the majority of shoppers browse and buy from their phones, every extra second of waiting makes people abandon the site before they even see your products. That directly impacts conversions.

:white_check_mark: Solution:

  • Compress product images: Use WebP or AVIF formats to cut file sizes without losing quality.

  • Lazy load images: Load visuals only when customers scroll down — this speeds up the first screen where buying decisions happen.

Large product images are slowing down mobile. Use WebP format and lazy loading so images load only when the visitor scrolls to them.

Guinea Pig House

:white_check_mark: What this does:

  • Uses WebP if the browser supports it.

  • Falls back to JPEG/PNG otherwise.

  • loading=“lazy” delays image load until visible → faster first paint.

The goal is simple — get your shoppers to product details and checkout as quickly as possible on mobile. If those load instantly, you’ll reduce bounce rates and naturally increase conversions.

2. Total Blocking Time (TBT) is too high

Some apps and scripts (analytics, popups, reviews) block rendering. You don’t need to remove them — just load them later.

:white_check_mark: What this does:

  • **defer → waits until HTML is parsed before running script.
    **

  • **async → loads script in the background.
    **

  • **This keeps your main content (products, cart, checkout) loading instantly while secondary features (tracking, reviews, popups) load after.
    **

**
3. Layout shifts on mobile**
You mentioned buttons overlapping and images resizing incorrectly. This frustrates buyers and explains the “mobile usability” warnings from Google.
:backhand_index_pointing_right: Solution: add fixed height/width to product images and ensure “Add to Cart” is wrapped in its own container. Small CSS fixes can stabilize the layout without changing themes.

img {

max-width: 100%;

height: auto;

}

.button-add-to-cart {

display: block;

margin-top: 12px;

}

4. SEO and usability warnings
Google flagged “clickable elements too close together.” This reduces ranking and trust.
:backhand_index_pointing_right: Solution: increase padding around buttons/links and check font sizes on mobile so users can tap easily.

button, a {

padding: 12px 18px;

font-size: 16px;

}

5. Conversion-specific tweaks
Beyond speed, simple trust-builders help:

  • Add customer reviews on product pages (above the fold if possible).

  • Show shipping and return info clearly.

  • Use urgency (low stock messages or delivery estimates).

You don’t need to rebuild your whole store to see improvements. Recommended: tools like Website Speedy that handle the technical side (automatic image compression, lazy loading, and script optimization) in the background. Setup only takes a few minutes, and you can see the impact right away without removing critical apps or redesigning your store.

@gpa2023 Perhaps your social profiles are driving curious people responding to the cuteness factor so higher than average traffic without intent to buy, just a thought without diving into the analytics. You have some fairly strong social profiles.

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