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Getting traffic but no sales ? Check these 5 things on your site
Posted by
ADMIN
•12/16/2025Product is good. Audience is right. Ads are running. Traffic is coming.
But sales? Not happening.
I've reviewed a lot of stores where everything looked fine on the surface. The problem wasn't what they were selling it was what happened when people landed on the site.
The buyer arrives with momentum
When someone clicks your ad, they're not neutral. They're in a state curious, interested, maybe even ready to buy.
That state is temporary. It decays fast.
Your website doesn't need to convince them from scratch. It needs to continue what brought them there. Keep the momentum going. Get out of the way.
When a website breaks that momentum, the buyer shifts from "I want this" to "Let me think about it." And "let me think about it" usually means gone forever.
What actually breaks momentum
It's not always obvious. It's not just slow loading or ugly design.
It's the small things that make a buyer pause:
"Wait... is this the right place?"
"Who is this even for?"
"What if it doesn't work?"
"What am I supposed to click?"
"This is a lot to read..."
Each of those moments is a crack. Enough cracks and the sale is gone.
The five friction types
I look for five things when I audit a store:
1. Message mismatch The ad said one thing, the website says something else. Buyer feels confused, wonders if they're in the right place.
2. Orientation confusion Buyer lands and can't immediately tell who this is for or what problem it solves. Takes too long to figure out.
3. Trust gaps Buyer wants to act but something feels risky. No clear return policy. No reviews. Shipping unclear. Fear isn't addressed.
4. Too many choices - Multiple buttons, multiple offers, popups, banners. Buyer has to decide where to go instead of just moving forward.
5. Too much effort - Walls of text. Jargon. Features without context. Feels like work to understand.
Any of these can kill a sale - even when the product is exactly what they need.
Quick self-check
Open your store and ask:
Can someone tell in 3 seconds who this is for?
Does the headline match what brought them here?
Is their biggest fear answered before checkout?
Is there one clear action to take?
If you were stressed and impatient, would this feel easy?
If you hesitate on any of these, there's friction somewhere.
There's a deeper breakdown on each friction type and how to fix them in the Academy https://www.fixpeek.com/academy
But even just running through those five questions on your own store can reveal a lot.
But sales? Not happening.
I've reviewed a lot of stores where everything looked fine on the surface. The problem wasn't what they were selling it was what happened when people landed on the site.
The buyer arrives with momentum
When someone clicks your ad, they're not neutral. They're in a state curious, interested, maybe even ready to buy.
That state is temporary. It decays fast.
Your website doesn't need to convince them from scratch. It needs to continue what brought them there. Keep the momentum going. Get out of the way.
When a website breaks that momentum, the buyer shifts from "I want this" to "Let me think about it." And "let me think about it" usually means gone forever.
What actually breaks momentum
It's not always obvious. It's not just slow loading or ugly design.
It's the small things that make a buyer pause:
"Wait... is this the right place?"
"Who is this even for?"
"What if it doesn't work?"
"What am I supposed to click?"
"This is a lot to read..."
Each of those moments is a crack. Enough cracks and the sale is gone.
The five friction types
I look for five things when I audit a store:
1. Message mismatch The ad said one thing, the website says something else. Buyer feels confused, wonders if they're in the right place.
2. Orientation confusion Buyer lands and can't immediately tell who this is for or what problem it solves. Takes too long to figure out.
3. Trust gaps Buyer wants to act but something feels risky. No clear return policy. No reviews. Shipping unclear. Fear isn't addressed.
4. Too many choices - Multiple buttons, multiple offers, popups, banners. Buyer has to decide where to go instead of just moving forward.
5. Too much effort - Walls of text. Jargon. Features without context. Feels like work to understand.
Any of these can kill a sale - even when the product is exactly what they need.
Quick self-check
Open your store and ask:
Can someone tell in 3 seconds who this is for?
Does the headline match what brought them here?
Is their biggest fear answered before checkout?
Is there one clear action to take?
If you were stressed and impatient, would this feel easy?
If you hesitate on any of these, there's friction somewhere.
There's a deeper breakdown on each friction type and how to fix them in the Academy https://www.fixpeek.com/academy
But even just running through those five questions on your own store can reveal a lot.
7 Replies
•12/16/2025
did the friction audit on my store. Found message friction (headline doesn't match my ads), orientation friction (no one knows who its for), and trust friction (guarantee buried in footer). Basically everything. This is depressing but also explains why I'm at 0.8% conversion rate
•12/16/2025
at least now you know what to fix. Most people just keep throwing money at ads wondering why nothing converts. You're ahead of like 90% of beginners just by identifying the problems
•12/16/2025
does all this apply the same to mobile? Most of my traffic is mobile from tiktok but I always check my site on desktop. Should I be designing for mobile first?
OP
ADMIN
•12/16/2025If most of your traffic is mobile you should be designing mobile first and checking desktop second. A lot of effort friction happens because people design on desktop where everything fits nicely, then on mobile the text is tiny, buttons are hard to tap, and checkout forms are painful. Check your site on your phone with one thumb while walking. That's how your buyers experience it
•12/16/2025
are email popups decision friction? I have one that shows up after 5 seconds offering 10% off. Some people say it helps conversions but now I'm thinking it might be interrupting the momentum
OP
ADMIN
•12/16/2025After 5 seconds? Yes that's friction. They haven't even understood what you sell yet and you're asking for their email. If you want to use popups, trigger them on exit intent or after they've scrolled 50%+ of the page. At least then they've shown some interest. Interrupting someone before they've oriented is one of the fastest ways to lose them
•12/16/2025
what about trust badges? I have like 5 of them under my buy button (secure checkout, money back, fast shipping etc). Is that helping trust friction or adding decision friction with too much stuff
OP
ADMIN
•12/16/2025Trust badges help but 5 is probably too many. Pick the 2-3 that address the actual fears your buyer has. If they're worried about fit, show the return policy. If they're worried about shipping time, show delivery estimate. Random badges like "SSL Secure" don't really move anyone in 2024. Be specific to their fear not generic
•12/16/2025
just realized my entire above the fold is a lifestyle image with my logo and "Elevate Your Everyday" as the headline. Literally no one knows what I sell without scrolling. That's orientation friction right?
•12/16/2025
lol yes thats textbook orientation friction. "Elevate Your Everyday" could be selling literally anything. Candles, shoes, vitamins, who knows
•12/16/2025
for message friction - does the headline have to be exactly the same as the ad? Or just similar? Like if my ad talks about interviews can my headline talk about first impressions instead
OP
ADMIN
•12/16/2025Doesn't have to be word for word but it has to continue the same thought. Interview and first impressions are the same thread - that works. But if your ad talks about interviews and your landing page talks about "premium shoe care for sneaker enthusiasts" you just broke the thread. They clicked because of the interview angle, keep them in that moment
•12/16/2025
wait so should I have a separate landing page for my facebook ads and a different one for google? I've been sending everything to my homepage
OP
ADMIN
•12/16/2025Ideally yes. Social traffic needs more warming up - they weren't looking for you. Search traffic is already looking, they just need to see you have what they want. If you can only do one page, match it to wherever most of your traffic comes from. But sending cold social traffic to a product page built for search buyers is why a lot of stores bleed money