The 2025 Shopify Conversion Checklist (37 things we always check)

Every Shopify store we audit gets the same 37-point sweep. It is not glamorous work — it is checklist work — but it is the difference between a store that converts at 1.4% and one that converts at 3.8%. The brands that compound month over month are not the ones with the most innovative homepage; they are the ones who never let basics slip.

We start above the fold. Within three seconds, a visitor must answer three questions: who are you, what do you sell, and why should I care? If the hero does not nail those, nothing downstream matters. We rewrite the H1 to be a benefit (not a brand statement), pair it with a sub-headline that explains the offer in plain English, and place a single primary CTA — never two equally-weighted buttons fighting for attention.

Hero imagery is the next battleground. We replace stock photography with product-in-context shots that show the result of using the product, not just the product itself. A skincare brand should show clear skin, not a bottle on a marble countertop. A coffee brand should show the morning ritual, not a bag against a backdrop. Outcome beats object every time.

Then we move into product pages. The first fold of a PDP must answer: what is this, what does it cost, is it in stock, can I get it fast. Photos go above the fold on mobile, not below. The add-to-cart button is sticky on mobile — we have measured 8 to 12% lifts from this single change on stores doing more than 60% of their traffic on mobile.

Product descriptions are where most stores leak revenue. They list features instead of selling outcomes. We rewrite descriptions using a four-part formula: pain, outcome, proof, CTA. Pain names the problem. Outcome paints the after. Proof shows reviews, press, certifications. CTA makes the next step obvious — usually 'add to cart' but sometimes 'see size guide' if size is a major objection.

Reviews are non-negotiable. Stores without reviews on the PDP convert at roughly half the rate of stores with them. We default to Judge.me or Loox for new builds, and we always pull reviews to the top with an average star rating clickable to a reviews module. Photo reviews outperform text-only reviews by a wide margin, so we incentivize them with a small discount code post-purchase.

Cart and checkout is where carts go to die. Free-shipping thresholds with a progress bar reliably lift average order value by 10 to 20%. A clear, trust-signal-rich cart drawer (return policy, secure checkout badges, accepted payments) reduces abandonment. Shop Pay should be on, full stop — it is the single highest-converting checkout flow on Shopify, with one-tap buyer wallets that have demolished friction for repeat shoppers.

Speed is the silent killer. We run every store through PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse, then prune apps ruthlessly. The average Shopify store has 14 installed apps; we typically remove 6 to 8 of them on the first audit. App bloat shows up as 200ms here, 400ms there, and a checkout that feels sluggish. Slow stores convert worse, period.

On mobile we check tap targets, font legibility (16px minimum body, no thin weights under 400), and the thumb zone. Primary CTAs go in the lower third of the screen on mobile, not the top, because that is where the thumb actually lives. The biggest mobile mistake we see: hero CTAs that are above the fold on desktop but get pushed below the fold on mobile by stacked content.

Email and SMS capture sits behind everything. We default to a 10% off welcome offer with a two-step popup (email first, phone optional) that fires after 12 seconds or 50% scroll, whichever comes first. Browse abandonment, cart abandonment, and post-purchase flows are wired up at launch, not 'later.' Klaviyo or Omnisend, both work — pick one and commit.

If you only fix three things this week: rewrite your hero subhead, add a sticky add-to-cart on mobile, and turn on Shop Pay. Those three alone routinely move conversion by 15 to 25% on stores that have neglected the basics. The full 37-point checklist is what we run on every audit — and we'd be happy to run it on yours.