How to Optimize Your Online Course Checkout Page For Better Conversions

In 2024, around 70% of online shopping carts are being abandoned by users, and one of the reasons for this is a poor checkout experience.

Improving the checkout experience can significantly increase your conversion rate, with businesses that optimized their checkout experiencing an average increase of 35% in conversions.

While these numbers apply to all online shopping businesses, they are especially crucial for online courses.

If you are an online course creator and you want to increase conversions, then keep reading below, as today we will show you how to optimize your checkout page, and increase sales as a result.

Why is your Online Course Checkout Page Important?

Since most online courses are sold at a premium price, potential customers take more time to make a decision, and a bad checkout experience can make it even harder to convert them.

However, optimizing the checkout experience is easy and can help you recover lost sales. So let's see exactly what you can do to improve the checkout experience of your online course, in a few easy steps.

How to Optimize Your Online Course Checkout Page

Start by Optimizing your Website and Sales Pages

Before potential customers arrive at your checkout page, most of the time, they visit your website first.

If your website is not optimized for conversion, then improving your checkout will be useless. This is why we need to start from your website before we talk about how to improve your checkout flow.

Your website is where potential customers learn more about the courses and services you offer. Other than showcasing all the important information about your program, it's important to have clear and intuitive Call to Action (CTA) buttons on every page of your website.

A CTA button directs potential customers to complete a certain action such as "Learn More", "Buy Now" or "Enroll for Free".

Having a clear CTA can make the difference between a conversion or a lost sale. If your website visitors are confused or left wondering how to get to the next step and purchase your program, they may lose patience and leave your site.

Therefore, it's important to make it easy for them to buy your online course by placing your CTA buttons in convenient places throughout your site.

Heights Platform can make it easy for you and your customers by automatically generating landing pages for your business and for each individual product you're selling, where CTAs are strategically placed to create a seamless checkout experience.

You can also design your website yourself by using Heights Platform's web page builder, a tool that allows you to create unlimited web pages and design your entire website through an easy drag-and-drop editor!

If you are not sure how to design your landing pages to optimize your conversion rate, check out these articles from our blog:

• How to Create a Sales Page for Your Online Course that Converts [Step-By-Step Guide]
• 4 Types of Landing Pages for Your Online Course Business
• Best No-Code Website Builders for Online Course Creators

Use a Two-Step Checkout

There are different types of checkout processes that can be used on a website. The most common types are one-page and multi-step checkouts.

A one-page checkout is where all of the customer's details, payment information, and transaction confirmation are completed on a single web page.

A multi-step checkout involves dividing the process into multiple pages or steps. For example, a customer might start by entering their personal details, then confirm their purchase on the next page, and finally, complete the transaction by entering their payment method.

While both approaches have their pros and cons, a two-step checkout is our personal favorite. This type of checkout process is split into two steps:

In the first step, the customer enters their personal information such as their name, email and address.

In the second step, the customer selects their payment method and completes the purchase.

The two-step checkout is beneficial for online course creators because it allows them to capture the leads' personal information, including their email address, before they complete the purchase. This means that if a customer abandons the checkout, the course creator still has their email and can send them a follow-up email to invite them to complete their purchase, offer a discount, or provide more information.

Heights Platform's built-in checkout uses the two-step strategy, which enables creators to capture leads and access information about potential customers who abandoned the checkout page. This way, they can follow up with them and encourage them to complete the transaction.

Add Reviews to Your Checkout Page

Adding positive reviews to the checkout pages of online courses can help you establish a higher level of trust with potential customers and bring them closer to purchasing your course.

Positive reviews serve as social proof, which can significantly influence potential customer's perceptions of your course's credibility and quality. When they see that others have had a positive experience, it can help build trust with those considering the purchase.

Purchasing an online course often involves a level of risk, especially if the buyer is unfamiliar with the course creator.

In these cases, positive reviews can alleviate concerns about the course's value and whether it delivers on its promises.

For someone who is on the fence about purchasing, a well-placed, positive review could be the final nudge they need.

But how can you add reviews to your checkout page?

You can use Heights Platform's built-in checkout feature, which allows you to customize the checkout page of every course or digital product you sell. You can add reviews, upsells, order bumps, write a custom message to potential customers and more!

Add Order Bumps & Upsells

If you want to maximize your checkout experience and improve the conversion rate, one way to do so is by providing product up-sells and order bumps that potential customers can easily add to their cart.

However, this can be a challenging task if you're not using a specialized checkout software or online course platform.

With Heights Platform, you can customize the checkout page of your courses with ease!

Upsells are a great way to introduce your students to another course that you're selling. You can offer a special price to them and encourage them to purchase it.

On the other hand, order bumps work best with "impulse-buy" products, such as digital downloads or cheaper products that complement your main offering.

In Heights Platform, you can add order bumps and upsells for each product purchase and set a unique upsell price to make the offer even more alluring.

Additionally, you have the option to offer order bumps right at checkout, upsells once someone completes an online course or both.

Offer Multiple Payment Options

In today's digital age, consumers expect to have a variety of payment options available when purchasing items such as online courses.

It is important to anticipate your customers' needs and add all major payment providers, including PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. Heights Platform's checkout supports all of these payment methods, along with other local options, and provides seamless integration with Stripe and PayPal.

However, it's worth noting that the availability of payment options may vary depending on your country of residence and local payment processing regulations.

Therefore, we advise you to check which payment methods are available in your region and provide a checkout experience that your ideal customers can comfortably use.

Offer a Lenient Refund Policy

Adding your refund policy to your course checkout page is a great way to reassure even the most conscious buyers. Especially if your refund policy is particularly lenient (ex: 100% money-back guarantee).

It helps to build trust and eliminate potential customers' initial apprehension. Opting for an extremely strict refund policy may not be an effective approach and can negatively impact your business and the perception of your customers.

Therefore, it's important to have a good refund policy that reassures buyers and gives them the confidence to purchase your online course or digital product with trust.

If you are unsure where to begin, our advice is to opt for a more lenient policy. You may consider offering a 100% Money-Back Guarantee or a similar refund policy.

How can you add a refund policy to your course checkout page?

With Heights Platform's built-in checkout features, creators can customize the checkout page of every course and product they sell. You can add a custom message and explain your refund policy prominently on your checkout page!

Create a Mobile-Friendly Checkout Experience

It is important to optimize your online course website for use on every type of device, particularly on mobile phones.

Nowadays, customers tend to use the internet on various devices and frequently switch between laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a consistent checkout experience on all devices and screen sizes.

Heights Platform is specifically optimized for mobile use, so you can rest assured that customers purchasing your course on their smartphones will have the same level of ease of use and experience as they would on their laptops.

Set up Automated Abandoned Cart Emails

Studies show that 50% of consumers who receive an abandoned cart email and click on the link end up purchasing the products they left in their cart.

Abandoned cart emails are reminders sent to customers who have left their online shopping cart without completing the purchase.

They might offer incentives like discounts, free shipping, or other promotional deals to motivate the customer to complete their purchase.

How can you send cart abandonment emails for your online course?

In Heights Platform, you can turn on automated cart abandonment emails!

If a new customer adds their name and email but fails to complete the payment for one of your products, an email gets sent to them after 24 hours.

This email will encourage them to complete the purchase and finalize their checkout.

You can customize this email using HTML and liquid tags to match your style and content!

This automatic email can help you increase conversion rates by nudging potential customers who are almost ready to buy but have not completed the checkout.

Optimize Your Course Checkout Experience With Heights Platform

Optimizing the checkout experience of your online course is crucial to reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions.

A well-designed checkout process not only improves user experience but also significantly boosts sales!

Heights Platform takes checkout page optimization seriously, offering a streamlined, two-step checkout feature that simplifies the buying process and allows creators to capture essential customer information early on.

With built-in options for adding reviews, upsells, and multiple payment methods, Heights Platform is an ideal choice for course creators who aim to maximize their sales potential.

To experience the difference it can make for your online course, sign up for a free trial of Heights Platform today!