What should go on a WordPress checkout page?

You might think that once a prospect has gotten to your WordPress checkout page, they’re definitely going to buy. Not necessarily true. They have likely decided to buy, but they need an easy journey from this point forward so they can pay for what they want, get it, and have good feelings about your company.

Simplicity is key here. According to Opensend, 17% of online shoppers abandon carts specifically due to checkout processes that are too complex or confusing. We don’t want anyone abandoning their checkout! 

This is what a good checkout page should be: a place where folks checkout. 

That’s it. No selling. No cross-selling. No recaps of your services. Just a place where they can put in their credit card and buy the thing.

So why do so many checkout pages detour from this formula? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because we’ve become maximizers, thinking that if we have their eyeballs, we want to do or share as much as we can. 

This is not the place. You want to convert. The end.

Here’s the anatomy of a good checkout page:

(This comes after the sales page where you do all the selling).

1. Your Order: An area dedicated for showing the order and price.
2. Billing Details: A section with fields for name, billing address, email and phone number.
3. Shipping Information: If selling physical goods, this is where the shipping address goes.
4. Optional: A place for a coupon code, order notes, or to login.
5. Payment Options: A place where they can enter their credit card information, PayPal, Venmo, etc. Showing icons of the credit cards and payment methods accepted is helpful.
6. Terms & Conditions: Do they need to agree to the terms before placing an order? That goes here too.
7. Place Order Button: A big button saying “Place Order.” (After the order is placed, redirect them to a Thank You page.)

Examples of checkout pages:

WordPress plugins for checkout pages:

• My favorite eCommerce plugin for WordPress is WooCommerce as it is superior for creating eCommerce websites.
• A simpler option that also works well is using the Gravity Forms plugin with a payment extension like Gravity Forms Stripe Add-On.

Remember…One thing needs to happen on your WordPress checkout page: your visitor checking out. Nothing else needs to happen.

Need help crafting a WordPress sales journey that flows? Let’s talk about it.

About Jill Anderson

Hi, I’m Jill, a WordPress web designer/developer who partners with talented designers, copywriters, and agencies on their websites, and their client’s sites. I’m passionate about crafting beautiful and innovative WordPress websites focused on clear positioning and positive user experiences. Get my free report, Get Your Website Done: 12 Actionable Steps for Designers, and check out my Client Onboarding Toolkit, a simple 4-step digital course for converting prospects into a paying clients.