The "Looks Good, Doesn't Sell" Product Page & How to Fix It

Hey!

Let's talk about a special kind of Ecom hell: your Product Detail Page (PDP).

You've done the hard work. SEO, ads, social – whatever your poison – you're getting eyeballs on your products. 

Analytics show the traffic. 

Good job.

But then... nothing. 

Or at least, way fewer "Add to Carts" than you expect. It's like a party where everyone shows up, looks around, and then leaves without grabbing a drink. 

Frustrating doesn't even begin to cover it.

So you do what everyone tells you: tweak the button color from green to orange. Test a new hero image. Fiddle with the font size. And maybe, maybe you see a 0.5% bump.

More often, it's just crickets.

Here’s the thing I’ve learned from being in the Ecom trenches for years, building and fixing these things: 

When your PDP traffic is solid but conversions stink, button colors are rarely the real culprit. 

The problem usually runs deeper.

You're looking at surface wounds when there's internal bleeding.

The Real Crime Scene: Why They Land and Leave

If people are finding your product page, your top-of-funnel isn't completely broken. 

The issue is almost certainly happening on that page itself.

They land, they look, they get confused, they lose trust, they encounter friction, or they just don't "get it"... and they bounce.

When I'm called in to diagnose an underperforming PDP (or when I'm tearing down my own), I'm not starting with the color palette. I'm looking for fundamental breakdowns in communication, trust, and clarity. 

These are the silent killers that murder your conversion rates while you’re busy A/B testing shades of blue.

My Product Page Hit List: 5 "Beyond Button Color" Killers I Hunt Down First

Forget the surface-level CRO tips for a second. 

If your PDP isn't converting, chances are high one (or more) of these five fundamental flaws is at play. This is my initial forensic sweep:

1. The "So What?" Headline & Value Prop Fail.

• The Crime: Visitor lands, and your headline/main intro above the fold is either your product name (boring), a list of features (confusing), or something so clever it's meaningless. They can't tell within 3-5 seconds exactly what big problem this product solves for them or what amazing outcome it delivers.

• The Damage: Instant bounce. If they don't get the core value prop immediately, why stick around?

2. Product Descriptions That Read Like an Engineering Manual (Or a Ghost Story).

• The Crime: Your product description is either a dry, jargon-filled list of specs OR it's so vague and fluffy it says nothing at all. Bonus points if it's a giant, unreadable wall of text.

• The Damage: People buy solutions and transformations, not just features. If your copy doesn't connect the dots from feature -> benefit -> emotional payoff, you lose them. If it's hard to read, you definitely lose them.

3. Social Proof That's MIA, Ancient, or Totally Unbelievable.

• The Crime: No reviews. Reviews hidden at the bottom of the page. Three reviews from 2019. Testimonials that just say "Great product!" with no context.

• The Damage: Massive trust gap. People need validation from other buyers, especially for unfamiliar brands or higher-priced items. Weak social proof = high skepticism.

4. The "Add to Cart" Ambush Zone (Price Shocks & Friction Overload).

• The Crime: Price is hard to find. Shipping costs are a complete mystery until the final checkout page (major conversion killer). Variant selection (size, color, etc.) is a confusing mess. The Add to Cart button is a wallflower, blending into the background.

• The Damage: Any uncertainty, surprise, or difficulty at the point of decision creates massive friction. They might want to buy, but you make it too hard or too scary.

5. The Mobile PDP Experience That Makes You Want to Throw Your Phone.

• The Crime: Your page looks okay on desktop, but on mobile, it’s a nightmare. Images are too small or don't swipe easily. Product details are an endless scroll. Variant dropdowns are tiny and fiddly. The Add to Cart button is hiding below three screens of text or requires a surgeon's precision to tap.

• The Damage: Most Ecom traffic is mobile now. If your mobile PDP experience sucks, you're actively telling more than half your visitors to get lost.

The Verdict: Nail These Fundamentals BEFORE You Get Fancy.

Look, all those cool personalization engines, AR try-ons, and AI-driven recommendations can be great... eventually.

But if your product page is fundamentally broken in one of these five areas, those advanced tactics are just expensive distractions. 

You need to stop the bleeding from these major arteries first. Fixing these "beyond button color" issues often delivers much bigger and faster lifts in your Add-to-Cart rate than any minor design tweak.

Your Action Plan: Product Page Triage.

No more guessing. Time for some quick Ecom surgery.

1. Pick ONE of your highest-traffic, lowest-converting product pages. The one that should be making money but isn't.

2. Perform an honest audit using these 5 "Killers" as your checklist. Be brutal. Where is it weakest?

3. Identify the #1 biggest culprit on that page. Don't try to fix everything at once. What's the most glaring issue from this list?

4. Brainstorm 1-2 simple, actionable changes you could implement this week to specifically address that #1 killer.

Hit reply – which of these 5 PDP killers do you suspect is doing the most damage to your Ecom conversions right now? The value prop? Copy? Social proof? ATC friction? Mobile UX?

I read these. Let me know what your initial diagnosis reveals.

Talk soon,

Andrej Ilisin
Funnel Detective