The homepage of an online store and how it should look
Content
Your homepage serves as both an introduction to your brand and a set of coded instructions meant to help both new and existing customers navigate your business to find what they need.
Much like a landing page, every detail should build toward making a strong first impression and encouraging an intended action, whether the goal of your homepage is to sell your products or capture email subscribers.
Why does an online store need a homepage?
A homepage is the first touchpoint between you and a potential customer — you can think of it as a digital storefront for your online business. With roughly three seconds to make a good impression, you need to be strategic with your design choices on your homepage.
It should tell users what the site is about, as well as provide an easy way for customers to find what they came to the site for.
Purpose
It acts as a gateway for visitors who need further signposting and direction, for example, new users who don’t yet know the brand or the website. As a brand marketing and visitor funneling tool, it’s incredibly important.
Structure
The home page is at the top of the hierarchy, followed by the main categories (level 1), subcategories (level 2), and finally the product pages (level 3).
The best way to decide how to create your structure is to take into account the outcome of your keyword research process.
Header
There are two main features of the header of the online store: this is the first thing that a visitor sees when switching to a resource; the header has a standard layout and is easy to find when needed. All this explains why the title for a website, including an online store, should include only the most necessary and expected information.
Homepage
A website’s homepage creates the impression of the business’s overall brand. It establishes trust among visitors and helps return customers stay updated with the latest products and offers.
Products block
The All Products Block is one of the most essential elements for any store. It lets you display all of your products in a neat grid: By default, the block displays the name, price, and star rating for each product, as well as a call to action (CTA) button.
Text Content
Content for your online store can help your business stand out from the rest and have significant influence. Since the goal of online store content is to inform potential customers and persuade them to make purchases, it should be informative, interesting and search engine optimized.
Loyalty block
The goal of any loyalty program is to retain current customers and turn them into loyal ones. That should be a no-brainer strategy for every eCommerce business in 2022. Loyal customers are the most valuable asset of any brand.
Here are some reasons why customer loyalty can grow your business.
- Retaining Existing Customers Cut Down Acquisition Costs
- Repeat Customers Generate More Revenue
- Loyal customers spread positive word-of-mouth
Blog
When a potential buyer visits your store, they may not be ready to buy, but they sure are ready to learn. A blog is one of the pillars of content marketing strategy, a concept used to describe the practice of generating valuable content to educate and help your potential customers.
It can contain several types of multimedia content such as articles, audio files, images, and videos — this can also be connected to your online store.
The important thing with a blog as opposed to other digital marketing tools is that it is not just another way to sell superficially or be aggressive to lead people into making a purchase. It is about learning and sharing informative content. This can lead to an informed purchase being made of course but that’s not the goal!
Footer?
The footer is an important part of your website because it is displayed on each page. Needless to say, it deserves extra attention!
A footer… Why?
The footer is not there for decorative purposes. It has a clear role, mainly aimed at informing and assisting your visitors.
- Navigation: visitors who can’t find what they’re looking for or are trying to find a specific page, for example, ‘About us’ or ‘Customer service’, often have a look at the footer.
- Provide information: Your visitors expect to find specific information in the footer, including your contact details and general terms & conditions.
- Convince your visitors: The footer often showcases quality labels, logos, and reviews.
- SEO: Opinions differ here, but internal links in the footer are still often used for SEO.
- Branding: Use your house-style colors and (once again) include your logo and social-media buttons to boost visitors’ connection with your store.
Conclusion
Now you know how the main page of the online store should look to help you turn as many users as possible into customers. And what other features in the design and structure of the main page of online stores interested you and influenced your choice?
