Foundation · 6 min
What you need to know
Which pages does an online store need?
Start with a homepage, product pages, cart and checkout, and a way to contact the store. Add product category pages when they help buyers browse. Make delivery, returns, and other customer policies easy to find wherever a buying decision depends on them.
Your homepage should explain what you sell and link to individual products and any product sets. A product page should show its key details, such as size or options, price, stock status, and photos. Before paying, a buyer should be able to find out how you send orders and what to do if there is a problem.
How should those pages connect?
Follow the links a shopper would actually use, starting at your homepage. A typical path might be Home → Product group → Product page → Cart → Checkout. Someone who already knows the product name may use search and land on the product page directly.
Use links with clear names, such as the name of a product group or “Delivery information.” Important products should be reachable from normal navigation and category links, so visitors and search engines can find them. Google recommends linking through a site’s navigation to help it discover ecommerce pages.
If a button’s words or destination are unclear, use How to Write and Place Ecommerce Calls to Action to check the next step.
Why do shoppers leave before looking at products?
A visitor may be unsure what the store sells or where to begin. If your homepage opens with a large lifestyle photo but never says what you sell, a new buyer may leave without knowing there are products to browse. You can put a simple description and a clear route to the products near the top.
Look at the page on a phone too. A product path that is obvious on a wide screen can disappear inside a menu that is hard to open or read.
How many clicks should it take to reach a product?
There is no magic number that fits every store. What matters is whether a buyer can see a sensible path and tell what each choice means. A buyer looking for a gift set should be able to choose “Gift sets,” see the available sets, and open one without backtracking through unrelated menus.
Ask a first-time visitor to find a specific item while you watch. If they hesitate or repeatedly go back, improve the labels or links rather than chasing an arbitrary click target.
How do you keep a page from feeling cluttered?
Put a few clear shopping choices on the homepage, then save the full details for each product page. Show one route to your main products and one to gift sets, if you sell them. Remove extra rows that keep showing the same product.
On a product page, put the size next to the price and keep a link to your return policy near the buying information. Remove a repeated banner that pushes the product out of the first screen.
Can too many choices hurt?
Yes, when shoppers cannot tell how the choices differ. If you put every option, season, gift occasion, and discount on the main menu, a visitor may struggle to choose a path. You can group related items under names buyers understand, such as a broad product group and “Gift sets,” then let the next page show the finer choices.
Do not hide important distinctions either. If a product comes in different sizes, show those options clearly on the product page where the buyer selects one.
What makes an online store easy to use?
Use labels that tell shoppers where a click goes. Label a homepage button for what it opens and send it to that page. On a product page, “Add to cart” should put that product in the cart, including the size the buyer chose. Check that the price and button are readable on a phone.
The design also needs to tell the truth. Check that a sold-out product does not look available and that the delivery promise on the product page matches checkout.
How can you find problems before and after launch?
Give someone a task without telling them where to click. Ask them to find a specific product, check its size and delivery terms, and reach checkout. Watch where they stop, search, or ask a question. Repeat the task on a phone.
After launching, use actual customer questions and store data as clues. If visitors reach a product page but keep asking about product size, add that detail more clearly. If nobody opens a particular section, such as “Gift sets,” check whether the menu label and link are visible.
How do you know customers understand the store?
Ask a new visitor to say what you sell, who it is for, and where they would click to buy. If they cannot answer after a quick look, the store needs clearer words or a simpler path. You can try a more specific homepage heading and test it again with another person.
Do not mistake a beautiful page for an understandable one. Ask someone who has never seen the store to find a specific product and reach checkout without your help.
Foundation · 2 min
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a category page for a small store?
Only if it makes browsing easier. You may start with a few products shown directly, then add category pages when buyers need those routes. Each important product should still be easy to reach.
Should every page have the same menu?
Keep the main navigation recognizable so shoppers do not have to relearn it. You can highlight a different next step on a product page than on the homepage.
Is there an ideal number of homepage sections?
No. Keep the sections that help buyers understand the offer and find products. Remove sections that repeat information or distract from the next useful step.