You’ve got a fantastic product, a brand with potential, and the drive to succeed. Now, the next step is translating that potential into a thriving online business. But before you open those virtual doors, you must first lay a solid foundation by creating a successful e-commerce website.
In this guide, we’ll break down the best practices and essential pages for effective e-commerce website design, functionality, and user experience to propel your business to success.
1. Homepage
As the virtual front door to your e-commerce website, your homepage is the very first impression visitors get of your brand. As such, creating a welcoming and informative introduction is key.
Choose a design that offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of your brand, highlighting your products, expertise, or values. Incorporate a striking “hero image”, which is a large, prominently placed banner or background image, to instantly capture visitors’ attention and convey your brand identity at a glance.
You will also need a strong headline and subtext summarising your offering, value proposition and unique selling point (USP). This should be followed by a clear call-to-action (CTA) button inviting visitors to what you want them to do next. The “Discover More” button on Kiehl’s home page, for example, encourages immediate engagement and directs visitors towards taking the next step in their customer journey.
2. Product Page
Your products are the main drivers of your business revenue, underscoring the importance of creating high-quality product category pages for your e-commerce website. Showcase high-resolution product images and offer detailed views from multiple angles to improve the customer experience. Product descriptions should also elaborate on their key features, benefits, and unique selling points to drive purchases.
Don’t forget to prioritise search engine optimisation (SEO) as well. Integrating relevant keywords into your product page helps you rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), boosting visibility and helping potential customers find your products more easily.
3. Contact Page
A dedicated contact page with details such as your business address, phone number, email, and operating hours makes it easier for customers to reach you.
Additionally, integrating a user-friendly contact form can further streamline communication by capturing vital customer information like their name, email address, and message details. This facilitates prompt and efficient responses to inquiries, elevating customer service and improving satisfaction.
4. Store Locator
Businesses with physical locations benefit greatly from adding a store locator page to their e-commerce website. An interactive map, like this one used by Charles and Keith, featuring pinpointed locations and clear directions, enhances the customer experience by simplifying the process of finding the nearest outlet.
5. About Us Page
Next on the list is the “About Us” page, where brands can share their story, mission, and values, as well as information about the people behind the business. Share your journey, key milestones, and what sets you apart from competitors to humanise your brand, making it more relatable and authentic. This also allows you to connect with like-minded consumers who share your values and vision, fostering loyalty and building a community around your brand.
6. Blog Page
Blog pages on your e-commerce website play a pivotal role in establishing your brand as an industry leader. Producing engaging content, such as industry insights, product updates, customer success stories, and practical tips, positions your brand as a knowledgeable authority.
Crucially, blogs enhance your SEO efforts and drive more organic traffic to your website. Valuable, informative content that strategically incorporates relevant keywords helps your page rank higher on search engines, increasing visibility and driving more organic traffic to your website.
Learn more: The Importance Of Blogging For An E-commerce Website
7. Cart Page
The cart page is where the transition from browsing to purchasing occurs, making a seamless user experience essential. It should provide a list of all the items the user has added, including thumbnail images, quantities, and pricing details.
Love Bonito’s cart page also features estimated shipping costs and a promo code field, minimising the risk of cart abandonment when customers discover unexpected costs. This is also an excellent opportunity to upsell related products, encouraging customers to explore complementary or additional items to enhance the shopping experience.
8. Thank You Page
Source: https://www.mockplus.com/blog/post/thank-page-design
While the primary function of a “thank you” page is to confirm a successful completion of the purchase, it also serves a dual role in building a positive relationship with your customers. By including order details, itemised lists, and expected delivery dates, the page completes the customer journey with transparency and reassurance.
9. Customer Support Page
A centralised customer support page is crucial for addressing customer queries and issues effectively. Aside from providing various contact options such as email addresses, phone numbers, contact forms, and live chat, consider adding a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section to your e-commerce website. Customers can now resolve common issues independently, reducing response times and eliminating the need for direct assistance. Furthermore, a well-structured customer support page encourages customer engagement, which in turn enhances SEO by increasing website interaction.
10. Shipping and Return Policy
With 67% of shoppers checking the returns page before making a purchase, providing clear and transparent return policies is essential. This reassures customers that their purchase is risk-free, allowing them to shop with peace of mind and building their trust in your brand.
Before making a purchase, customers would also want to know how much your shipping costs, or whether you offer free shipping. A dedicated page for your shipping policy is equally important in providing clarity and confidence to customers throughout their shopping journey. Make sure to outline shipping options, delivery times, costs, and any international shipping details to manage expectations and avoid misunderstandings.
11. Track My Parcel Page
Similarly, a dedicated “Track My Parcel” page provides assurance by updating customers on the status and location of their orders in real-time.
By integrating tracking tools from shipping carriers or logistics partners directly into your website, customers can conveniently monitor their parcel’s progress from shipment to delivery. This proactive approach improves the overall shopping experience and reinforces their trust in your brand.
12. Privacy Policy
A privacy policy page is another must-have for your e-commerce website. Be transparent about how you collect, use, store, and protect personal information gathered from visitors and customers, and clearly outline any data practices and security measures. This demonstrates your compliance with legal regulations while also highlighting your dedication to ethical business practices.
13. Sitemap
Ease of navigation should be a priority when it comes to building an effective e-commerce website. This is where a well-structured sitemap comes in, providing a clear hierarchical structure for all web pages to ensure that customers can easily find the information or product they seek. Sitemaps also enable search engine crawlers to systematically discover and index your web pages, thereby enhancing your site’s rankings in SERPs.
If you’re looking to create a sitemap for your site, here are some key steps you should follow:
- Make a list of all the main sections and pages of your website.
- Ensure clarity and logical grouping of pages.
- Use hierarchical formatting, such as nested lists or visual diagrams, to show page relationships.
- For larger sites, consider breaking sections into subcategories.
- Generate an XML sitemap file and submit it to search engines like Google via Google Search Console.
- Regularly update the sitemap as you add or remove pages to keep it current and accurate.
14. 404 Error
Despite your best efforts, visitors may encounter a 404 error page while navigating your e-commerce website. Beyond simply informing users that the requested page is unavailable, the primary goal of a 404 error page is to mitigate traffic loss and maintain SEO integrity. For example, this Error page by Asos redirects users to back to their home page.
Customising your error page with a friendly apology message and offering links to popular pages, key product categories, or a search bar can help redirect visitors to relevant content, reducing bounce rates.
Learn more: How Does User Experience (UX) Affect SEO?
15. Account Sign-up and Login
Finally, a streamlined account creation and login process is crucial for enhancing the user experience and fostering ongoing engagement. Providing options for account creation via email registration or social media logins simplifies the login procedure, encouraging customers to stay on your site and complete purchases. However, to minimise barriers to conversion, it is important to always include a ‘Guest Checkout’ option that requires customers to enter only most essential information for a purchase.
Moreover, prompting users to establish personal profiles with their preferences, order histories, and wishlists enables personalised interactions, which can contribute positively to customer loyalty over time.
Conclusion
In all, implementing the 15 essential pages in this list sets the stage for a robust and user-centric e-commerce website. Each page plays a vital role in guiding visitors from initial exploration to final purchase, ensuring a seamless digital experience that not only meets but exceeds your customers’ expectations.
Do you want a strong website to give your e-commerce business the best chance of success?
With OOm’s expertise in e-commerce website design and development, we can help you to create a beautiful, modern e-commerce website that is also:
- Optimised for user experience, sales and conversions
- SEO-friendly, fast-loading and responsive to all screen sizes
- Integrated with a seamless payment experience
- Connected to an easy-to-learn website management platform that you can effortlessly handle on your own
If you are an SME in Singapore, you may qualify to receive up to 50% subsidy under the PSG Digital Marketing Grant.
Get a free website design quote now.
Or visit our E-commerce website design and development page to learn more and view our portfolio.
Contact us and schedule your free 30-minute website consultation today.
