8 types of pages that should not be missing in your online store
When creating an online store, you must take into account some different aspects than those of a physical store. Among them, the types of pages within the structure of your online store.
The objective is to provide better support and credibility to the user who visits your store.
Below, we list the 7 types of pages that should not be missing from your online store :
1. Homepage
The home page is like the window of a physical store. Welcomes and captures the visitor. Provide information about the value proposition and links to “second-level” pages , such as product categories, product pages, or blog articles.
Some of the recommendations to capture the visitor’s attention are:
- High-quality images : Show brand and product values. They can be photos of products, images of your employees working, or photos of people enjoying the products.
- Testimonials and verified opinions: Convey trust by including verified customer reviews or opinions. You can also include links to success stories or logos of relevant companies with which you collaborate.
- Calls to action (CTA): Don’t forget to guide the visitor through CTA buttons with prominent colors and direct language. You can promote specific promotions, new collections or “Best seller” products .
Over time, you can change the button copy or color, as an A/B test , to see which gets better results. Whatever your CTA is, it is important to include it so that your visitors take action.
2. About us page
This is where you can tell the story of your brand : when and how the company started, why it exists and the values it represents. It’s a good place to humanize your brand.
There are more and more people who buy for the values associated with the brand, for example, if it is a sustainable product or has a special characteristic.
You can include images, video and biographies of team members , to remind visitors that there are people behind the company: people will always connect more with other people than with a brand logo.
3. FAQ Page
A frequently asked questions or FAQ’s section can be very useful if your product requires technical information.
You can include information about how your products are made and information about shipping and returns on this type of page and link them to the respective policies.
A complete FAQ page is important for the following reasons:
- Resolve immediate questions : When customers have a question about your store or products, they usually look for an FAQ page. Finding what they’re looking for quickly and easily provides a positive experience and makes them more likely to buy.
- Save your customer service time : Many customer service teams are used to answering the same questions over and over again. If users can easily find those answers on their own, your customer service team will save time and energy to focus on other issues.
In addition, it is good for search engine optimization (SEO) .
This means that it can serve as a starting point for a content strategy based on developing expanded answers to common questions in your blog posts, which you can link to from the FAQ page.
→ Related: Guide to recovering abandoned carts in your online store
4. Shipping and returns information
In an online store, detailed information about the shipping and returns policy should not be missing.
You can include it on a single page or split them, for example, if you sell in several countries, so that it is clearer and visitors find the information they need faster.
A returns policy is necessary that provides clear information about what customers can expect when returning a product and its cost.
A policy that promises a returns process that is as smooth and painless as possible for the consumer can be a competitive advantage that helps you generate more sales and retain customers.
5. Contact page
When resolving a problem about a product, the first thing the customer does is contact customer service, either via phone, email, or live chat.
This is why you should have a contact page dedicated to offering this service to improve the customer experience. When creating a contact page, the ideal is to include the different ways in which customers can contact you:
- Contact form : If you receive a high volume of requests or incidents, you can add a tab indicating several reasons for contacting (returns, collaborations, technical information about the product, etc.).
- The address of your offices or addresses of your physical stores , if applicable.
- Social media profiles where you actively post.
- Include a phone number and customer service hours.
You can include the contact page in the main menu as well as the footer, so that your visitors and clients can find it easily. You can include a phone number at the top of your online store as part of your contact form.
Finally, you can include a live chat tool , with frequently asked questions or an agent available to answer questions.
6. Privacy policy
Creating a clear and accessible privacy policy in your e-commerce is crucial if you collect data from your customers, something all e-commerce companies do when accepting payments from customers and fulfilling the order.
The stratospheric fines that online businesses can incur for data breaches are well known, so having a privacy policy keeps your business legitimate and respects customer information.
Online companies have greater responsibility than ever in managing data ethically and with transparency. If you are lucky enough to have a trusted lawyer, it is advisable to draft a privacy policy in accordance with your online business. Finally, convey it to all the workers in your company and ensure that it is followed.
If you don’t have a lawyer or a lot of budget, you can easily create a privacy policy using template generators.
Some of the sections that cannot be missing from your privacy policy are:
- About us
- What personal data we collect and why we collect it
- Who do you share data with?
- How long do you keep the data
- What rights does the client have over their data?
- Where do you send the data
- Contact information
- Additional Information
Another necessary point if you are in Europe, is to have a button in the different forms of your online store (Newstletter, contact page, registration page, etc.), in which the visitor’s provision of ” Accept the Privacy and Cookies Policy” .
7. Cookies policy
To create your cookie policy page, think about all the apps and tools you use to engage customers. It includes the different cookies, classified by type and purpose.
Some of the sections that cannot be missing from your privacy policy are:
- What are cookies and what are they for?
- Types of cookies according to purpose
- Cookies used
- Who processes data and with whom is it shared?
If you are in Europe, don’t forget to include a cookie notice that links to this page for more information.
8. Terms and conditions of service
The list so far has focused on the pages important for marketing and conversions. But as an e-commerce business, there are other practical and legal considerations to take into account as well.
To cover your legal bases, one of the necessary pages that every e-commerce website must have is a Terms and Conditions of Service page . In short, it is an agreement between owner and client that can protect your online business in several ways:
- Protection against abuse
- Protection of intellectual property
- Limitations of liability
As with the Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy pages, you can retain the services of attorneys or use legal text generators to draft a terms of service agreement for you.
In this section you can include information about the conditions of sale of your website.
We hope that this article has helped you understand the types of pages and how to organize and offer more information to the visitor in your online store.
And you? How do you organize the pages of your online store? Is there any other page that you consider essential?