Shopify Homepage Best Practices: What to Put Above the Fold (and What to Cut)
A homepage has one job: get the right visitor to the right product quickly, while giving them a reason to trust you on the way.
The Four Jobs of a Homepage in Five Seconds
- What do you sell?
- Who is it for?
- Why should I trust you?
- Where do I go next?
Show the page to someone unfamiliar with the brand for five seconds, then ask them these four questions. Most homepages fail on the second and third.
The Hero Section
One headline that names the product category and its distinguishing quality. One primary call to action. A static image usually outperforms a slider: shoppers rarely wait for slide two, and the carousel adds weight to the most performance-sensitive part of the page.
The hero image is typically the largest element to render, which makes it the main driver of how fast your homepage feels. Treat it as a performance decision as much as a design one.
Section Order by Business Model
| Model | Suggested order after the hero |
|---|---|
| Single product | Benefits, how it works, reviews, FAQ, buy |
| Catalogue | Categories, best sellers, trust strip, new arrivals |
| Premium | Brand story, craftsmanship, curated edit, reviews |
Homepage Trust Signals
A review count with a rating, recognisable press or stockists, a guarantee, and a shipping-and-returns strip. Place them where a hesitant visitor is already looking, not in the footer.
Routing Visitors
Category tiles, best sellers, and "shop by problem" for stores where customers describe a need rather than a product. The homepage does not need to sell — it needs to route.
Who Actually Sees Your Homepage
Before investing heavily here, check your landing page report. Paid and social traffic often lands directly on product pages, which can make the homepage a smaller lever than it feels like. Let the data set the effort.
Mobile Homepage Specifics
Shorter hero copy, one visible call to action, category tiles that work as a two-column grid, and no section that requires horizontal scrolling to understand.
The Speed Cost of Homepage Sections
Embedded social feeds, autoplay video and multi-slide carousels are the three most common causes of a slow homepage. Each should justify its weight with measurable engagement.
Homepage Checklist
- Four questions answered above the fold
- One primary call to action in the hero
- Static hero unless a slider is earning its place
- Trust strip visible without scrolling far
- Clear routes into categories and best sellers
- Effort weighted against actual landing-page data
- No third-party embed without a measured reason
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use a slider?
Usually not. If you do, make the first slide carry the message on its own.
How many sections?
Enough to route and reassure. Every extra section costs load time and attention.
What matters most above the fold?
Saying what you sell and who it is for, in plain words.
Does the homepage matter if most traffic lands on product pages?
Less than you would assume. Check the landing page report before committing a redesign.
Should the hero be a video?
Only if it communicates something a still cannot, and only if it does not delay the first paint.
Where ConversionAB Fits
ConversionAB rewrites and restructures homepages around what your visitors actually click.