Use this cheat sheet to guide you through each very important and necessary page on your website when launching an online boutique.
Every website has certain pages that you simply can't skip in order to create a user-friendly experience that customers expect when they arrive at your site. This includes the: Homepage, About Us, Contact Us, Shipping Policy, Returns Policy, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions and Collection Pages. In addition, we go over a few other optional pages such as size charts and FAQ pages. You can start building your website before you have products, making it easier for you launch day.
HOME/INDEX PAGE
This page serves as the storefront of your boutique. Here you will welcome customers with information about your business and includes links to other pages on your site.
Things to keep in mind for your Homepage
- Bold, big headlines & CTAs
- Provide a user-friendly flow
- Banner/Hero Images - Use Canva announcing a special promo or sale
- Highlight New Arrivals and Other Collections
- Sales and Announcements
- Big Call-to-Actions
- Mailing List Post Ups
ABOUT US
This page is for you to state your mission and a short preview of your brand and/or target customer. Below are a few reasons people visit About pages, so keep them in mind.
Things to keep in mind for your About Us page
- They want to figure out exactly what the business does
- They want to see if the business is hiring
- They want to make sure the business is legitimate
- They want to see if the business serves a specific niche
- They want to analyze the business’s success and much more
Examples of About Us Content
- Tired of walking through endless shops, looking for just the right item? Enter YOUR BUSINESS NAME, where you’ll find a huge selection of goods at unbeatable prices, only a few clicks away. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping online today and find out more about what makes us so special.
- YOUR BUSINESS NAME is your go-to source for styles influenced by the latest fashions with an added flair. We aim to inspire our customers to be the best version of themselves and to be confident in their own skin - and of course, their outfits.
- Our vision is fast-paced, forward-thinking and fashion-centered at its core, and all of our products reflect these ideals. We invite you to browse our site to find just what you have been looking for. Look good, feel good, shop YOUR BUSINESS NAME today.
- YOUR BUSINESS NAME is a fast-fashion online retail destination serving customers worldwide. We strive to bring shoppers the trendiest styles, from design to concept, and straight to our customers’ doorstep.
CONTACT US
The best way to optimize and take advantage of your contact page is by adding relevant call to action buttons to reach out to you. This can be via email, social media, chat, in-person or directly in a form via the contact page.
Things to include on your Contact Us page
- Your hours of operation
- Your physical location
- Your phone number
- Your company’s Support contact information
- Social media contact information
PRIVACY POLICY/TERMS OF USE
The privacy policy (or privacy statement) informs users what data you are collecting and what you do with that data (cookies). The terms of use (or terms and conditions) page protects you legally, as well as to set out the rules that you and your customers will follow when a purchase is made. Both of these policies can be lengthy, so we suggest using one of several free online generators that will prefill a policy for you with your business name. Protect your business and include these policies in your footer menu.
Use the below generators to create these policies FREE
SHIPPING POLICY
A shipping policy is one of the most important pages on your website and can literally make or break a sale. As a consumer yourself, you understand how the amount of time and cost can make a huge difference. Determine if you will be charging for shipping or baking it into your product price to give the "free shipping illusion".
Things to keep in mind for your Shipping Policy page
- # of days item take to ship (be sure to account for processing time)
- Free shipping or free shipping over certain amount
- Are you shipping domestic only? International and domestic
RETURNS POLICY
The most effective return pages clearly outline the return and exchange process in a way that’s easy to understand. If you are doing business, you need a clear return policy. You will need to decide how you will handle returns or if you will accept returns/exchanges at all (final sale). Keep in mind, you can lose out on sales when people do not have the option to return.
If accepting returns, you will also need to decide:
- # of days buyer has to return items
- How returns will be handled/compensated (i.e. same form of payment, exchange only)
- What address returns should be sent to
- Will you or buyer be responsible for return costs
We do not recommend a "no returns/exchanges" policy, unless items are custom made or made-to-order. This is an immediate turn off to potential buyers. If you deliver as promised and your size chart corresponds to your sizes, you will have little to no returns anyways. "Exchange only" or "Exchange or Store Credit" is an option and may go over better with consumers. However, it is up to you.
CATEGORY/COLLECTION PAGES
A clear, well laid out category (Collection) Page is critical for both user experience and for Google to crawl your website (list your website in the search). There are several ways to create a navigation menu for your products.
Common categories for boutiques include:
- Shop
- Clothing
- New styles/arrivals
- Tops
- Dresses
- Press/As Seen On
- Bottoms/Pants/Denim/Skirts
- Accessories
- Jewelry
- Beauty
- Logo
- Shoes/Heels/Sneakers
- Jumpsuits/Rompers
- Sale/Clearance
- Shop by... (Trend, color, price etc.)
- Size Chart
- Careers
- Blog
- FAQs
- Press
- Store Locations
- Wholesale/Supplier Information
This list should help you create an attractive and informative website trusted by potential customers. Increas your chances of getting a sale with a great, user-friendly website.
