7 Essential Pages Every Ecommerce Website Should Have
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If there’s one thing running The Toy Box taught us, it’s that selling online is about way more than just nice web design and development or a big product range. The websites that actually work are the ones that make things easy for customers—and make it dead simple for you to manage on the back end. Over the years, we’ve built, broken, and rebuilt more online shops than we care to count, so trust me: these seven pages aren’t just nice to have—they’re absolutely essential.
1. Homepage
Think of your homepage as your virtual shop window. It’s your one shot to show people what makes you different and why they should care. Ours at The Toy Box went through about a dozen versions over the years, but the basics always stuck:
- Show off your best products and promos
- Make it easy to jump to key product categories (nobody wants to hunt for the Lego)
- Show your brand personality straight away
2. Product Category Pages
You can have the best products in the world, but if people can’t find them, you’re stuffed. Group products logically, add filters (by brand, price, whatever fits), and use clear photos. At The Toy Box, having tidy categories and sorting made it a breeze for parents shopping for birthdays—or hunting for that one last puzzle piece. If you want to make life easy for your customers, Shopify e-commerce is hard to beat.
3. Product Detail Pages
This is where the sale happens. You need:
- Good photos (photography is a must, and multiple angles help)
- Honest, helpful descriptions (write for real humans, not robots)
- Upfront pricing and stock levels (nobody likes a nasty surprise at checkout)
- Reviews and FAQs help too, especially for higher-ticket stuff
If you half-arse your product pages, people won’t stick around. SEO also matters here—good product content gets you found.
4. Shopping Cart and Checkout
If someone’s made it to the checkout, don’t make them work for it. Our advice:
- Let them edit the cart easily
- Give clear shipping and payment options
- Keep forms short and the process fast
- Guest checkout is a must—don’t force account creation
Every extra click or confusion at this stage will lose you sales. We’ve learned this the hard way through years of e-commerce projects.
5. About Us Page
People want to know who they’re buying from. In New Zealand especially, trust is huge. Your About Us isn’t just filler—it’s a chance to show who you are, what you stand for, and why you care. We found our Toy Box customers loved reading a bit about the family behind the scenes. If you want your story to come across professionally, think about your visual identity.
6. Contact Us Page
Make it dead easy for people to get in touch. Put your email, phone, and a simple form front and centre. If you’re on social, link that up too. The quicker someone can ask a question or sort an issue, the more likely they are to actually buy (or come back again). Email marketing can be a game-changer for customer follow-up as well.
7. FAQ and Help Pages
You will save yourself a tonne of support emails if you answer the obvious stuff upfront. FAQs about shipping, returns, payment options, and any common questions are essential. We built ours over time as customers asked things—turns out, if one person asks, ten more are wondering. These pages also give you more SEO value, as they often answer the exact questions people are searching for.
Final Word
Don’t overcomplicate it. If you cover these seven pages, you’re giving yourself (and your customers) the best chance of having a smooth, trustworthy, and enjoyable experience. That’s what leads to more sales, fewer headaches, and actual business growth—take it from someone who’s spent plenty of late nights fixing what wasn’t working.
If you want help getting these right or just want to avoid the rookie mistakes, get in touch. We’ve been there and we’re happy to help you nail it from day one.