Shopify Homepage Design: Sections That Earn Their Place
A Shopify homepage should tell a first-time visitor, on the first screen of a phone, what you sell, for whom, and where to start, and then give each section below one job: show the best-selling products, prove you are a real business, and offer a next step. Build it in the theme editor from your theme’s own sections, keep it short, and check it on a phone and for speed before you publish; Shopify’s web performance guidance names a high number of sections as something that slows a page.
The first screen
On a phone, the first screen is roughly the hero section and the header. It needs four things:
- A headline that says what you sell, in words a customer would search: “Handmade leather wallets and belts”, not a slogan that could belong to any brand.
- One button to the place most visitors should go first, usually your best-selling collection.
- An image of the product, cropped so it still shows the product on a narrow screen.
- A trust hint: free shipping over an amount, a returns window, or a review rating, in one line.
Leave out a slideshow here. Each slide is another large image to load and another headline to read; use one image with a clear headline instead.
Section order
| Order | Section (typical name in Shopify themes) | Its one job |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Image banner or hero | Say what you sell; one button |
| 2 | Featured collection | Show best sellers with prices, so the visitor can shop at once |
| 3 | Collection list | Let visitors choose a category in one tap |
| 4 | Image with text | Who makes it and why, in three sentences, with a real photo |
| 5 | Testimonials or reviews | Proof from buyers, with names where you have permission |
| 6 | Rich text or icons | Shipping, returns and support promises |
| 7 | Newsletter signup | A reason to join, such as early access or a first-order code |
Seven sections is plenty for a typical store; fewer is fine. Remove a blog section, Instagram feed or second featured collection if you cannot name its job on a first visit.
Build it in the theme editor
Shopify’s theme editor page, read on October 23, 2026, describes editing content, layout, typography and colors through the sections and settings each theme provides, with a live preview and without code. If your store has Canvas, a theme with the Canvas badge opens only in Canvas, a separate editor, and cannot be edited in the theme editor.
- Open the theme editor on the home page template.
- Remove or hide sections you do not need, and add the ones from the table that are missing.
- Drag sections into order; inside each, set the blocks (heading, text, button, image).
- Set the hero image’s mobile crop, if your theme offers one, and the focal point.
- Preview on mobile in the editor, then save.
If you are rebuilding the whole home page, duplicate the theme first and work on the copy, then publish it when ready. A logo that reads well at small sizes is covered in store logo.
Check it on a phone and for speed
Open the home page on a real phone on a mobile connection. Check that the headline and button show without scrolling, that the hero image is not cropped badly, and that nothing jumps as the page loads. Then look at Shopify’s Web Performance reports after the change: Shopify’s web performance page says a high number of sections lowers performance, and that you should compare speed before and after turning on page animations. We test our own sites’ home pages at every width from 320 to 1,920 pixels before a change goes live, because a header that fits one phone can wrap on a tablet. Common layout mistakes are in UX mistakes, and other store design guides in the running a store hub.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a Shopify homepage? A clear headline with one button, your best-selling products, a way into your main categories, a short story about who you are, buyer reviews, your shipping and returns promises, and a newsletter signup. Keep only the sections that do a clear job.
Do sliders hurt conversion? Shopify’s web performance guidance says many sections and animations can slow a page, and a slideshow adds both images and motion. A single hero image with a clear message is usually the safer choice; if you keep a slider, measure speed before and after.
Do I need a page builder app? For a home page, a modern theme’s sections are usually enough: hero, featured collection, collection list, image with text, testimonials and newsletter. Consider a builder only for layouts your theme cannot make.