Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
When I landed this Shopify project, I was looking at what most designers would call a "conversion nightmare." Over 1000 products, visitors bouncing off the homepage faster than you could say "best practices," and conversion rates that made my client question everything about their business.
Here's what I discovered: every "best practice" guide was giving the same tired advice. Hero banners, featured collections, testimonials above the fold. The same cookie-cutter structure that made every homepage look identical to their competitors.
But here's the thing - when everyone follows the same playbook, that playbook becomes noise. Sometimes the most effective strategy comes from looking at your actual user behavior instead of following what worked for someone else's business.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why the traditional homepage structure fails for large product catalogs
The unconventional approach that doubled our conversion rate
How to structure feature sections based on actual user journey data
When to break "best practices" and when to follow them
Specific implementation tactics for both SaaS and ecommerce businesses
Ready to question everything you thought you knew about page structure? Let's dive in.
Industry Knowledge
What every conversion expert preaches
Walk into any conversion optimization conference, and you'll hear the same gospel being preached. The "perfect" homepage structure has been codified into a rigid formula that everyone follows religiously.
The Standard Homepage Recipe:
Hero Section - Big headline, value proposition, primary CTA
Social Proof - Customer logos, testimonials, trust badges
Features/Benefits - Three-column grid explaining what you do
How It Works - Step-by-step process breakdown
More Testimonials - Because you can never have enough
Final CTA - Last chance to convert before the footer
This formula exists because it can work. For simple products with clear value propositions, this structure creates a logical flow that guides visitors toward conversion.
But here's where it falls apart: This approach assumes every visitor wants the same journey. It assumes your homepage is the main entry point. Most importantly, it assumes that more information always leads to better conversion.
For complex catalogs, service businesses, or products that require browsing behavior, this rigid structure becomes a barrier instead of a bridge. You end up with what I call "museum homepages" - beautiful to look at, educational to read, but terrible for actually getting things done.
The real problem? Most businesses never question whether their users actually want this structure. They just implement it because "that's how successful companies do it."
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
When this Shopify client came to me, they had the classic "successful but stuck" problem. Over 1000 products in their catalog, decent traffic from ads and SEO, but conversion rates that were frankly embarrassing.
Their existing homepage followed every "best practice" in the book. Beautiful hero section showcasing their brand story. Featured product collections. Customer testimonials. The whole nine yards. It looked professional, on-brand, and completely useless.
The data told the real story: Most visitors were using the homepage as nothing more than a doorway. They'd land, immediately click to "All Products," then get lost in an endless scroll. The homepage had become irrelevant to the actual shopping experience.
I spent days analyzing their traffic flow using hotjar and Google Analytics. The pattern was crystal clear - people weren't reading about the company mission or browsing featured collections. They wanted to see products. All of them. Fast.
The traditional approach was creating friction where none needed to exist. Every section between "I want to shop" and "here are products" was a conversion killer.
But here's what made this challenging: convincing a client to abandon every "proven" practice they'd been told would increase conversions. When I proposed what I was thinking, they looked at me like I'd suggested burning down their brand.
The breakthrough came when I showed them competitor analysis. Every single competitor had the exact same homepage structure. Same sections, same flow, same forgettable experience. In a crowded market, being "best practice" had become being invisible.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Here's exactly what I implemented, step by step:
Step 1: The Radical Homepage Restructure
I completely eliminated the traditional homepage structure. Gone were the hero banners, featured collections, and walls of text about the company story. Instead, I turned the homepage into what users actually wanted: a product catalog.
The new structure was brutally simple:
Minimal header with navigation
48 products displayed directly on the homepage
One testimonials section
That's it
Step 2: The AI-Powered Navigation System
With over 1000 products, discoverability was crucial. I built an AI workflow that automatically categorized new products across 50+ categories, creating a mega-menu navigation system that made product discovery possible without ever leaving the navigation bar.
This solved the "paradox of choice" problem. Instead of overwhelming visitors with endless scroll, they could immediately narrow down to their interest area.
Step 3: The Data-Driven Validation
I set up comprehensive tracking to measure the impact:
Time spent on homepage vs. product pages
Click-through rates from homepage to products
Conversion rates by traffic source
Shopping cart abandonment at different funnel stages
Step 4: The Psychological Triggers
Instead of traditional "trust building" content, I focused on shopping psychology:
Product scarcity indicators
Recently viewed items
"Others also bought" recommendations
Quick-view options for fast browsing
The Contrarian Philosophy:
This approach worked because it aligned with actual user behavior instead of theoretical best practices. People shopping in a store with 1000+ products don't want a guided tour - they want to see the inventory and find what they need quickly.
By treating the homepage like the main floor of a department store rather than a museum exhibition, we eliminated friction and got people shopping faster.
Homepage as Catalog
Turned the homepage into a 48-product display, eliminating traditional hero sections and featured collections entirely.
AI-Powered Navigation
Built automated categorization system that sorted 1000+ products into 50+ categories for instant discoverability.
Data-Driven Validation
Comprehensive tracking setup measuring homepage engagement, click-through rates, and conversion at each funnel stage.
Psychology Over Theory
Focused on shopping psychology (scarcity, recommendations) rather than traditional trust-building content sections.
The numbers spoke for themselves:
Within 30 days of implementation, the homepage became the most viewed AND most used page on the site. This wasn't just about traffic - it was about utility. The homepage went from being a pretty doormat to being the actual shopping experience.
Key Metrics Improvement:
Conversion rate doubled (specific numbers confidential)
Time to purchase decreased significantly
Homepage bounce rate improved by removing irrelevant content
Product page views per session increased
The Unexpected Outcome:
The client's email list actually grew faster. Why? Because people who were actively shopping (not just browsing) were more likely to sign up for notifications about new products or sales. Quality engagement led to quality subscribers.
More importantly, this approach was sustainable. Unlike complex conversion funnels that require constant optimization, this structure worked because it got out of the user's way instead of trying to control their journey.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
The Core Principle: User Intent Beats Best Practices
This experiment taught me that the "ideal" page structure isn't about following a formula - it's about understanding what your specific users are trying to accomplish.
Key Lessons:
Data over opinions: Heat maps and user recordings reveal what people actually do, not what you think they should do
Industry standards can be limitations: When everyone follows the same playbook, breaking it becomes a competitive advantage
Simplicity scales: Complex funnels work for simple products; simple interfaces work for complex catalogs
Function over form: A useful homepage beats a beautiful homepage every time
Context is everything: What works for a SaaS trial signup won't work for a large ecommerce catalog
When NOT to use this approach: If you're selling a single product or service that requires explanation, education, or trust-building, the traditional structure might serve you better.
When this approach wins: Large catalogs, returning customers, products that sell themselves, or any situation where browsing behavior is more important than guided conversion.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies looking to apply this thinking:
Consider feature-first homepages for products with multiple use cases
Use case galleries instead of traditional benefit sections
Interactive demos over static explanations
User-specific onboarding flows based on initial interests
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores implementing this strategy:
Product grid homepages for catalogs over 100 items
Mega-menu navigation with smart categorization
Quick-view and filtering options prominently displayed
Recently viewed and recommendation widgets