eCommerce Website Design Guide, Part 1: eCommerce Landing Page Design

Introduction

If you run an online store, you’ve probably put a lot of thought into your homepage or your product pages. But there’s one part of ecommerce website design that often gets overlooked — the landing page.

A landing page is a powerful tool for turning browsers into buyers. With careful attention to ecommerce landing page design best practices, your landing pages can help your business make the most of every click from your ads, emails, and social media campaigns. Designed poorly, they can waste valuable traffic and advertising dollars.

In this guide, we’ll break down what ecommerce landing pages are, why they matter for small businesses, and how you can design one that gets results. 

What Is an Ecommerce Landing Page?

Think of a landing page as a “welcome mat” for a specific promotion or campaign. It’s a single page designed with one goal in mind — whether that’s selling a product, capturing leads, or encouraging sign-ups.

Unlike your homepage, which tries to introduce your brand to everyone, or a product page, which lists detailed specs, a landing page is focused. For example:

• A boutique clothing store might create a landing page just for their summer sale.
• A skincare brand might design one for a new product launch.
• A gift shop could build one for a holiday promotion.

When someone clicks an ad or link in your newsletter, you don’t want to send them on a detour through your whole website. You want them to land in the exact spot that matches what caught their attention in the first place. That’s where a landing page comes in.

Why Small Businesses Need Landing Pages

Landing pages can sound like a “big brand” tactic, but they’re especially valuable for small businesses working with limited budgets. Here’s why:

• Higher conversions: By cutting distractions, a landing page makes it more likely that visitors take action.
• Targeted promotions: You can create pages for specific products, audiences, or seasonal offers.
• Better data: Because each page has one goal, you can clearly see how well it performs and what needs tweaking.
• Stronger marketing campaigns: If you’re paying for ads, sending clicks to a landing page tailored to that ad is far more effective than sending people to your homepage.

Example: A small furniture store could run a Facebook ad for a dining set. If that ad links to their homepage, visitors have to hunt for the product. If it links to a landing page showing the dining set with a “Shop Now” button, the path to purchase is clear — and sales are much more likely.

The Key Ingredients of a High-Converting Landing Page

So, what does an effective ecommerce landing page actually look like? Here are the essentials every small business owner should know:

1. A Clear, Compelling Headline

Your headline should instantly tell people what they’re getting. Think benefit-driven rather than clever.

• Good: “Save 20% on Eco-Friendly Yoga Mats This Week Only”
• Bad: “Welcome to Our Store!”

2. Eye-Catching Visuals

Use one or two high-quality images (or a short video) that show off your product or offer. Lifestyle shots — showing the product in use — often work better than plain product photos.

3. A Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)

This is the button or link that tells people what to do next: “Shop Now,” “Sign Up Today,” “Get My Discount.”

• Make it big and bold.
• Repeat it if the page is long.
• Use action words that make the benefit clear.

4. A Simple, Focused Layout

Less is more. Avoid clutter, sidebars, or too many links. Everything on the page should support one goal.

5. Trust Builders

Help people feel confident about taking action. Add:

• Reviews or testimonials.
• Security badges or “money-back guarantee” labels.
• Case studies or examples of happy customers.

6. A Sense of Urgency (Optional)

If it fits your offer, urgency can give people a reason to act now. For example:

• “Offer ends Sunday.”
• “Only 5 left in stock.”

Simple eCommerce Landing Page Design Tips

Even if you’re not a designer, there are simple things you can do to make your landing pages work harder:

• Put the most important info at the top. Visitors should see your headline, image, and CTA without scrolling.
• Use everyday language. Write like you’re talking to a customer in your shop.
• Make your CTA stand out. Use a contrasting colour and clear wording.
• Keep it mobile-friendly. Test your page on your phone — if the text is too small or the button is hard to tap, you’ll lose sales.
• Check your page speed. Slow pages drive visitors away. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to see how you’re doing.

The Next Level: More Advanced Landing Page Strategies

If you’re the hands-on type and don’t mind experimenting, here are some more advanced strategies:

• A/B Testing: Create two versions of your page with one small difference (like headline wording or button colour). See which performs better.
• Personalisation: Some landing page tools let you show different content based on location, past purchases, or ad targeting.
• Integration: Connect your landing page to your email marketing platform or CRM so you can follow up with leads.
• Basic SEO: While many landing pages are used for ads, it’s still worth optimising your titles, images, and text for search engines.

Mistakes to Avoid

Plenty of small businesses miss the mark on landing pages. Here are the most common pitfalls:

• Too many CTAs (confusing the visitor).
• Overloading the page with long, dense text.
• Using blurry or generic stock photos.
• Forgetting to design for mobile.
• Not checking analytics or making improvements.

Examples of Great Small Business Landing Pages

• A local bakery running a Valentine’s Day promotion: a clean page with one headline, a photo of their chocolate boxes, and a big “Order Now” button.
• A boutique gym offering a free trial: a landing page with a short sign-up form, testimonials, and a “Claim My Free Week” button.
• An online gift shop during Christmas: a holiday-themed landing page with gift bundles, shipping deadlines, and “Shop Christmas Gifts” as the CTA.

Notice what they all have in common? Simplicity, clarity, and a single goal.

Step-by-Step: How to Create Your First Landing Page

1. Decide on your goal. What action do you want people to take?
2. Choose a tool. Common DIY website platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, and WordPress (with plugins) all offer landing page templates.
3. Write your headline and supporting copy. Keep it short, clear, and benefit-focused.
4. Add visuals and a CTA. Make sure they match the offer.
5. Publish and test. Share it through one campaign (email, ads, or social).
6. Check your results. Track conversions and see what could be improved.

Conclusion

A well-designed landing page can be one of the most valuable parts of your ecommerce website design. It helps you get the most out of your marketing campaigns, whether you’re running ads, sending emails, or promoting seasonal offers.

The good news is you don’t have to be a design expert to get started. With clear goals, simple layouts, and a strong CTA, even basic landing pages can boost your sales.

But if you’d rather skip the trial-and-error — or you want a landing page built to perform right from the start — that’s where we come in.

Work with the pros at Activate. Our team specialises in ecommerce website design, including landing pages that are tailored to your brand and built to convert. Get in touch today to start turning clicks into customers.

Ready for Part 2 of this mini-series on ecommerce website design? Read all about ecommerce product page design here.