Plan Your Wix Store Structure for Success
Learning Objectives
- Understand how to outline a comprehensive site structure for a Wix e-commerce store
- Learn to differentiate and apply mega menus and simple navigation options
- Gain skills to map a basic customer journey on a Wix website
- Develop a sitemap and navigation plan that prioritises both user experience and SEO
Introduction
Your Wix store needs a solid structure before you start adding products. Think of it as building the framework of a house before decorating the rooms. A well-planned structure makes shopping easier for customers and helps search engines find your content.
This chapter walks you through creating core and optional pages, setting up navigation that works, and mapping out a customer journey that actually converts browsers into buyers.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Mapping Out Core and Optional Pages
Start with the pages every online store needs, then add extras based on your specific business.
Essential pages:
- Home (your shop front)
- Shop (product listings)
- Individual product pages
- Cart and checkout
- Contact page
Step 1: Create these core pages first in your Wix editor. You can add content later, but having the structure ready helps you see the bigger picture.
Step 2: Add optional pages that support your business model:
- About Us (builds trust)
- FAQ (reduces customer service queries)
- Returns and refunds policy (legal requirement in many places)
- Blog (helps with SEO and customer engagement)
- Size guides or product care instructions
This is the bit most people miss: Don't create pages just because you can. Each page should serve a clear purpose for your customers or your business goals.
Lesson 2: Choosing Your Navigation Style
Wix offers two main navigation approaches, and picking the right one depends on how many products you sell.
Simple navigation works best when:
- You have fewer than 50 products
- Your product categories are straightforward
- You want a clean, minimal look
Step 1: In the Wix editor, go to your menu settings and choose 'Horizontal Menu' for a simple approach.
Step 2: Keep your main menu items to 5-7 options maximum. More than that becomes overwhelming.
Mega menus work better for:
- Large product catalogues
- Multiple product categories with subcategories
- Stores that want to showcase featured products in the navigation
Step 1: Enable mega menu functionality in your menu settings.
Step 2: Organise your categories logically. Group related products together and use clear category names.
Roll your sleeves up and test both options. Use Wix's preview function to see how each navigation style feels from a customer's perspective.
Lesson 3: Designing a Customer Journey
Map out the path customers take from landing on your site to completing a purchase.
Step 1: Start with how people find you. Are they coming from search engines, social media, or direct links? Your homepage needs to work for all these entry points.
Step 2: Track the typical shopping path:
- Homepage or category page
- Product listing page
- Individual product page
- Cart
- Checkout
- Order confirmation
Step 3: Walk through this journey yourself. Click through every step and note where you get confused or frustrated.
Here's the quick version: Every page should clearly show customers what to do next. Use obvious buttons, clear calls to action, and remove any unnecessary steps.
Step 4: Test your mobile experience separately. Most Wix stores get significant mobile traffic, so your navigation needs to work perfectly on smaller screens.
Practice
Create a basic sitemap for your store. Draw or write out your page structure, showing:
- Main pages in your navigation
- How pages connect to each other
- The path customers take from browsing to buying
Start simple. You can always add complexity later, but it's harder to simplify an overcomplicated structure.
FAQs
What should go in my main menu?
Keep it focused on what customers need most: Home, Shop (or your main product categories), About, and Contact. Everything else can go in the footer or be linked from relevant pages.
How many menu items are too many?
Stick to 5-7 main menu items. Beyond that, people struggle to find what they're looking for quickly.
Should I use a mega menu for my small store?
Probably not. Mega menus work best when you have enough content to fill them meaningfully. For smaller stores, simple navigation usually converts better.
How do I know if my navigation is working?
Watch your analytics. High bounce rates and low time on site often indicate navigation problems. Also, pay attention to customer service queries about finding products.
Jargon Buster
Mega menu – A large dropdown menu that can display multiple columns, images, and subcategories all at once
Sitemap – A plan showing all the pages on your website and how they connect to each other
User journey – The path visitors take through your website, from arrival to completing their goal (like making a purchase)
Bounce rate – The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page
Wrap-up
Good store structure feels invisible to customers but makes a huge difference to your success. They find what they want quickly, checkout smoothly, and come back for more.
Start with the basics: core pages, simple navigation, and a clear customer path. You can always add complexity later once you understand how your customers actually use your site.
Next, we'll look at setting up your product categories and collections to make shopping even easier.