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Store URL: www.theredsquirrel.co.uk
We are a UK based independent Gift Shop. Having never used Shopify before I have spent time reading about it and have build this website to help compliment our physical shop. The website is not as busy as I hoped it would be so I have spent a lot of time doing SEO and paid advertising. Any pointers you can give would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks
Hi @Blakey
SEO Heading Structure Issue (Major Problem)
- The homepage is missing an H1 tag
- There are multiple duplicate H3 headings (same category names repeated)
- Proper hierarchy is not followed (H1 → H2 → H3)
Example:
- “Artwork”, “Board and Card Games”, etc. are repeated twice as H3
- H1 is completely missing
Impact:
- Google cannot properly understand your page structure
- This negatively affects SEO rankings
Fix:
- Add one proper H1 on the homepage (e.g. “Curated Gifts & Unique Finds in UK”)
- Remove duplicate headings
- Maintain proper heading hierarchy
2. FAQ Section Missing (Homepage + Product Page)
- There is no FAQ section on the homepage
- FAQ is also missing on product pages
This can:
- Leave customer doubts unanswered
- Reduce conversion rate
3. FAQ Schema Missing (SEO Opportunity)
- FAQ schema is not implemented
Benefits of adding it:
- Google can show rich results (FAQ dropdowns)
- Improves click-through rate
- Helps boost SEO rankings
4. Hero Section (Above-the-Fold Issue)
- The hero section looks good visually, but:
- Too many small images → feels slightly cluttered
- No clear main CTA or offer
Suggestions:
- Add a strong CTA (Shop Now / Explore Collection)
- Reduce visual clutter for better focus
5. Collections Section (UX Issue)
- The collection grid is good
But: - Headings are repeated
- Spacing and hierarchy can be improved
Suggestions:
- Use consistent naming
- Improve layout spacing
- Add hover effects or quick view
6. Trust & Branding
Good:
- Reviews section is present
Needs improvement:
- USP (Why choose you?) is not clearly highlighted
Add:
- “Why Choose Us” section
- Trust badges (secure payment, fast shipping, etc.)
7. Speed Optimization (Critical for Ads)
Based on your latest PageSpeed report:
- Performance score: ** 57 (low)**
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): 9.4s (very high)
- First Contentful Paint: 2.3s
- Total Blocking Time: 380ms
Impact:
- High bounce rate
- Poor user experience
- Wasted ad spend
- Negative impact on SEO
Fix:
- Optimize images (WebP, proper sizing, compression)
- Remove unused apps and scripts
- Minify and defer JavaScript
- Improve server response time
- Use proper lazy loading
8. Conversion Optimization
- CTAs are not strong or consistent across sections
- Offers are not clearly highlighted
Suggestions:
- Add strong CTAs (Shop Now, Buy Now)
- Use urgency (limited-time offers, discounts)
- Consider sticky add-to-cart buttons
Best regards,
Devcoder 
Thank you for your help
Hi @Blakey
Thank you for your response. It’s good to know that it’s worked for you. Kindly feel free to get back to me if you need any further assistance. If helpful, please like all posts. 
Best regards,
Devcoder
Hi @Blakey
Nicely done on the store. - I see this thread has been listed as solved, so I want to make sure I am not repeating anything @devcoders has already mentioned.
Two things… they are just my opinions
- You might want to combine your “above the header” messages. The extra message pushes your content further down the page.
- My personal trust in an online store goes up significantly when I know they have a physical location. You might consider adding reference to your Brick and Mortar above the fold.
Regards.
Hi @Blakey
The store looks really well built for someone who had never used Shopify before, genuinely impressive. But there are a couple of things that are quietly hurting your conversions that are worth fixing.
The product page layout is the most pressing one. When someone lands on a product they’re interested in, the add to cart button needs to be the most obvious thing on the page. Right now you’re jumping into related products and other suggestions before the customer has even had a chance to actually buy what they came for. Lead with the product, make the add to cart button impossible to miss, and then show everything else below. Burying that button is costing you sales from people who were already ready to buy.
The cart redirect needs to go as well. For a gift shop where people almost always buy multiple items for different people or occasions, keeping customers on the page when they add something is really important. A slider cart does that and for a store with your catalogue depth it becomes a genuinely powerful tool. Someone buying a crochet kit should be seeing the matching haberdashery or a notebook right there in the cart. Someone grabbing a mug might want a gift set to go with it. You have so many natural combinations across your categories that in-cart cross-sells would work incredibly well here.
A free shipping progress bar inside that cart would also suit a gift shop perfectly. People buying gifts are already in a spending mindset and showing them they’re a few pounds away from free shipping is usually all it takes to get them to throw in a pin badge or a pair of socks.
From my own experience, independent gift shops that complement a physical store do really well when they lean into the local and independent angle online. Make sure that story is visible on your homepage because people actively want to support independent retailers, they just need to know that’s what you are.
Don’t install separate apps trying to piece all the cart features together though. It adds load time and costs more than it needs to. Something like iCart handles the slider cart, progress bar and in-cart cross-sells all in one place without the bloat.
Thank you, that’s very helpful I have implemented many of your suggestions.
Andy
Wonderful suggestions, I will get on that now, thanks