First impressions are crucial. What will your homepage say about your online store?

Designing an effective homepage for online retail is one of the first steps to launching a successful online store. That quick moment when the shopper lands on your store may be the only chance you have to gain a customer. Your store should communicate a strong impression right off the bat or risk losing an opportunity.

How have some of the best online merchants created sticky homepages? Be sure to research some of your favorite online stores before you get started on yours. Below you???ll find some framework tips for creating your own successful homepage.

• Contact information & other brand trust elements: Shoppers want to know you maintain a real store that they can trust; prominently displaying your business??? address, telephone number and social media links puts a face on your store and establishes immediate trust. Have security trust badges? Put those on the homepage as well for an even higher level of trust.

• A daily deal or featured product: Want to grab a shopper???s attention right away? Feature a product on the front page (with a deal or promotion if you can swing it) to draw the potential customer into the shopping process right away.

• Sign-in and shopping cart info: If you???re dealing with a return customer (maybe someone who abandoned their cart), make it easy for them to identify themselves right off the bat. If they see items in their cart, they may revisit it and complete the purchase.

• Enticing imagery: Spicing up your homepage with evocative imagery and high-res pictures of products in action is a great way to welcome new visitors and get them shopping.

• Accepted payment methods: You should always give your shoppers as many ways to pay as possible. PayPal, for instance, has become a very popular method of payment. Display payment methods for customers that consider this a priority.