Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Why Put Your Shopify Store Under Construction?
- How To Put Your Shopify Store Under Construction
- Optimizing Your Shopify Store Under Construction
- Conclusion
- FAQ
Introduction
In the fast-paced world of eCommerce, making a great first impression with your Shopify store is crucial. However, there comes a time when every store needs a refresh or a complete overhaul to stay competitive and resonate with its audience. Whether you're revamping your website's design, updating your product line, or simply taking a short hiatus to recalibrate your business strategy, putting your Shopify store under construction is a strategic move. But how do you do this without alienating your existing customers or losing potential new ones? In this detailed guide, we'll explore how to effectively put your Shopify store under construction, ensuring that the process is smooth for both you and your visitors.
Why Put Your Shopify Store Under Construction?
Building Anticipation and Consumer Interest
A well-executed "Under Construction" phase can serve as a powerful marketing tool. By teasing new updates, you're building anticipation, which can translate into increased consumer interest and traffic upon your grand re-opening.
Conducting Seamless Updates
Updating your store without putting it in an under-construction mode can lead to broken pages or glitches that negatively affect the user experience. Setting your store to under construction allows for a smoother transition to new updates.
Maintaining SEO Rank
A sudden shutdown or sporadic availability can hurt your store's SEO ranking. By strategically placing your store under construction, you can maintain SEO efforts and ensure your site remains indexed by search engines.
How To Put Your Shopify Store Under Construction
Step 1: Planning Your Under Construction Phase
Before you dive into setting your store under construction, it's crucial to have a clear plan. Determine the duration of this phase and what message you want to communicate to your visitors. Consider offering a sneak peek of what's to come or providing an option for visitors to subscribe to updates.
Step 2: Using Shopify's Built-in Password Protection
Shopify offers a simple way to put your store under construction through its password protection feature. By enabling this option in your Shopify settings, you can restrict access to your site, only allowing entry to visitors with the password. This is particularly useful for making behind-the-scenes updates without completely going offline.
Customizing Your Password Page
To keep your brand visible and engage with visitors, customize your password page. Shopify allows you to edit the message, add your logo, and even integrate email subscription forms directly on this page. It's a golden opportunity to gather leads whilst updating your store.
Step 3: Leveraging Page Builder Apps
For a more tailored under-construction page, consider using page builder apps available on the Shopify App Store, such as EComposer or PageFly. These apps offer greater flexibility in designing your "Coming Soon" or "Under Construction" pages. You can add countdown timers, social media links, and detailed messages about what's in store for your audience.
Optimizing Your Shopify Store Under Construction
Engaging with Your Audience
Even during the construction phase, it's vital to keep the lines of communication open. Utilize social media platforms to update your followers on the progress, share sneak peeks, and even run promotions leading up to your re-launch.
Collecting Leads
An inviting under-construction page can serve as a lead generation tool. Encourage visitors to sign up for your newsletter for exclusive updates and special offers upon the store's reopening.
SEO Considerations
Ensure your under-construction page is optimized for SEO. Keep your meta titles and descriptions updated and consider adding blog content or landing pages that can be indexed by search engines during the construction phase.
Conclusion
Transforming your Shopify store's temporary downtime into a strategic advantage requires thoughtful planning and execution. By effectively communicating with your audience, maintaining SEO efforts, and leveraging Shopify's features and third-party apps, you can ensure that your store's under-construction phase sets the stage for a successful relaunch. Remember, the key is not just to update your store but to reignite interest and anticipation among your customers.
FAQ
Q: How long should I put my Shopify store under construction? A: The timeframe can vary depending on the extent of the updates. Plan meticulously to minimize downtime, typically aiming for a few days to a couple of weeks.
Q: Can I still make sales while my store is under construction? A: Yes, you can allow access to certain customers via password protection or set up a pre-order system on a landing page outside of your main store.
Q: Will putting my store under construction affect my SEO negatively? A: If done correctly, it shouldn't. Ensure that your under-construction page is SEO-friendly and that your site remains indexed during this period.
Q: How do I track engagement on my under-construction page? A: Utilize analytics tools to track visits to your under-construction page. If you're collecting email addresses, monitor the growth of your subscriber list as an indicator of engagement.
