This guide covers the home page template: what ships by default, which sections you can add, recommended layouts, and the trade-offs you should think about before adding more content.
Detailed settings for each section are covered in the section group documents: sections-hero-and-slideshow.md, sections-product-display.md, sections-content.md, sections-promotional.md, sections-structural.md, and sections-flexible.md.
What ships on the home page by default
When Fitcore is installed, the default preset ships the home page with twelve sections in the following order. You can reorder, remove, or add sections at any time from the theme editor.
| # | Section | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hero banner | Full-width image with heading, subheading, and up to two buttons. The first impression visitors see |
| 2 | Trust badges | A row of four configurable trust signals (icon, heading, text per badge). Set to overlap the hero by default |
| 3 | Image with text | Three feature blocks side by side, each with an image, heading, and text. Used to communicate brand values |
| 4 | Featured products tabs | A two-tab section showing two collections (for example "Bestsellers" and "New arrivals") with a tabbed interface |
| 5 | Featured product | A single product showcased prominently, with image gallery and add to cart button |
| 6 | Promotion grid | A large promotional banner plus two smaller promotion cards. Useful for sales, new collections, or campaign messaging |
| 7 | Rich text | A heading, body text, and two buttons. Use for brand story or call to action copy |
| 8 | Collection list | Up to four collection tiles. Customers click through to browse |
| 9 | Slideshow | A slideshow with multiple slides (default preset includes three). Each slide can be an image or a video, with overlay text and buttons |
| 10 | FAQ | Three frequently asked questions with collapsible answers |
| 11 | Featured collection | A horizontal product carousel from one collection. Column count is configured separately for desktop, tablet, and mobile |
| 12 | Newsletter | Email signup form |
Every section ships with placeholder content that demonstrates how the layout works. Replace the placeholders with your own content before launching.
Customize your home page
To edit the home page:
- In the Shopify admin, go to Online Store, Themes.
- Find Fitcore and click Customize. The theme editor opens on the home page.
- In the left sidebar, click on any section to open its settings.
- Make changes. The preview updates as you edit.
- Click Save in the top-right corner.
Reorder sections
In the left sidebar, drag any section up or down to reorder. The home page reflows automatically.
Hide a section without deleting it
In the section settings, look for the visibility toggle (some Shopify editor versions show an eye icon; others use a three-dot menu with a "Hide section" option). Toggling visibility off keeps the section in the template but hides it from the storefront. Useful for seasonal sections you want to bring back later.
If your editor does not show a visibility option, the alternative is to remove the section and add it back when needed.
Remove a section
Click the section, scroll to the bottom of its settings, and click Remove section. To restore it later, you will need to add it again from the section picker.
Add a new section
Scroll to the bottom of the section list in the left sidebar and click Add section. Pick from the available sections. The section is added at the bottom of the page; drag it to the position you want.
Sections available for the home page
Not every Fitcore section can be added to the home page. The following sections are available:
| Section | Purpose | Detailed coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Hero banner | Full-width promotional banner | sections-hero-and-slideshow.md |
| Slideshow | Multi-slide carousel | sections-hero-and-slideshow.md |
| Featured collection | Product grid from one collection | sections-product-display.md |
| Featured product | Single product showcase | sections-product-display.md |
| Featured products tabs | Two-tab collection display | sections-product-display.md |
| Recently viewed | Returns customers' previously viewed products | sections-product-display.md |
| Collection list | Up to four collection tiles | sections-product-display.md |
| Image with text | Image plus heading, text, and buttons | sections-content.md |
| Multicolumn | Two to four content columns | sections-content.md |
| Rich text | Heading, text, and buttons | sections-content.md |
| Text | Plain text block | sections-content.md |
| FAQ | Question and answer accordion | sections-content.md |
| Promotion grid | Banner plus promotion cards | sections-promotional.md |
| Trust badges | Trust signal row | sections-promotional.md |
| Newsletter | Email signup | sections-promotional.md |
| USP bar | Inline promotional strip | sections-promotional.md |
| Custom Liquid | Custom code or app insertion point | sections-flexible.md |
| Custom section | Container for composing layouts using theme blocks (text, image, button), with optional background image | sections-flexible.md |
| Group | Container for grouping sections with column or row layout controls | sections-flexible.md |
The Product recommendations section is product-page-only and cannot be added to the home page. Recently viewed is available on the home page and shows nothing for first-time visitors (it populates after a customer views products).
Recommended layouts by store type
The default order works for most active lifestyle merchants. The recommendations below are starting points; you can mix and match.
Conversion-focused (high-ticket fitness equipment, supplements)
- Hero banner with a single strong call to action
- Trust badges
- Featured product (your hero product)
- Featured collection (related products)
- Image with text (your brand story)
- FAQ (objection handling)
- Newsletter
Brand-focused (apparel, lifestyle)
- Slideshow (multiple lifestyle images)
- Image with text (brand values)
- Featured products tabs (Bestsellers, New arrivals)
- Promotion grid (current campaign)
- Collection list (shop by category)
- Rich text (closing brand statement)
- Newsletter
Catalog-focused (large catalog, frequent restocks)
- Hero banner
- Collection list (categories first)
- Featured products tabs (Bestsellers, New)
- Featured collection (sale items)
- Promotion grid
- Newsletter
How many sections is too many
Fitcore is built for performance, but section count and content weight still affect your home page load time. As a guideline:
| Section count | Load behavior | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 8 sections | Fast on all connections | Most stores |
| 9 to 12 sections | Fast on broadband, slightly slower on 3G | Stores with substantial content needs |
| 13 or more | Noticeable load delay on slow connections | Avoid unless every section earns its place |
Heavy sections (slideshow with multiple full-screen images, featured product with video, multiple featured collections) carry more weight than light sections (rich text, FAQ, newsletter). Three slideshows in one home page will be slow regardless of how performant the theme is.
Best practices
Lead with intent
The first thing visitors see (the hero banner or slideshow) should make it clear what your store sells and what you want them to do. Avoid generic photography; use images that show your products in use.
Use the trust badges section
The trust badges section ships in slot 2 by default and is set to overlap the hero. Trust signals immediately below the hero reduce bounce rate. Replace the placeholder badge text with claims you can substantiate (free shipping threshold, return window, payment security, customer service availability).
Limit slideshow length
A slideshow with more than three slides loses customer attention. Customers either watch all slides (rare) or stop reading after the first. Three is a sensible upper bound. The default preset includes three slides; you can add more or fewer.
Use one featured product, not many
The featured product section is for a single hero product. If you have multiple products to spotlight, use a featured collection or featured products tabs instead.
Keep promotional content seasonal
The promotion grid, USP bar, and slideshow are good places for seasonal campaigns. Update them when the campaign changes. Do not leave a Black Friday banner up in February.
Test on mobile
Most active lifestyle and wellness traffic comes from mobile. Preview your home page on a phone before publishing. Sections may stack differently than they appear on desktop. Long slideshows in particular can feel overwhelming on small screens.
How the home page interacts with markets and languages
If you have multiple Shopify Markets active:
- Hero banner, slideshow, and image with text headings and copy are translated through Shopify's translation system. Set up translations in Settings, Languages or with the Shopify Translate and Adapt app.
- Featured collection and featured products tabs use whichever collections you assign. To show different collections per market, configure separate collections in Shopify and either swap them per locale (with translation app integrations) or use the same collection across all markets.
- Prices in featured product and featured collection update automatically based on the customer's selected market and currency.
See markets-localization.md for the full localization workflow.
What to do next
| If you want to | Read |
|---|---|
| Set up your product pages | template-product.md |
| Set up your collection pages | template-collection.md |
| Configure the hero or slideshow | sections-hero-and-slideshow.md |
| Configure product display sections | sections-product-display.md |
| Add custom code to a section | sections-flexible.md |
End of home-page.md.