Web pages must get to the point quickly. The average web-surfer spends less than 40 seconds looking at the average page. When you write your page, write it from the point of view of the average web surfer. If you do that, you can see that organization of the page is paramount.
Imagine you are a bicycle shop. Your main page must have a featured bike on it, and that must change at least monthly. If it never changes, customers will start ignoring your whole main page. Along with the featured bike, you should show items that a person who bought that bike would need. For instance, with a new bike, a person might need an air pump, that mounts on the bike. Show one air pump, not 10. The pump you show should match the bike in price point and style. Make it the one that you as a bike expert would get when you bought this bike.
What else does the new owner of this marvelous bike need? They probably need a bike helmet. Feature just one helmet, that matches in color, style and price. A person who just spent $8,000 on a bike ought to have a $500 top-of-the-line helmet. This page is your place to show your expertise, make the page a unified package. If they want other options, they will start ckicking around your site and find them, so of course the navigation on your site must be clear and simple.
Presuming the bew buyer wants a mountain bike, and the featured bike on the front cover was not in that category. Follow this model to the overview page of your site that show:
All categories of bikes by category: Racing bike, crossover, mountain bike, and so on. This page helps the buyer choose a category.
The next page should let them choose the size of the bike frame, so it fits them. Here you explain how to size a bike frame to a rider and quick picks by size for people who already know their frame size.
The next page type in the site shows all of the bikes in the specific category, "Mountain Bike," that are available in the frame size the buyer needs. Resist the impulse to help them keep their options open. It is your responsibility to de-clutter their view. Sort the page by the next logical taxonomy, for instance price, from highest to lowest. The default view from highest to lowest uses human nature. People generally want to get the best item they can afford. If their secret internal price point is $2500, you are distracting them by making them wade through the many $500 dollar bikes you sell. Let them see the best - first.
Then make it easy to buy the bike and accessories they will need. When they click on the bike they want, that page should be set up just like the front page, with price and style-matched accessories. Human nature, again. It is human nature to appreciate the one stop shop, so people will usually choose the set you designate, rather than hunting around for a la carte items.
Then make the shopping cart simple to use, with a help-line in case they want to call and order over the phone.
This "Think like the buyer" construction will speed up each sale, showing respect for your customer's time. This will also reduce the number of abandoned carts and non-purchase surfing.
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