Homepage audit guide
Homepage Footer and Policy Trust
The unglamorous footer links that make a new store feel safer to buy from.
Short answer
Homepage footer and policy trust means shoppers can quickly find basic answers about shipping, returns, contact, privacy, terms, and FAQs. These links are not exciting, but their absence can make a new store feel temporary or risky.
Why it matters
When shoppers hesitate, they often look for boring proof that the store is real. Missing policy and support links can create doubt before checkout, especially when the brand is unfamiliar or the product requires sizing, shipping, or return confidence.
What ReviewMyEcom checks
The free homepage audit does not judge this topic as a generic best practice. It looks for shopper-facing evidence on the public homepage:
- Whether essential support and policy links appear in the homepage footer.
- Whether an FAQ or policy page exists for common buyer questions.
- Whether shipping, returns, contact, privacy, and terms are easy to find.
- Whether policy reassurance appears before checkout when it matters to the buying decision.
First-party audit pattern
What reliable evidence looks like
A reliable policy finding checks visible footer and navigation links and, when possible, verifies that the destination is reachable. It should distinguish a missing shopper path from a page that exists but could not be opened by the automated browser.
- Visible link text and destination URLs are recorded.
- Reachability is verified separately from link presence.
- Blocked or challenged destinations produce limited evidence instead of a guaranteed failure.
Diagram
Footer trust map
A useful footer answers the questions shoppers ask when they are close to trusting you.
Can I reach someone?
Contact, support email, chat, or help center.
What if it goes wrong?
Shipping, returns, refunds, guarantees, and FAQ.
Is this store real?
Privacy, terms, company details, and consistent brand links.
Symptoms
- The footer has social icons but no support or policy links.
- Shipping and returns are only shown after checkout begins.
- There is no obvious contact path.
- FAQ content exists but is not linked from the homepage.
How to check it
- Scroll to the footer on mobile.
- Look for contact, shipping, returns or refunds, privacy, terms, and FAQ links.
- Open each link and confirm it leads to real, relevant content.
- Check whether product-specific objections are answered before checkout.
How to fix it
- Add the essential policy links to the footer.
- Write plain-language shipping and returns content, even if it is short.
- Add a contact page with a real support path.
- Link FAQ content from product-relevant sections when it answers buying objections.
Bad, better, best examples
Bad
Footer contains only Instagram, TikTok, and a newsletter form.
Better
Footer includes Contact, Shipping, Returns, Privacy, and Terms.
Best
Footer links plus a short FAQ section near product proof answering shipping time, returns, sizing, and guarantee.
Common mistakes
- Relying on Shopify default pages that are empty or unpublished.
- Putting policies only in checkout.
- Writing policy pages in legal language that does not answer shopper questions.
Questions merchants ask
Which policy links should an ecommerce footer include?
At minimum, include contact, shipping, returns or refunds, privacy, terms, and FAQ if you have one. Add sizing, warranty, or guarantee pages when relevant to the product.
Do policy links really affect conversion?
They can. Policy links reduce uncertainty for new shoppers, especially when shipping time, returns, sizing, or product use are likely objections.
Check whether your footer is creating doubt
Run the free homepage audit to see which trust and policy links are missing or hard to find.
Author and editorial note
Written from ReviewMyEcom footer and policy checks. Recommendations are based on visible link and reachability evidence.