Website Improvements Journey - Homepage Overhaul
- Amanda
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Welcome back to the Creative Muse Handmade journal! In this installment, I’m sharing the process of updating my homepage layout—a task that took a few days, quite a bit of fiddling, and more than a few cups of tea... but I genuinely loved every moment.
When I asked ChatGPT for help with homepage improvements, it didn’t just give me a list of ideas—it also offered to create a wireframe and a visual sketch to help me better picture the changes. These were such helpful starting points, especially since I'm a visual thinker.
The Hero Banner: A Fresh First Impression
The first major update was the hero banner—that all-important visual at the very top of the homepage. This section needed to feel welcoming, relevant, and clearly show what my store is all about.
ChatGPT’s suggestion:
Use a high-quality kitchen-style image featuring my Thermomix cover.
Overlay text with a bold heading and smaller subtext.
Add a clear CTA (Call to Action) button linking to the Thermomix Covers collection.
I had a lot of fun creating this banner in Canva, and here's how it turned out:
It’s worth noting that since completing this first round of improvements, I’ve since updated the banner even further—replacing the static image with a slider for a more dynamic, engaging experience.
Collections Gallery
Next, ChatGPT recommended adding three clickable image blocks for popular categories. But once I got started, I had a better idea—I created a sliding gallery showcasing all eight handmade collections that I plan to build out over time.
If I didn’t have suitable product photos, I used ChatGPT to help me write prompts for Photoroom to generate placeholder images. For example, I asked:
“Create me a prompt to generate an image of bright-coloured makeup pouches on a table with a light background and some earrings in the foreground.”
And here’s the prompt ChatGPT gave back:
A collection of bright-coloured makeup pouches—pink, turquoise, mustard, and coral—neatly arranged on a light wooden or white table. The background is soft and minimal, with natural light casting gentle shadows. In the foreground, a few pairs of stylish earrings (gold hoops, colourful studs, and tassel designs) are artfully placed to add visual interest. The overall vibe is fresh, modern, and inviting.
After a few tweaks, here’s what I ended up with from Photoroom:
I then used Canva to bring everything together into a cohesive set of collection images:
Other Homepage Adjustments
Best Sellers Section: ChatGPT suggested a "Best Sellers" block, but since most of my products are one-of-a-kind, I decided to keep the New Arrivals section instead.
Subscribe Now: I moved the newsletter sign-up higher up the homepage, placing it above the feature sections to encourage more visibility and sign-ups.
Journal Entries: I also added a section to highlight my blog posts (including this one!), so readers can explore my small business journey right from the homepage.
Instagram Feed & Feature Blocks: These stayed right where they were—they still work well and add personality.
What I Didn’t Do
I’m still not quite at the stage of hiring a professional photographer, so for now I’m relying on my own basic photography skills with a little help from PhotoRoom and Canva. It’s not perfect, but it’s practical—and honestly, I’ve come to love the creative process of DIY design.
Final Touches for a Cohesive Look
Throughout the homepage, I’ve been applying consistent little design details to keep everything feeling warm, handmade, and cohesive:
Earthy tones, soft textures, and my signature cozy fonts
Subtle hover effects and gentle shadows
Plenty of white space and breathing room around elements
Next up: Footer Fixes In the next post, I’ll tackle the bottom of the site—because if the top makes the first impression, the footer’s what sticks around at the end. Thanks for following along, and I hope these behind-the-scenes glimpses inspire your own creative projects!
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