How to Make Shopify Image Banners Clickable for Better Engagement

In the world of e-commerce, creating an engaging and user-friendly website is crucial for success. One common challenge Shopify store owners face is making image banners clickable, allowing customers to navigate directly to specific pages or collections. This guide will walk you through the process of making your Shopify image banners clickable, enhancing your store’s functionality and user experience.

Understanding Image Banners in Shopify

Before diving into the solution, it’s important to understand what image banners are and their role in your Shopify store.

What are Image Banners?

Image banners are large, eye-catching visuals typically placed at the top of a webpage or throughout a site to showcase products, promotions, or brand messages. In Shopify, these banners are often created using the Image Banner section in themes.

The Importance of Clickable Banners

Making your image banners clickable serves several purposes:

1. Improved navigation
2. Enhanced user experience
3. Increased engagement with promotional content

Common Challenges

Many Shopify store owners struggle with making their image banners clickable. The default settings in some themes don’t always provide an easy way to add links to these banners, leading to frustration and missed opportunities for engagement.

The Solution: Making Image Banners Clickable

After exploring various methods, we’ve found a reliable solution to make your Shopify image banners clickable. This method involves modifying your theme’s code and adding a new setting to the Image Banner section.

Step 1: Accessing Your Theme Files

To begin, you’ll need to access your theme files:

1. Log in to your Shopify admin panel
2. Navigate to “Online Store” > “Themes”
3. Find your current theme and click “Actions” > “Edit code”

Step 2: Modifying the Image Banner Liquid File

Once you’re in the theme editor, follow these steps:

1. Locate and open the image-banner.liquid file
2. Find the schema section at the bottom of the file
3. Add the following code within the settings array:

{
  "type": "url",
  "id": "image_link",
  "label": "Image Link"
}

This addition creates a new field in your theme customizer where you can input a URL for your image banner.

Step 3: Adding the Clickable Functionality

Now that we’ve added the link field, we need to make the banner actually clickable. In the same image-banner.liquid file, locate the main “ tag for the banner. It should look something like this:

<div id="Banner-{{ section.id }}" class="banner banner--{{ section.settings.image_height }}{% if section.settings.stack_images_on_mobile and section.settings.image != blank and section.settings.image_2 != blank %} banner--stacked{% endif %}{% if section.settings.adapt_height_first_image and section.settings.image != blank %} banner--adapt{% endif %}{% if section.settings.show_text_below %} banner--mobile-bottom{%- endif -%}{% if section.settings.show_text_box == false %} banner--desktop-transparent{% endif %}">

Add the following attributes to this “ tag:

onclick="location.href='{{ section.settings.image_link }}';" style="cursor: pointer;"

The final result should look like this:

<div id="Banner-{{ section.id }}" class="banner banner--{{ section.settings.image_height }}{% if section.settings.stack_images_on_mobile and section.settings.image != blank and section.settings.image_2 != blank %} banner--stacked{% endif %}{% if section.settings.adapt_height_first_image and section.settings.image != blank %} banner--adapt{% endif %}{% if section.settings.show_text_below %} banner--mobile-bottom{%- endif -%}{% if section.settings.show_text_box == false %} banner--desktop-transparent{% endif %}" onclick="location.href='{{ section.settings.image_link }}';" style="cursor: pointer;">

Step 4: Save and Test

After making these changes:

1. Save the image-banner.liquid file
2. Go to your theme customizer
3. Edit your image banner section
4. You should now see a new field called “Image Link”
5. Enter the desired URL and preview your changes

Customizing Your Clickable Banners

Now that your image banners are clickable, let’s explore some ways to optimize them for your store.

Choosing the Right Link Destinations

When deciding where your banners should link to, consider:

1. Product collections
2. Promotional pages
3. New arrivals or featured products

Designing Effective Banners

To make the most of your clickable banners:

1. Use high-quality images
2. Include clear call-to-actions
3. Ensure text is readable on the banner image

Tracking Banner Performance

Monitor the effectiveness of your clickable banners by:

1. Using Shopify’s built-in analytics
2. Setting up Google Analytics events
3. A/B testing different banner designs and link destinations

Troubleshooting Common Issues

While implementing clickable image banners, you might encounter some challenges. Here are solutions to common problems:

Banner Not Clickable

If your banner isn’t clickable after following the steps above:

1. Double-check your liquid file for any typos
2. Ensure you’ve entered a valid URL in the Image Link field
3. Clear your browser cache and try again

Link Not Working on Mobile

If the link works on desktop but not on mobile:

1. Check your theme’s mobile responsiveness settings
2. Ensure the clickable area is large enough for touch screens

Multiple Banners Linking to the Same URL

If all your banners are linking to the same URL:

1. Make sure you’re editing the correct banner in the theme customizer
2. Check if your theme has multiple image banner sections and update each accordingly

Conclusion

Making your Shopify image banners clickable is a powerful way to enhance your store’s user experience and drive engagement. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily implement this feature and start reaping the benefits of more interactive, navigable banners. Remember to regularly test and optimize your banners to ensure they’re effectively serving your store’s goals and your customers’ needs.