Good question, and one that I get asked a lot by SME’s, so much so that here’s a little post about the standard pages every website should consider, with a brief overview of what those pages should contain. If you’re about to start writing content for your new website, you can use this as a checklist to help you get started.
Which pages do I need on my website?
Home Page
Sorry for stating the obvious but as the virtual front door to your business it’s imperative that this is neat and tidy. It’s your opportunity to tell potential clients who you are and what you do – more importantly what you can do for them! You have a matter of seconds to engage before the back button is hit and you’re history, so make your home page rock. Be sure to include your Unique Value Proposition and follow it up with a succinct explanation of your offering (products/services). Stick to the benefits – how are you helping them? Hit their pain point and you’re half way there.
About You/Your Business
Apart from being a staple web page, your ‘about‘ page is your opportunity to really put your business out there. Talk about your businesses experience and background, explain what you do better than other businesses in your niche. Show of any awards and include photos of you/your staff so that you can humanise your brand.
Related: How to write the perfect page
Products and/or Services You Provide
Be sure to include a well written but brief overview of your products before the images. Categorise them if needs be to make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
Same for your services. In both cases, include the benefits of your products/services, not just a list of feature descriptions. Always think about how what you offer can help your potential customer.
Portfolio/Showcase
This may or may not be applicable to you, depending on your business. If your business delivers something arty and creative, builds/renovates, or anything that provides an opportunity to showcase the result with strong imagery, then this is for you. Here’s what my web design portfolio looks like. It’s basically a show a tell. What you did, what the result was, how it helped your client.
Frequently Asked Questions
Look through your emails and think back to the conversations you have regularly with new customers. Write a list of the questions that are asked repeatedly. Start with the most basic and provide short, to the point responses to each question. You can include images and/or links to anywhere that helps explain in further detail. Be honest.
Blog/News/Articles
This is a long one so I’m not going to cover it here. But if you include a blog on your website (and you should) then be committed to it! Post regular, relevant content that’s useful to your target audience.
Client Feedback
Now this is just my opinion, but unless you’re dealing with B2B, I’d think carefully about adding testimonials. If you’re dealing with consumers, you may find it better to ask them to provide feedback on your social channels instead of your website. Why? Because anyone can write a testimonial from a mystery person and stick it on their site. Unless your feedback comes from a well known public figure or a business then it’s hard to prove the credibility. If someone leaves you a 5* review on facebook, that’s genuine – no arguments.
Contact Details
Think about how you want your new (and existing) customers to contact you. Make it ridiculously easy for them to get in touch. Don’t lose a customer because they can’t find your phone number!
You can also add links to any social networks here too.
Terms & Conditions/Privacy Policy
You’ll need the latter at a bare minimum. Tell people what you are doing with their data and let them know it’s in safe hands (make sure it is)! You should also include any other policies and procedures that are relevant to potential customers for your industry.
So which pages do I need on my website? Well, this list covers the basics, some websites need more, some need less, but get your thinking cap on get to work on the website pages that are relevant to your business. It’s not the same for everyone so get advice if you need it. You can also hire a professional copywriter if penning isn’t your thing.
Need help? Talk to us about your website content, we can help you with that.