WHAT PAGES SHOULD I HAVE ON MY WEBSITE?
This is a question I often get when working with new business owners. If you’re just getting ready to create your first website (or your old one needs an overhaul), you might be wondering what are the most essential pages that you need on your website.
While every business is unique, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to ensure a positive browsing experience for your potential customers.
Your main goal should be to keep your site clear and free of distracting or confusing elements. You want to give your visitors enough information about your business without overwhelming them with too many choices on your navigation menu.
There have been many studies done to prove that too many options leave a potential buyer confused rather than inspired to make a purchase. Therefore, instead of spending all their free time figuring out how to navigate a confusing website, most people will choose to leave and go somewhere else.
When someone enters a website, they should immediately know what it’s about. Your goal is to educate your client about your products or services and guide them to the page where they can learn more or make a purchase.
I will review below the essential pages you should have on your main navigation as well as other pages you should have on your website, but not linked to your main menu.
PAGES YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR MAIN NAVIGATION
HOMEPAGE – Your homepage is the first page people see when they visit your website, so you want to make sure you impress them right away.
You’ll need to include a tagline of some sort that tells the visitor immediately what your business is about. This should be right on your main banner above the fold.
Do some research about your ideal client and make sure to capture their attention with intriguing words and images. You’ll only have a few seconds to make that first impression, so make it count. Some studies even claim that you only have half a second to convince them to stay on your website!
Make sure your design is professional and give your visitors a short description of your offers. It’s important to highlight the benefits they’ll receive from working with you or purchasing from you.
Pro tip: To make your navigation menu even simpler, don’t include the Homepage in there. Just link your logo to the homepage for easy access.
ABOUT PAGE – This is one of the most visited pages on every website, so you need to make sure to optimize it as best as possible.
People want to do business with people and this is where they can learn more about you and your business. They want to know who stands behind the brand, so be personal here. Gain their trust by providing your story, but don’t make this page all about you!
I know this is confusing, but your About page should actually be more about “them” than about you. Meaning, you want to highlight what your company can do for them at the top of the page, and then include personal information about you below.
Think of it this way, your customer will want to know what’s in it for them, and why they should buy from you.
SERVICES PAGE OR PRODUCTS PAGE (depending on what you offer) – Here is where you’ll need to create a page with compelling copy explaining why they should buy from you.
Explain your offers (whether they’re products or services) in as many details as possible, giving them all the information they need to make a well-informed decision.
You’ll want to really highlight all of the features and benefits on this page. If you have testimonials from other clients, this is a good place to include them as well.
PORTFOLIO PAGE OR TESTIMONIALS PAGE – If you’ve got any previous work to display, make sure it’s included in your main menu so that other potential clients can see it easily. This is how you can prove that you know how to do the thing that you’re selling!
If what you’re selling is products, try to always ask for reviews from your previous customers. By including a dedicated page to reviews or testimonials you’re demonstrating social proof that your stuff is good. This will help you establish trust.
BLOG PAGE – Your blog is your best marketing tool. Once you map out what your blog should be about and what topics to cover, you should post new content on a regular basis. It’s up to you to determine how often you want that to be, but the more often you do it, the better your site traffic will be.
Google gives priority to sites that are updated regularly, so by posting regular blogs, you’ll ensure that you get more organic traffic to your website. And what’s better than free, organic traffic?
Blogging will also help you build credibility and trust because you’ll show up as an expert in your industry if you cover the topics your audience wants to know more about.
OTHER PAGES YOU SHOULD HAVE ELSEWHERE
There are some other pages that are important to have on your website, but they don’t necessarily have to be on your main navigation bar. You can place links to these in your footer to keep the top of your site clear, but you still need to have them.
CONTACT PAGE – There must be a way for your potential clients to contact you. If they have questions and you don’t give them this option, you will lose them.
CUSTOM 404 PAGE – If a visitor stumbles on an old link that no longer exists, they will be taken to a standard “page not found” message and not to your site. So what you want to do is create a page that automatically takes them away from a broken link, giving them options to return to your site.
*See my exact tutorial on How to create a custom 404 page in Squarespace (and why you need it)
EVENTS PAGE – If you have events that you want your audience to know about.
RESOURCES PAGE – If you offer tools and resources that you want your audience to take advantage of.
PRIVACY NOTICE, TERMS & CONDITIONS + REFUND POLICY – These are pages that you must include on your page for legal purposes.
FAQ PAGE – If you receive a lot of frequently asked questions.
Now I want to hear from you! Is your website optimized with the most important pages? Did I miss something that you believe should be added? Comment below and let me know.