Every business should have a website. But, a poorly structured business website can result in the loss of a new lead or sale. People will judge your business based on its online home, and you don’t want your audience running away from yours, fearing how solid your business must be if you cannot get your website together.
And like any home, there are standard rooms we are familiar with and must-haves for an ideal home. In this case, we are talking about the pages you should have on your business website. So here are seven must-have website pages you should have on yours and tips on creating them.
Homepage
Think of the homepage as the facade of a house. It will either make people "oooh and aaaah," or question what is inside.
Like a house, if your homepage looks old and decrepit, no one will bother to venture through it. Instead, the person will leave your website, and you may never hear from them.
Think of your website as a house you are putting up on the market. Ideally, it should look nice enough to pique the interest of a potential buyer for a walk-through. So, when it comes to your website, think about it from the buyer's perspective. You should make sure everything looks nice and modern and that your content has been well written. You want to make the first impression count.
Your homepage should also make it clear to a visitor:
That they are in the right place because your website is branded
Who you serve, because you've articulated this in your content
What you do/how you help people, because what you do matters
What they should do next because your website is like a sales funnel
To point number four, calls-to-action (CTAs) should be obvious, especially how to contact you. And you should make all the above clear without cluttering your homepage. Do this by making sure that there's plenty of whitespace and balance between your design elements when it comes to your website’s homepage design.
It’s better to be minimalistic than to go overboard and lose visitors with your "creativity." Unless you're a website designer or have a creative eye, keep your website design simple, or reach out to a company like VCM Strategies for help.
About Page
Regarding your website’s about page, try your best not to boast about how your brand, or you, are so amazing. Instead, this page is your opportunity to make an emotional connection with a prospect. You want to share your brand story, values, position, and promise.
For example, I created a brand story for a client who was not afraid to be honest. Her story connected with so many people. She acquired business just from people inspired by her story and the impact she aimed to achieve.
You can use your about page to humanize your business, too. The about page is where your brand archetype should shine the most. You also want to let people know what about you or your brand makes you qualified to help them. I've even seen some companies express who they do and do not work with.
Then, after you tell your story and more, let people know whose part of your company and their credentials. Of course, people will always want to know who they are thinking of doing business with. And this information above will help your brand differentiate itself from others, as you or your team's experience will always be unique and help differentiate.
Lastly, don't forget to include a way for a prospect to contact you on this page. If they've made it this far, they are likely looking to engage with you.
Services/Digital Product Page
If you have a service business, you're either selling services or digital products. It would be best if you let people know what your services or products are on your website. A service or digital product page is where you are looking to convert a visitor to a new lead or buyer.
When crafting your service or digital product descriptions, sell the benefits. Sell the result. Sell people on the transformation they will experience after doing business with you. Remember, you are providing a solution(s) to a problem(s). And if you have a lot of information about a digital product or service, don't cram all the information onto one page.
Instead, create a page for each digital product or service (if you can afford it, sometimes you can only afford a long-form, one-page website if you hire a designer). The more information, the closer you move visitors to an informed next step. Tell more, sell more. Also, transparency creates trust. Doing this is also great for SEO.
And with this page or pages, don't forget to include CTAs in a few different places. A person shouldn't have to reach the bottom of your pages before asking them to contact you or take some sort of action.
Blog Page
But before you start blogging, remember that you are strapped for time. You need to have a strategic approach to the content you create to make these entries count. Start by opening up a notepad (digital or not) and write or type out:
The purpose of your blog
The voice your blog posts will have
Who are you writing your blog posts for
Topics your blog will cover based on why a visitor would be on your website in the first place
Once you are clear about your blog's direction, you want to start writing some quality content. Take your time. Quality is more important than length. Make sure your posts are thoughtful and that they offer information your readers will value. Try your best not to hard-sell your services or digital products in blog posts. Instead, it is best to use your blog posts to:
Educate people on your service processes
Share case studies
Position you as an authority in your niche
Improve your Google search ranking
Talk to your visitors about a particular topic
Offer solutions to their problems
Drive free traffic to your website, which means more potential clients
Share your expertise and position yourself as a go-to resource and trusted advisor
Grow your email list by offering gated, free resources
Contact Page
As a business owner, there’s nothing more important than having someone contact you for your services. So, make sure you have a page dedicated to this. Your contact page should list your:
Social media accounts
Email address
Business hours
Physical address (if applicable) or at least where you're located
Or, you can simply use a contact form or link to your calendar and allow people to put time on your calendar. You can do this by using services like Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, or Appointlet.
Providing many options for how you can be reached is ideal because everyone has their preference. You also want to let those who contact you know how soon you will respond to them.
What about FAQs and Testimonials?
It is best to include the answers to what you would put in the FAQ section on the pages they pertain to. Then, you can elaborate more on what you say on each page or prompt people to click on a text link to learn more. Once they click the link, provide the person with the answer to the common question right there. Convenience is everything!
As for testimonials, add them to website pages where they are contextually relevant. If possible, the testimonial should include the person's picture. You can also use a video testimonial to establish trust and credibility.
Terms and Conditions Page
As a service provider, you should be quite familiar with legal documents. Terms and Conditions are one of those legal documents you should have on your website. The Terms and Conditions outline what people can do and not do with or on your website. For example, it would limit your liability if a client were to take you to court over something on your website.
It will also help to protect the rights to your website content. There are Terms and Conditions generators online you can find from a Google search. The other option would be to have an attorney create one for you. If anything, I'd at least have an attorney review the one you've generated if you did it yourself.
Privacy Policy Page
You need a Privacy Policy on your website if you want a site visitor to trust you. This policy lets visitors know how you plan to use the personal information you get from them.
You want to tell people if you plan to use their data for targeting, retargeting, email marketing, etc. You can go through the same steps to create a Privacy Policy that you would go through to make your Terms and Conditions.
In Summary
What is a website without key information visitors come to expect? It is an empty shell of missed opportunities to get new business leads, so you shouldn't overlook ensuring that every page of your website asks a person to take at least one action you desire from them. You don't want to provide information only but also encourage outreach.