Your website is made up of pages and some are more important than others. This blog post will examine the 4 pages every website should have and then outline some additional pages you can add.
While every website is different, there are 4 pages every website should have and they are as follows:
- Home
- About
- Services
- Contact
For every page on your website, you’ll want to ask yourself two questions:
1. What is the visitor looking for?
One page can only deliver so much information so make sure you’re giving them the information they need to know. Remember less is more.
2. What is your goal for the visitor?
You need to ask the user to do something. This is where strategy comes in and also where most websites fall short. Every page needs a call to action. To find out more about CTA’s you can click here.
Now, let’s go through each of the pages every website should have and discuss the kind of information that should be included on them.
Home Page
This is the most important page of your website. It’s the equivalent of a store front.
This is where most visitors to your website will enter your site. They need to be able to read it very quickly (it must be scannable) to know who you are, what you do, and how you can help them so they can make a quick decision if they want to learn more.
Some visitors will never go past your home page. In fact, some will never even scroll down. So, that “above the fold” (the part visitors see without scrolling) is the most important section of your page.
To learn more about what makes an effective home page click here.
About Page
The most important thing to remember when it comes to the about page is that it is not about you; it’s about your potential client and what you can do for them.
It’s your opportunity to talk about you in terms of why someone should hire you. The about page should not be a lengthy bio with long paragraphs about your life. Instead, the about page should explain how you can help your ideal client.
It should also be where you share some personal information that will help visitors relate to you – your story. This page should be about your potential clients – How can you make their life easier? What problem do you solve for them? It should be scan-able and easy to read. And, it’s a good idea to include testimonials on this page.
To learn more about what makes an effective about page click here.
Services Page
Clearly state what service you offer and how it will help the visitor. Depending on your services, you may have one page or several pages.
You should explain the services you offer, a list with a bit more information about each service. You really want to explain the features of the service (what the client will get) but also highlight the benefits of the service (how it will help the client).
You’ll also want to consider if you’ll include pricing or not. Think about questions your clients would ask to solve their problem to find you – that’s what you want to answer on these pages. You can include an FAQ section on this page as well. It’s a good idea to include testimonials on this page too.
To learn more about what makes an effective services page click here.
Contact Page
This is how people will contact and reach out to you for more information. This is a good place to have your email address, phone number and social media links. A contact form is also a great idea for this page. You can go ahead and let visitors know what to expect about office hours and response time.
To learn more about what makes an effective about page click here.
Now that we’ve gone over the 4 pages every website should have, let’s take a look at some other pages you can include on your website.
Portfolio
This is where you can showcase your work. With portfolios, it’s important to think about quality over quantity. It’s a good idea to discuss your style here in general. And, you can also highlight specific projects on this page.
Blog
This is where you will showcase your expertise and create fresh content. You will need to name your blog and this should be something that relates to your business. There should be a brief description of the kinds of posts you will write about. You will need to come up with a list of categories and tags as that is how each individual blog post will be organized and searched for.
Resources
If you participate in any affiliate programs for tools you use in your business, a resources page is a good place to showcase them. This can be a helpful page for your potential clients.
Legal Policies
Which legal pages your website needs really depends on your business. But, at a minimum you probably need a privacy policy. If you collect any type of personal information, you are required to have one.
It tells your customers exactly what personal information you collect from them and what you do with it. A terms of use page explains the actions that are allowed and disallowed while using the website. It sets out the behaviors you expect from your visitors as well as what your visitors can expect from you. Having the right legal language can protect you and also help build trust.
I recommend Termageddon to all of my website clients. Termageddon offers a comprehensive solution for all the legal policies you need for your website. And, even better, they monitor the ever-changing laws and update those policies for you so you don’t have to. You can find out more about Termageddon by clicking here.
If you found this information on the pages every website should have helpful, I hope you’ll share it with others who may benefit from it using the links below.
If you’d like to start the conversation about working together, please fill out the client application form and I will be in touch to schedule a complimentary introductory call.
