«What pages should my website have?» This is one of the questions we often get from our clients and colleagues. Our answer would vary, as every business is unique and each one would need something that looks different and consistent with the brand.
However, there’s this one factor we consider most when it comes to website design, and surprisingly the thing most business owners tend to forget: your customers’ (or potential customers’) expectations. Your visitors would want to know where to find the information they need from your website fast and with fewer interruptions.
So putting customer preference first, we have compiled 7 most common pages you need to have on your website and some tips on what information you can include to hook your visitors to your website.
Homepage
Generally, every website has to have a homepage. This is the first thing your customers will see, and therefore it should be able to tell them—in as fewer words as possible—what your business is all about. Just looking at your homepage will tell them if you have the solution they seek or if they should hit the X button. Studies show that you have 6 to 8 seconds to persuade people to stay on your page, so it should be designed well and professionally, and ultimately, it should load fast.
About Page
Your customers would want to know whom they’re doing business with. The About page of your website is your opportunity to introduce yourself and the people behind your business.
Here are some of the questions you need to answer:
- What’s your company’s story?
- Who owns the business?
- What makes your products or services different from your competition?
- Who are your customers?
Services or Products Page
Think of this part of your website as an online brochure. Most of your visitors are on your website for this page alone, because they are looking for a solution to their problem and want to find out if you can help them. Here’s what you need to include on this page:
- A summary of your products or services
- If you have an extensive list, divide them into sections or separate pages and give detailed descriptions for each. This way, you can promote each of your offerings.
- Benefits of using your products or services and how they are different from competitors.
Clients / Portfolio Page
Would you buy from a business without seeing any examples of what they did or sold? Providing examples of the work you’ve previously done is a great way of converting visitors into customers. This could be in the form of case studies for your clients, describing the brief, challenges and outcomes you had.
Or if you work within the creative industry, then a portfolio page may be more suited. Usually, this will be very visual, consisting of mostly photos that would detail each case when navigated through. Again it’s good to explain the challenges and outcomes so visitors can relate to their own requirements.
Blog
Not everyone who visits your website would be ready to buy. They could just be gathering information or researching about you. A blog is a great way to start a conversation with a prospective customer. It requires no obligation on their part and they could learn more about you and what you do for some time until they are finally ready to take the relationship further.
A great blog can position you as an authority in your niche, rank you high in Google search and can drive traffic to your website, eventually leading to higher conversion rates. So it’s important to take time to write high quality content on your blog, those that offer value and insight to your readers.
Contact page
Place contact details in as many places as possible. Make it easy for your customers to contact you. Create a special “Contact Us” page, include your details in “About Us” page and also at the bottom of each page. Information to include: business name, physical address, mailing address, telephone, email, emergency number, website address, Skype address, and social media profile links.
Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions
With data protection regulations becoming more stringent, a privacy policy is a must-have page on any website. It needs to outline what data you collect from visitors to your site and how it is shared, stored, and processed. It’s also important to let site users know how they can obtain a copy of all the data that your website collects from them.
Just as important as a privacy policy page is a terms & conditions page. This page will explain the rules that visitors must abide by when using your website. You will want to include how your website functions and the rules and guidelines underlying its use. It should also include information on which country’s law governs the agreement, an intellectual property disclosure or copyright laws in place, and a clause explaining that you’re not responsible for any links to third parties.