Wondering which pages should be on your website? Well, there are certain ones that every website should have.

Today I’m going to go over these pages, in the order that is most commonly used by websites (as you see them going across [or down] their main menus).

Let’s take a look at what the 6 pages are by looking at a typical menu.

Now let’s discuss a bit about each one, and what they should contain.

Home page

The home page is the page visitors first see when they visit your site. It’s the starting point.

Here is an example of a typical home page.

Since the company sells products, their menu lists shop instead of services. You could also use the word products instead, or another word that makes it clear what the page is about. For example, if you sell bicycles, you could use bicycles.

You’ll notice the homepage is quite simple.

It includes:

·         A main menu
·         A statement about what the company is about (one-stop shop etc.)
·         A call-to-action button (“shop online”)

Some home pages stop there. Others have more information if you scroll down. I used to prefer keeping my homepage simple, with any extra information on separate pages (contact us, privacy, blog, etc). But with the rise of smart phones, more people are used to scrolling down. So now I do both—I have a menu for those who prefer to navigate that way, and I also have the information lower down on the homepage, for phone users who prefer to scroll down.

The example above is clean, simple, and it’s obvious what the visitor’s options are. Note that those options are limited. You don’t want to overwhelm visitors with too many choices. In our example, they have only six.

·         Go to one of the 5 other pages (the pages that are other than the home page)
·         Click the “shop online” button

Services/Products

This is the page your visitors go to buy from you. The title of this page has more variation than the others. If you offer services, you could name this page “services”, “work with us”, “how we help” etc. If you sell products, you could name this page Products, Shop, or, if you sell only one type of item, let’s say books, you could name it Books or Buy books, etc.

I’m not going to go into too much detail about what goes on the service/products page, because there is SO much to discuss. (But watch for future blog posts on the topic.)

About page

The about page gives you an opportunity to sell yourself to your visitors. You want to showcase who you are and what your business is about. You want to use this page to give visitors insight into what you can offer them and the skills you bring to the table. Give them a glimpse of your personality and what your business is about.

Blog page

People often think a blog is a place for people with a bent for writing to post their thoughts. But a blog is so much more, and your business needs one.

Yes, there are some people who blog because they like to. But from a business point of view, it’s a way to win customers. It’s one of the main tools you have for turning website visitors into customers. Think of it as a resource library—a place where your potential customers can go to learn more about your services, how you solve problems, etc. In fact, you could call this page resources if you prefer, and list some helpful articles or information.

By reading your blog regularly, visitors get to know and trust you, and that makes them more likely to buy from you. Because they’ve been reading your blog, they feel like they already know you. They know how knowledgeable you are, how helpful you are, and that you have years of experience.

So, when they are ready to buy, they will most likely think of you, rather than one of your competitors. It really is a must have marketing tool.

Privacy Page

There are so many countries that have privacy laws now that your website really must have a privacy page that outlines your business’ privacy policies.

Your privacy page should outline several things.

·         How you protect your customers’ information (name, email address, credit card numbers, etc.)
·         What you do with your customers’ information (e.g. use it to contact them, use it to send them marketing/promotional materials)
·         What types of information your website collects (name, address, which pages visited)
·         What types of apps/cookies your website uses to collect information about the visitor (which pages visited, time of day visited, etc.)

By having a privacy page, potential customers are far more likely to trust you. It helps show that you take their privacy seriously.

Contact

Sometimes your visitors want to contact you, so you want to make it easy for them to do so. Most people will look for a contact link in your main menu. Some look for it at the bottom of your home page, so you might also want to put it there.

What goes on a contact page depends a bit on the type of business you have. If you are a restaurant, you would put your street address, phone number, and email address.

If your business operates solely online, or if you work from your home, you might want to leave the street address off.

Contact pages also usually have a contact form. That makes it very easy for visitors to send you a message. They don’t have to pick up the phone, or go into their email, they just have to fill out the form right there on your website.

You want to keep the number of fields in your contact form to a minimum. Keep it short and simple. Some businesses ask for just an email address (the less information you ask for, the more likely the person will be to complete the form).

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So those are the 6 pages you want to make sure your website has. It is the basic information that visitors expect. So don’t let them down!

Cheers,

Tim

Helping you engineer the business of you

The 6 pages your website needs