There are certain pages every website can’t be without. A small business’s site needs to give visitors what they are most likely to be looking for.
If you’re getting a website together for your small business or reinventing an existing site, take a look at the five essential pages every small business website needs. We include three other recommended pages as well.
Homepage
Your homepage is the virtual lobby of your business, the first thing people notice when they visit the site. It’s therefore vital that your homepage presents your business in a professional and engaging light. Make a great first impression!
As research from the Neilsen Norman Group highlights, you have less than 10 seconds to convey your value proposition. Get to the point about what your business is about. Keep words concise, punchy and compelling to hook visitors and get them to explore deeper into your site.
About Us
People (including business people) do business with other people. Customers like to know a bit about a business, its experiences, ethos and goals. An About Us page informs visitors of such information. Avoid making it too lengthy or dull - show your company’s human side and let potential customers see who’s behind the business. Pictures of the team in action help.
Products / Services
Depending on what type of business you have, you’ll want a Products page, a Services page, or perhaps both. List what you sell in an organized way, so that it’s clear to people. If you have a lot of different products or services, you might summarize them in logical categories, and link to more detailed pages about each product or service.
Images really help for products. Be detailed enough so that what you sell is clear to visitors. Also, by being clear in your language, you better optimize your pages for search engines and this means it will be easier to you find your site.
Contact
Why bother with a website if your visitors don’t know how to get in contact with you?
As well as providing essential contact information, including your email address, phone number and address, your contact page should encourage visitors to connect with your business on the social media channels you use as well.
If your business gets foot traffic, include directions and possibly a map. Many website platforms today make it easy to embed an interactive Google map so visitors don’t get lost. Be sure to include your hours of operation.
Testimonials
For small businesses, a testimonials page is your chance to let your business shine. It’s a good idea to put the name of the person with their perspective company alongside the testimonial to give the endorsement greater credibility and authenticity - rather than anonymous testimonials.
Video testimonials are really good, but simple text works too. Some businesses today also use apps that embed reviews from external sites, and those reviews may appear on a testimonials page or somewhere else in the site.
If you haven’t got any testimonials yet, now’s the time to start contacting satisfied clients and customers. Ask them right after you’ve provided your product or service when they’re satisfied and it’s fresh in their minds.
Once you are sure you’ve done a great job with the above five essential pages, here are three other recommended pages/sections to build out over time:
FAQs
Having a Frequently Asked Questions page on your website gives you the opportunity to answer common questions for customers so valuable time doesn’t have to be spent answering them over and over. FAQs can also allay customer objections. As Bourn Creative advises, always present the questions on your FAQ page in a positive light and answer the questions honestly.
Appointment Scheduling
Businesses that depend on consumer appointments (salons, pest control, car repair) may want to consider a page with a calendar to find an open slot and schedule the appointment online. More and more appointment scheduling apps are available to embed into websites. It’s a great convenience for customers, and companies can see an increase in customer registrations from these apps.
Blog
Finally, consider a blog on your website. Keeping it up-to-date with fresh and engaging content will ensure your business is portrayed as digitally-minded and can help you be seen as a leader in your field. A regularly updated blog can also work wonders for the search engine optimization (SEO) of your site, helping it to rank higher on the search engines.
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