Building a website can seem daunting if you’ve never done it before, especially if you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy. The first thing to figure out is what content your website needs. With the right website builder, it won’t be as hard as it sounds.
These are the essential pages that every complete website needs. Whether you’re a jewelry store, an independent artist, a doctor’s office, or anything else, these pages are important ingredients to your online success.
Every website should include:
Since it’s the first thing every visitor sees, the home page needs to make a good first impression. Start with a quick introduction of your business and the product or service you provide, then hit them with a call to action. This may be “shop now,” “schedule an appointment,” “learn more,” “create an account,” or any other action you want a new customer to take.
Let’s say your newest visitor is intrigued, but not ready to take action now that they know the basics about your business. An About Page is where you tell them your story. If you’re having trouble doing that, here are some questions to keep in mind as your write it:
People will remember a company that has a story that they can emotionally connect with. A strong, poignant narrative can set you apart from your competitors.
If you sell physical products, this is where you get into the nitty gritty of what exactly you offer with detailed information about the products you sell. A good product page typically includes:
Dividing your products into easily searchable categories will make the experience more user-friendly. For example, you rarely see a clothing company's website that doesn't split up shirts, pants, jackets, and shoes. Or a furniture company that doesn't split up furniture for the dining room, living room, and bedroom.
High quality photos that show off each product are essential for making sales.
Keep your descriptions short and concise. Highlight the features that distinguish this product from others like it and the benefits of using it. If you really need a longer description, feel free to link to one.
Putting your specials, deals, and promotions front and center will encourage bargain hunters to purchase your products and move inventory that needs to go now.
Clicking on each product should lead to a product page with a more detailed description, reviews, and a prominent “add to cart” button.
If you offer services, the general principle is the same as product pages, but some of the details of how it works are different. Make sure to include the following in your services page:
This might not be necessary for every service provider, but if you offer a wide range it would help the users to divide them up into categories.
Describe what the client gets with each service and why they should pick you over your competitors.
If you want to make sales, you need to show off your goods. A portfolio page is the place to do this. What you showcase will depend on the nature of your business.
Samples of the work you provide, whether they be visual, written, audio, or video are essential. Showcase your best work, but it's also important to show off your range with projects that are different from each other.
No matter what your business sells, a photo gallery will make your website pop. Photo galleries are not limited to showing off products. If you have a brick and mortar location, post some photos of the space to invite people to stop in. Photos of your team in action can reflect the hardworking, can-do attitude that keeps your business running. If you run a restaurant, post pictures of your food to get visitors’ mouths watering. For an artist, photos that highlight your creative process can drive viewers’ curiosity.
An essential part of succeeding online as a business is being easy to contact. An easily locatable contact page will do just that. Make sure to include the following:
It's also a good idea to include a contact form so visitors can email you with questions or to express interest in a service without leaving the website.
An FAQ page is a great way to engage your customers and cut down on the time and effort you spend on customer service. Some websites also call this a help center or a knowledge base. No matter what you call it, the purpose is to put the questions you're tired of answering in one place so the next customer can find the answer without asking.
To get started on this page, gather up the questions customers and prospective customers ask you frequently. Bonus points for ones that are not already answered elsewhere on your website. It may be sparse at first, especially if your current customer base is small, but that's all right. As more questions pour in, keep adding to the page. This way you'll never stop improving.
Social proof is a powerful asset for any company. In the age of Yelp, people rely on customer reviews for purchasing decisions more than ever. Business reviews are typically written by customers directly on the site or on sites like Yelp or Google My Business. Testimonials are typically longer and written by former clients by request. Both can and should be incorporated into your site.
Don’t be shy about asking former clients to provide testimonials for your website or asking customers to review their purchases. Someone else’s positive experience can be a powerful motivator for your next customer.
Any business should post updates and announcements on their social media accounts, but a record of them on the website makes them easy for you and your customers alike to keep track of. An announcements page allows customers to find any important updates on your business in one place. If you want to get advanced, you can also make an events calendar, but that’s not necessary for every business.
You're looking at a branded blog post right now. A blog for your business may sound extra, but in the age of search engine optimization and social media, it's a great way to spread the word to your target audience.
Blogging is a key part of any content marketing strategy. Not only do SEO-optimized blog posts bring new visitors to your website, but writing informative material about topics that are relevant to your industry establishes you as an authority in your field.
Blog posts are also useful for beefing up your social media calendar because they're easy to post to any platform and easy for readers to share.
Here are the policies that everyone needs to include on their website:
These are the rules and guidelines for using your products and services. This page typically also includes an explanation of how your product or service functions, which country and/or state's laws govern your business, and any relevant copyright information.
A privacy policy informs users what you will do with the information they give you. Whether your site collects credit card information, email addresses, phone numbers, or cookies from users, ease their concerns upfront. In it, you must state what data you collect, what it is used for, and whether or not you will sell it to third parties. You must strictly adhere to the policy you set.
Give your customers peace of mind by providing a return or refund policy that is easy to find and easy to understand.
Before you go live, you should have a lawyer look over your policies.
Here are a few website pages that aren't necessary for every small business, but are good to have if they are relevant to you:
If you want to find talent and grow your team, this is a necessary page to have. Be sure to include a concise description of every position, your mission statement, and highlight why they should work for you.
A photo and short bio of everyone on your staff can give your customers a look behind the scenes and add a personal touch to your website.
Include any press coverage of your business and ways the media can contact you.
Allow visitors to keep track of sales, shows, changes to hours, special events, and anything else time and event-based that is relevant to your products and services.
If you are paid to promote other products on your site, you are required by law to disclose that information to visitors of your site. This applies to affiliate links, sponsorships, endorsements, et cetera.
This is a great way to get feedback from your customers.
If you've ever used the internet, you've seen an error:404 page. However, you may not know that you can customize them, which sets it to lead back to your homepage and give it a little on-brand personality.
All Sav websites come with unlimited storage, a free SSL certificate, mobile friendly optimization, SEO optimization, and Google Analytics integration. All websites can also connect to a custom domain from our world-class domain marketplace.
All Sav website builder customers can take advantage of great ecommerce features including - but not limited to - 40+ payment methods, multi-currency support, real-time order and shipment tracking, and automated advertising with Google Shopping.
Sav’s straightforward pricing and user-friendly interface, make it easy to choose a website builder plan that meets your needs and budget. With a successful website, your business will grow in ways you never imagined in no time. What are you waiting for? Get started today!