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The 7
Essential Web Pages of a Business Website
The 4 essential basic web pages
1) Homepage
A homepage has to give visitors a snapshot of who
you are and what visitors can do on your website. Ideally, the main body of the
homepage should not be more than 350 words, with the rest of the content devoted
to teasers of your products and services page(s) and your sticky pages, such as
customer stories, news stories, and informational articles.
2) "About us" page
The "about us" page should give information on
your company to visitors who are interested in knowing more about the people
behind your products, services, and cool website: your staff, your history, your
mission, and your organizational structure. A lot of small businesses make the
mistake of putting this information on the homepage. In reality, most people
just aren't interested in you, just what you have to offer, which is why the
homepage should be devoted to what you have to offer the visitor. But this
"about us" information is still important to have for those prospective
customers who want to dig deeper before making a decision. Such customers look
for an "about us" page to tell them what they need to know.
3) FAQ (frequently asked questions page)
A FAQ is a chance for
you to address potential customers' concerns so they are more comfortable
ordering. Of course, as your business grows, you may also want to create a FAQ
with help information for returning visitors and customers, to cut down on
support requests and to provide information even when you're closed. However, it
is always important to make sure you keep your FAQ for potential customers
separate, and make it the most prominent on your homepage. You don't want your
potential customers to be getting an eyeful of everything that could possibly go
wrong with your product or service.
4) Products and/or services page
Your site needs at least
one page that sums up what products and services you offer, with important
details about each one. Each product or service description can link to a page
that has a more complete description about it. If you have two or more
well-defined groups of products or services, you may want to give each group a
separate page; for instance, UpMarket has a "content" page, "online copywriting
services" page, and an "internet marketing services" page. If you have a
shopping cart or catalog, you may not need a products and services page. Still,
an overview of what you have to offer can always be useful for visitors who want
to learn more about what you have to offer, especially if your assortment is
subject to change.
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Essential "sticky" pages
The pages are called
"sticky" because they get visitors to read and therefore "stick" to your site.
Every business website needs at least one each, but preferably more. Without
anything to read, a visitor who needs a few minutes to decide might decide to
think about it while looking at a different web page--and once they've left your
site, they may never come back.
1) Customer stories (a.k.a. case studies)
Explaining what you've done for one or two of your best customers is a great way
to communicate what you do. You should incorporate testimonial quotations on
these pages. You can also have another page just of testimonials from your
customers, but a list of compliments is no substitute for explaining what you
really do for your customers.
2) Informational articles (a.k.a. whitepapers)
Your customers and
potential customers will appreciate getting more general information about the
field or industry of your business, and tips and tricks for using your products
or services. Plus, publishing articles on a subject makes you an authority. An
added benefit is that you can distribute these articles for other websites to
publish in exchange for a link to your website--a great way to build your
reputation and build up links to your site.
3) News stories (a.k.a. press releases)
When you have a new
product or service, or even if you've just re-launched your website, you need to
announce it to the world. Putting a link to your news story or press release is
a great way to announce the new developments in your business to your customers
and returning visitors. Plus, by distributing your press release to other
websites and web press release clearinghouses, you can build links back to your
website.
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