Are you struggling to write the content of your new website? Unsure what to include?
Your website is your virtual shop front and done right, should help you convert browsers into buyers. And while the design of your site is a huge part of that, having the right content is vital.
In an ideal world, you’d work with a fab copywriter; someone who just gets you and can write content that sounds like the best version of you and gives you a super high conversion rate.
But like with so many other areas of your business, you’re putting on your copywriter hat and doing it yourself. So what should you include?
Your business is unique, so what you need from your website will be different to what other businesses need. Some need a portfolio page, while others need an FAQs page. It really does vary. But there are several pages that every website should have. They cover the basic and vital info that your readers and potential customers need to know.
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Here are the 4 essential pages your website needs:
1. Homepage
While people may enter your site through any page – or blog post – your homepage is one of the most visited pages on your site, so think of it as an important landing page.
It should give people a short introduction to you and your products or services. And offer ways to lead readers further through your site.
People decide very quickly whether they like your site. You only have a few seconds to convince people to hang around, so make them count.
The first thing they should see is a headline that makes it clear what you do or sell and who you do it for. So potential customers know they’re in the right place.
Should your blog be your homepage?
Only if the sole purpose of your site is a blog.
If at any point you’re planning to sell products or services, create a homepage to introduce people to your business and put your blog posts on a separate page.
2. About Page
Next is your about page. Only, it isn’t about you.
It’s actually about your clients. Or more specifically, showing how you can help them.
Start by demonstrating that you understand the problem/s they’re facing, then introduce yourself and your expertise to show that you’re the right person to help them.
Nikki Elledge Brown has a brilliant about page recipe that makes it super easy to put together a great about page.
3. Services or Products Page
Next you need to tell people how they can buy from you. Because, y’know, having actual paying customers is awesome.
If you only have a couple of services or products, you can make this one sales page.
Or you could separate them out into individual sales pages, one per service or product. This gives you more scope to write some more in depth copy about each one. And you can also get super specific with your SEO for each one this way.
Make sure you write about the benefits of your services or products, rather than just the features. Focusing on the benefits shows people why they want your stuff. Like, instead of simply telling people I’m building them a WordPress website, I’d say they’re getting a site that’s easy for them to update, without touching any code.
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4. Contact Page
Finally, you need a contact page. You’ve gotta give people a way to get in touch if they have questions or want to arrange a consultation and hopefully become clients.
It’s good to include multiple ways of contacting you as some people prefer getting on the phone, while other would rather email you.
A contact form is also a good idea.
This can be a simple form, just asking for their name, email and message. Or you can add more options if you’d like to gather more info.
Don’t ask for more info than is actually necessary though, as the simpler the form, the more enquiries you’re likely to get.
If you’d like to ask a lot of questions to pre-screen potential clients and start automating the onboarding process, you could create a separate ‘work with me’ form for potential clients. This is something I’ve opted for: clients fill in my ‘hire me’ form, which includes quite a few questions. This way I know if their needs match up with my services, prices and availability before we set up a consultation. And other enquiries go through a simpler contact form.
A solid foundation
Chances are, at some point your website will need other pages besides these ones. For example, testimonials or case studies, FAQs, or a portfolio or gallery. But these 4 essential pages will give your site a solid foundation you can build on. And as your business grows you can add on these other pages as and when you need them.
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