Home, About, Services, Reviews, Contact
Pages a Website Must Have
There are some website pages that are applicable to most websites. Make sure they are in place.
Home Page (all-encompassing at a glance landing page)
Despite the layout that is chosen (after all there are only an infinite number of ways a home page can be laid out right?), it is our take that there are a few standards (including the answering of basic questions) that the home page should meet. Here are just a few examples of landing pages and why they are so ingenious.
1 - The portion “above the fold” (bottom of the screen before scrolling down) usually contains a heading / sub-heading phrase that sums the who / what / why (see below) as well as a “call to action” button as part of the visual appeal.
2 - The content below this (a little bit of each of the below pages) must be both easy to find / digest as well as visually appealing. It must in brief answer who you are, what you do, and why your target customer must choose you over the competition.
3 - Below this is usually a sample of the testimonials / samples of work. More on that below.
I usually like to conclude this page with an additional paragraph if necessary (Google loves lots of content) as well as a link to the next page I think the user should visit to help aid in making a decision. The footer of course contains contact information.
The end idea is that enough information should be on this page that if none of the below pages existed, it would be enough to convert the visitor into a hot-lead. However, if they do exist, the basic rules of layout and design (balance of content with visual appeal) but be followed for each of the pages below. #LandingPages
About Page (Your Background, Your Experience, Your Passion)
Arguably the most important of these pages core pages, and yet the most difficult to put together effectively is the about us page. Here are some examples HubSpot thought effective.
You can go several different directions with the about page. It usually contains a vision and a mission. At its core, it should give more information on who you are as a company and who you are as a person representing the company. It can also contain a brief history of the company and give more insight as to how you got into the business. It can give some personal snippets of information on the individual team members within the company to make it more personable and relateable. Or you can give more background on what the customer can expect from you as they go through the purchasing process. Questions to ponder…
This crucial page of your website is your chance to showcase your passion for customer service (via a story) and expertise (via credentials) in what problems you can resolve - the reason you are in this business. Remember - its not really about you, its about your customer. Be personable, be real, be you. #AboutUs
Products & Services
The products / services page is ultimately where you hope the visitor goes to to learn more about what it is that is offered. Placing yourself in the seat of the site visitor, be sure to give enough information to aid in the making of a decision (including pricing) without overwhelming the reader.
If there are many services offered and a lot of information to offer on each service, perhaps consider a separate page for each service. After all, Google says content is king. This is good for search engine optimization as it gives Google addition content to index.
Word of caution - it is our take to only have 1 services page in the navigation and then from there, link to the additional pages for each individual service. #Products&Services
Testimonials, Gallery & Samples of Our Work
This is where you prove your value with satisfied customers and samples of your work. Just a small handful of testimonial text paragraphs should be enough and / or a few more samples of your work in the form of an image slideshow.
If you have links to other social media profiles that allow for online reviews, provide them as an “additional reviews here” link. If any are negative, be sure to address it professionally right away. See our post on “reputation management”. #Testimonials&Gallery
Contact Us
Basic contact information (email & phone) should of course be both in the header and footer but in addition, it is always a good idea to have a dedicated contact page. It can contain in paragraph format additional contact info (name, address, phone, fax, email, social media links, etc.).
In addition, it can contain a Google Map to the office location. This map can be embedded via html provided by the Google Maps url. For added optimization, choose the code that is attached to the Google Maps listing as oppose to simply the address.
1 more thing this page can have is a contact form. The form is used for communication in the advent an email program like Outlook is not available for use on the user’s desktop. As the population catches up to technology the possibility of this becomes less likely but you never know. Popular subjects include general query, contact request, order request, testimonial, general feedback, website feedback, link exchange, or other. Popular optional fields for the user to fill out include name, address, phone, email and comments.
Just be advised that the form depends on the host server supporting the php it uses to send the message. Part of this technology includes the use of a captcha question - something that must be manually completed for the message to be complete. This prevents internet robots from completing the form and sending spam (unwanted email). #ContactUs
Other
Other pages (depending on industry and purpose of website) include but are not limited to a links page, frequently asked questions, new & events and of course a Better Business Bureau approved privacy policy and / or legal terms of service agreement.
Then there is the blog. The purpose of a blog is to, on a regular basis, write additional content on subjects that are relevant to your industry and might be of interest to your target market. They can be general thoughts, tips and tricks, or an explanation of frequently asked questions you’ve received. It is the cornerstone of an effective content marketing & relevant link building strategy whereby an article is written and then shared among various social media and relevant news worthy websites thereby placing additional awareness of your existence and setting yourself to be a subject matter expert.
Rob Shurtleff
The Website Guy
Despite the layout that is chosen (after all there are only an infinite number of ways a home page can be laid out right?), it is our take that there are a few standards (including the answering of basic questions) that the home page should meet. Here are just a few examples of landing pages and why they are so ingenious.
1 - The portion “above the fold” (bottom of the screen before scrolling down) usually contains a heading / sub-heading phrase that sums the who / what / why (see below) as well as a “call to action” button as part of the visual appeal.
2 - The content below this (a little bit of each of the below pages) must be both easy to find / digest as well as visually appealing. It must in brief answer who you are, what you do, and why your target customer must choose you over the competition.
3 - Below this is usually a sample of the testimonials / samples of work. More on that below.
I usually like to conclude this page with an additional paragraph if necessary (Google loves lots of content) as well as a link to the next page I think the user should visit to help aid in making a decision. The footer of course contains contact information.
The end idea is that enough information should be on this page that if none of the below pages existed, it would be enough to convert the visitor into a hot-lead. However, if they do exist, the basic rules of layout and design (balance of content with visual appeal) but be followed for each of the pages below. #LandingPages
About Page (Your Background, Your Experience, Your Passion)
Arguably the most important of these pages core pages, and yet the most difficult to put together effectively is the about us page. Here are some examples HubSpot thought effective.
You can go several different directions with the about page. It usually contains a vision and a mission. At its core, it should give more information on who you are as a company and who you are as a person representing the company. It can also contain a brief history of the company and give more insight as to how you got into the business. It can give some personal snippets of information on the individual team members within the company to make it more personable and relateable. Or you can give more background on what the customer can expect from you as they go through the purchasing process. Questions to ponder…
This crucial page of your website is your chance to showcase your passion for customer service (via a story) and expertise (via credentials) in what problems you can resolve - the reason you are in this business. Remember - its not really about you, its about your customer. Be personable, be real, be you. #AboutUs
Products & Services
The products / services page is ultimately where you hope the visitor goes to to learn more about what it is that is offered. Placing yourself in the seat of the site visitor, be sure to give enough information to aid in the making of a decision (including pricing) without overwhelming the reader.
If there are many services offered and a lot of information to offer on each service, perhaps consider a separate page for each service. After all, Google says content is king. This is good for search engine optimization as it gives Google addition content to index.
Word of caution - it is our take to only have 1 services page in the navigation and then from there, link to the additional pages for each individual service. #Products&Services
Testimonials, Gallery & Samples of Our Work
This is where you prove your value with satisfied customers and samples of your work. Just a small handful of testimonial text paragraphs should be enough and / or a few more samples of your work in the form of an image slideshow.
If you have links to other social media profiles that allow for online reviews, provide them as an “additional reviews here” link. If any are negative, be sure to address it professionally right away. See our post on “reputation management”. #Testimonials&Gallery
Contact Us
Basic contact information (email & phone) should of course be both in the header and footer but in addition, it is always a good idea to have a dedicated contact page. It can contain in paragraph format additional contact info (name, address, phone, fax, email, social media links, etc.).
In addition, it can contain a Google Map to the office location. This map can be embedded via html provided by the Google Maps url. For added optimization, choose the code that is attached to the Google Maps listing as oppose to simply the address.
1 more thing this page can have is a contact form. The form is used for communication in the advent an email program like Outlook is not available for use on the user’s desktop. As the population catches up to technology the possibility of this becomes less likely but you never know. Popular subjects include general query, contact request, order request, testimonial, general feedback, website feedback, link exchange, or other. Popular optional fields for the user to fill out include name, address, phone, email and comments.
Just be advised that the form depends on the host server supporting the php it uses to send the message. Part of this technology includes the use of a captcha question - something that must be manually completed for the message to be complete. This prevents internet robots from completing the form and sending spam (unwanted email). #ContactUs
Other
Other pages (depending on industry and purpose of website) include but are not limited to a links page, frequently asked questions, new & events and of course a Better Business Bureau approved privacy policy and / or legal terms of service agreement.
Then there is the blog. The purpose of a blog is to, on a regular basis, write additional content on subjects that are relevant to your industry and might be of interest to your target market. They can be general thoughts, tips and tricks, or an explanation of frequently asked questions you’ve received. It is the cornerstone of an effective content marketing & relevant link building strategy whereby an article is written and then shared among various social media and relevant news worthy websites thereby placing additional awareness of your existence and setting yourself to be a subject matter expert.
Rob Shurtleff
The Website Guy
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