Pages on a website

 

Every website consists of a number of pages, some essential and some optional.

The number of pages that your website will have completely depends on how

intricate your website is and what business need it fulfils – an informational page

listing your contact details will be quite small, whereas a content-rich online  marketing hub will be much more detailed.

Here are the three essential pages any website should have. Refer to chapter 3

for guidelines on creating the written content for your pages. It is a good idea to

name these pages as below, since these are the names web users expect to find and understand.

1. Home. Your home page, also called the index page, is the welcome page for

your website and the first thing that your visitors will see when they arrive.

Technically, this is the only page that your website must have (since it must

have at least one page and this will, by default, be the index page). Your

home page should serve as a roadmap to your most important content and

should guide new customers to the best parts of your website. Keep the page

clean and include a small amount of written content introducing your brand.

2. About. Your about page is the place where you describe your company and

state what your brand’s goals, origins and business principles are. Include

information that you think your customers would like to know, including your

proven experience, track record, awards and feedback from customers. Some

companies like to include a page with photos of their staff or managers,

especially if they run a service business or the people are well-known figures.

If it is relevant and interesting, write a short piece about the history of your

company. Note that this page is not used to describe the services or products

you offer, but is rather a little background on the company and what it is aiming to achieve.

3. Contact. Your contact page is vital because it provides your customer with the

means of reaching you and potentially entering into a commercial relationship

with you. Include the contact details you want your customers to use – if

you want them to visit your premises, provide your address (and maybe

even a map and GPS coordinates); if you prefer them to call or email, add

those details too. Note that you are expected to provide an email address

– since your customers have chosen to interact with you online, they need

an equivalent online contact medium. If you have a presence on any social

networks, include those details too. Finally, if you get many questions and

support queries, consider adding an online form that customers can fill out to

save them the hassle of constructing an email. Keep in mind that if you don’t

have a contact page, people won’t be able to get hold of you. Make it as easy

as possible for potential clients to connect with your business or brand.