5 Essential Pages for Your Website & More
Today, a website is essential for every business. People want instant access to information and having a website allows you to provide them with what they are looking for. While building a website can seem like a daunting task, in this article we will give you the best tips and tricks for building your website.?
Essential Pages for a Website
First, we will talk about the essential pages that every website needs to ensure their success. These pages are:
Home Page
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.
About Page
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. Here are some questions to keep in mind as you write your about section:
People will remember a company that has a story that they can emotionally connect with. A strong narrative can set you apart from your competitors.
Products or Services Page
If you sell physical products, the product page 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 product categories, photos of each product, product descriptions, and product deals.
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 service categories and descriptions in your service page.
Portfolio and/or Photo Gallery
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 also showcase a wide range of work.
A photo gallery is another way to 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.
Contact Page
An essential part of succeeding online as a business is being easy to contact. An easy to locate contact page will do just that. Make sure to include the following:
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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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Don't Forget User Experience
Along with including these essential pages, you also need to keep in mind user experience. It’s essential that when being on your site, the process is seamless. No user wants to scroll endlessly, have slow loading times, or interact with any aspect that’s going to make it difficult to be on your brand’s site. Use these tips to improve user experience and retain more of your customers.
The most important part of user experience is making sure your website is easy to use. Have a layout that anyone can understand. Don’t make finding crucial information on your site a scavenger hunt for your customers. While it’s important to make your website stand out among the competition, there are other ways to do this. Follow an easy-to-use website layout so your website visitors have a seamless experience.
2. Mobile Friendly
We are on our phones constantly. You might even be on yours right now. It’s crucial when building out your website that it’s optimized for both desktop and mobile platforms. Having the wrong size images or text on a phone doesn’t only make it more difficult for the customer but also makes you look unprofessional.?
3. Design
If there’s one takeaway when it comes to user experience design it’s: don’t be overwhelming. Less is truly more in this category. When putting your website design together, keep in mind that every word, image, and button should be contributing to your overarching goal. If it’s not contributing, then it’s distracting the consumer for what you want their end goal to be. Having appropriate white space and images helps your image stand out that much more. A study by Human Factors International found that whitespace increases comprehension by almost 20%. So take white space, simple design, and strong images into account when building your website.
4. Page Speed
In a world where you can get almost anything delivered to you within two days for free, patience is running thin. Customers expect to have what they want almost immediately! Taking that into consideration, page speed needs to be optimized for every consumer, so they aren’t waiting for things to load. If page speeds aren’t up to par, most visitors will bounce from the site. A study done by Google says that if a page isn’t loaded on a mobile device within 3 seconds, 53% of users will leave the site. While thinking of 53% of visitors bouncing from your site can be unsettling, there are ways to avoid this. Try compressing your images with resources like tinypng.com to improve your load times or use tools like PageSpeed Insights to see what your page speed is looking like. Plus–get suggestions on how to increase your speed on both desktop and mobile!
5. Consistency
Lastly, consistency is key. Having a user go through several fonts, headings, and design elements can be confusing and off-putting for a visitor. Make sure everything on your site matches. Headings, fonts, and graphics all need to have a central theme. While everything doesn’t need to be exactly the same, all the elements should be similar. For example, if all calls to action (CTA’s) are in green, don’t have one or two in red. This disrupts the user journey and takes them away from the optimal goal.
Why Use Sav for Your Small Business Website?
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!