I do a lot of things for a living, and one of those is helping people create their business websites. I get asked a lot what people should include, and my response is always along the lines of if you don’t know what to include, go simple.
Here’s what I recommend you start with for your website:
#1 About Page
You’d be surprised how many people visit the about page of a website—I know I was because I rarely frequent them. That said, if you’re going to have a business website, you need an about page.
This page doesn’t need to be complex. A simple bio of your or your company or you will do splendidly. You just want to give your brand (and website) a face to make it easier for your audience to connect.
#2 A Way to Contact You
Speaking of connecting, you’d be surprised how many people do not include contact information on their websites. Big mistake! Your contact page is prime real estate for getting people off of your website and into your inbox and without one you’re leaving potential clients on the table.
That said, your contact page does not have to have a form. If you want it to be simple then just throw up a page titled “contact” that says something along the lines of you can contact us via email at yourname@yourwebsite.com and call it a day!
#3 Somewhere That Clearly Defines What You Do
A big pet peeve of mine is when I come to a website and the content is so vague that you have no idea what it is that they do. Don’t be that company because if a potential customer can’t figure out what you do, they aren’t going to stick around and find out.
Sometimes people think that vague means that they’re open to more work but that’s just not the case. Vague means confused clients, which means no work. Remember that you can always add services but getting lost customers that you don’t know about the back is really hard to do.
#4 A Demonstration Of Your Work
I am not of the belief that you need to have some complex portfolio on your website. You can go simple with these two, in fact, something like a blog can help you demonstrate your knowledge, especially if you’re just starting out.
But you do need to include something. People on your website looking for a potential product or service will want to see something that shows what you can do.
#5 A Newsletter Sign-up
The last one that people ALWAYS miss but should ALWAYS put up is an email newsletter sign-up. Even if you have nothing to email people, it doesn’t matter. Emails are gold, so let people sign up so when you’re ready you have them.
What’s the biggest thing you need on your website? Share your thoughts in the comments below
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Tae started out as a journalist before following the money into the corporate world. But it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener and now you can find her spending most of her time writing about all the things she loves. Namely, money, travel and business with a hefty dose of self-deprecating humor. She is a podcast fanatic, blogging aficionado and loves to find new ways to turn passions into cold hard cash!
