Planning
What pages a business website needs
A page earns its place by answering a question a visitor really has. Here is the core set, the pages that depend on your business, and a test for pages you can leave out.
There is no legal or technical list of pages a business website must have. There is a practical one: the pages a visitor needs in order to decide whether to contact you. Many articles list the same five pages; the useful part is knowing what to put on each and what else your particular business needs.
The test for any page
A page belongs on your site if it answers a question a real visitor has, and if a different page does not already answer it. If you cannot say in one sentence what the page is for and who it is for, merge it or leave it out. More pages do not make a site better by themselves. See why more pages are not an SEO strategy.
The core set
- Home. Who you are, what you do, who it is for, and the main way to get in touch. A visitor should understand your business in a few seconds.
- Services or products. What you offer, in enough detail to decide. One page per distinct service or product group, not one page with everything.
- About. Who is behind the business, where you are based, how long you have worked, and what you can substantiate. Keep it factual.
- Contact. Phone, WhatsApp or a form, your address if customers visit, and your working hours. Make the main action obvious on every page.
- Proof. Real work, real customers or real documents that show you do what you say. Leave this out until you have something genuine.
Pages that depend on the business
A service business (for example, a consultant, a repair business or an agency) also tends to need:
- a page per main service, with who it suits, what is included, how it works and what it costs or how pricing works;
- a process page or section, because buyers worry about what happens next;
- answers to common questions;
- a page for each area served only if you really serve it and have something distinct to say.
A manufacturer or supplier also tends to need:
- category pages that group the range, and product pages with specifications;
- documents buyers actually ask for, such as data sheets or catalogues, linked from the product they belong to;
- a “how to order” or “request a quote” page that says what to send;
- pages on capability, quality processes or certifications, but only if you hold them and can show proof.
See how to organise a product catalogue website for how those fit together.
Two worked examples
A small service business, 8 pages. Home; Services overview; three service pages (each with who it suits, what is included and an enquiry link); About; Contact; Questions. Each page answers a different question. A ninth page that repeated one of the service pages “for another city” would not.
A manufacturer, 40 pages. Home; About and capability; a range overview; six category pages; 24 product pages; a data sheets page; How to order; Contact; Questions. The product pages carry most of the page count, because each is a different thing a buyer may be looking for. The count is a result of the range, not a target.
Pages that are often unnecessary
- A page for every city you could theoretically serve. Google’s spam policies describe near-duplicate pages made to catch place names as doorway abuse.
- A blog with nothing to say. Publish guides only if they answer real questions you can answer well.
- Pages that exist to repeat a keyword.
- Pages that announce something is on its way. A page that is not ready is better left out until it is.
Choosing a page count
Packages that state a page count are describing how large the site is. My packages range from 20 to 200 pages, and the pricing page states what counts as a page: substantive pages with their own useful content, not filters, anchors or duplicates. If your list of useful pages is shorter than the range, the right package is the one that matches the list, and the pages should be real.
To plan your page list before you talk to anyone, write each page as a question and a one-line answer. If you want help turning that list into a proposal, message or call Harman.