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Your Website Needs these 5 Pages
There’s something about the end of the year that makes you re-evaluate everything in your life. I’m sure it’s something to do with the leaves changing, the holidays, and New Year’s resolutions. You might be gearing up in Q4 to look back over your business this last year and figure out what went wrong, what went right, and what goals you have for the following year.
We’re certainly doing that here at Her First $100K –– and a place we’re constantly evaluating is our website. With the way technology moves and changes (and not to mention how fast our audience has grown), we’ve been updating and changing our website to make it more user-friendly, educational, and in general, more fun to use.
Websites are essential to your small business. Sure, social media is a great place to attract new clients and followers, but you don’t own your social media. At any time, for any reason, your following could disappear (remember the IG/FB blackout of 2021?!). That’s why it’s so important to have a functioning, easy-to-use website and a solid email list.
When I started HFK, I had about $20 to spend setting up my blog and decided to use Bluehost since it was so affordable and easy to use.
The best advice I can give you before we dive in is if you’re thinking about building your website, just do it. Waiting for everything to be perfect is the best way to put off this super important task forever. Bluehost also lets you start a website for as little as $2.95 a month with my affiliate link –– a savings of almost $70 a year.
Whether you’re building from scratch or giving your website an audit, here are the five must-have pages to take your small business website to the next level.
About You
Your clients need to know who you are and what you do. When you’re writing the copy for your about page, there should be no question in your potential client’s mind about what you do and why it matters to them.
It’s really easy on about pages to list all your accomplishments (and you should!), but forget to deliver on the “why” for someone who wants to work with you. A good about page tells you exactly who the intended audience is and why you are the best person to help them.
Read More: My About Page
Testimonials
Call it testimonials, reviews, or success stories –– either way, you need a page that shows your potential clients just how life-changing your product or service is for them. What potential clients are looking for is a reason to trust you. A testimonials/success stories/review page is the easiest to show how you’ve impacted others just like them.
If you don’t have these yet, consider reaching out to any former clients you might have and asking them for a review of your product or service. Start small, and build as your client base grows.
Read More: Our Success Stories Page
Portfolio or Press Page
Depending on your industry, you might have a portfolio page with samples of your work, or you might have a press page that lists (with links) where you’ve had your work featured. The idea of both of these pages is to “put your money where your mouth is,” so to speak, and show why your brand or business is credible. If you’re in the creative space, this is the page where you show off your favorite projects or your artistic portfolio.
If like me, you’re in the education or influencer space, this is a page dedicated to your press features and appearances. This helps establish your credibility in your field. It doesn’t have to be too complicated to put together (see mine linked below for a good example of keeping it simple and impactful). It’s also a great way to get more press.
You might have both a press and portfolio page, or you can make this all into one page. Do some research on others in your industry, and feel free to try it out a few different ways.
Read More: My Press Page
P.S. If you’re ready to start getting press features, check my media kit template, which helps you build your media kit and includes scripts that I use to pitch my story to major news outlets like CNBC, Time, Forbes, Good Morning America, Buzzfeed, and more!
Contact
It seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be shocked at how often I visit someone’s website, and there’s not a contact form or any sort of contact method set up.
As a bonus, when you create a contact page, you can set some healthy boundaries and let potential clients know what to expect. For instance, you can lay out your hours of operation and let people know how quickly they can expect a response from you. You can also detail what kind of inquiries you will NOT respond to.
We keep our contact info at the bottom of every page and make sure to have it linked in each client email after purchasing a product or a course. To help us work through a neverending inbox, we also have an auto-reply set up that answers some of the most frequently asked questions. We honestly do not have time to respond to the hundreds of emails individually, and usually, the auto-reply gives them the info they need.
If you receive a lot of emails, this might be a good way to go and will save you (and your clients) time and headache. Automation is your best friend!
Blog
Not everyone enjoys or knows how to write –– I totally get that, but you’re actively hampering your SEO and marketing if you don’t have some kind of blog or resource-based page on your website. No matter what industry you’re in, building a blog will only help you continue to showcase your knowledge, your product, and help your site authority in the process.
Not sure where to start? Use any of the following “prompts” and just get to writing!
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An introduction to your small business story
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Your favorite small business products or tools
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Something you’re currently learning
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A business struggle you overcame
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Your dreams for your business
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A gift guide
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A behind the scenes of a recent project or process
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Your favorite podcast, books, or music
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A review of a business tool or program
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A blog about your creative process
Make sure to follow SEO best practices, and write content in your unique voice! If you need some inspiration, check out Her First 100k’s blog post library.
Bonus: Tools Pages
Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make passive income through your website, and especially your blog. Creating a tools/resources page is a great way to keep content evergreen and easy to find. Check out ours to see how we share our favorite tools!
Keep in mind –– it’s tempting with affiliate marketing to say yes to a lot. We work hard at HFK to ensure that if we partner with a brand as an affiliate, the company aligns with our mission and values. We have turned down major partnerships in the past because we didn’t want to promote products or services that we didn’t believe in or use. This is a good rule of thumb to use when you’re starting to work with affiliates or sponsored posts. Your audience will appreciate your commitment to your values, and you’ll build trust with both your clients and other brand partners.
If you liked this article, be sure to let us know in the comments below. Feel free to drop questions about building a website or if you think we missed anything!
Don’t forget to use my affiliate link for Bluehost to start your website for less than $3 a month!
