<![CDATA[There are five key pages your website must have to insure it's not starting out at a disadvantage.  Make sure you have these in place on your site and you can rest easier knowing your visitors aren't facing any gaps during their first impression of you.

• Welcome Page or Landing Page
  • This is the first stop in a visitor’s journey through your site.  It is going to determine if the visitor sticks around to see more or simply bounces right off into oblivion from your site.  Make sure your Welcome page tells a compelling story of who you are and what you do.
  • This story needs to be told both visually and with words.  Make sure your layout is appealing and the text you use is exciting, not boring.
• Contact Us Page
  • You want your visitors to do business with you, right? Well, how are they going to do that if they can’t get in touch with you.  Your contact page is the spot to direct your customers on the best way to get in touch.
  • PRO TIP: Emphasize the contact method that produces the best sales results on your contact page.  If you do better on the phone, direct your customers to your phone number.  If Chat is your strong suit, point visitors to your Chat link.
  • Play to your strengths.
• About Page
  • Tell your story here.  Some customers may skip right past this page but others, often those ready to buy, will appreciate this information and have more trust with you because of it.
  • Don’t make this a laundry list of features.  Actually tell the interesting points of your story in an entertaining way.
  • If you’re not a writer, message us, we have a package to help you spruce up this page.
• Services or Products Page
  • You need to tell people what you do or sell.  Don’t leave them guessing.  Showcase your services or products on this page and give them the opportunity to buy from you.
  • Don’t make it hard for people to give you their money.  Accept as many payment options as feasible for your business and make them available on your site.
• Blog Page
  • You need a Blog to keep visitors up to date on the goings on of your business.  Latest news, new products, helpful hints, and anything else you can think to share with you visitors needs to be placed on your blog.
  • A regularly updated blog, even once or twice a week, brings the favor of the search engine Olympians to your website.  You need fresh content on a regular basis to build authority and grow search engine clout.
  • If you aren’t comfortable with your writing or commitment to creating content on a regular basis we have options to help. Message us and let us know you need help producing regular Blog content for your site.

Those are the five critical pages you need to have on your site from Day 1.  They close the expectation gap for your visitors and give them the information they need to do business with you.
Note: This post is part of Obsidian River’s “Website Setup Checklist Series” sign up to receive the Website Setup Checklist free of charge to make sure you’ve covered all your bases when creating your own DIY website.]]>