One of the first questions many business owners ask when commissioning a new or revamped website is how many pages should ideally be incorporated within a web design? A website is not like a flyer or a business card: there’s no standard, one-size-fits-all answer. This blog gives some insight into the principles behind web design as they relate to a website’s size.
The notable point is that every page must add value to your ideal visitors, not necessarily to the search engines. Tools that help rankings like search engine optimisation (SEO) are important for a design agency to incorporate – after all, if your website falls way down in the search results, then no-one will ever see it. But the trick to successfully driving your site up those search rankings is to make it a site that people want to view. This means including plenty of content that is relevant, interesting and unique. Start by looking at your immediate competitors’ sites. How big are they? If they have created 100-page monsters and yours is only five, then no matter how good those five pages are, the chances are that your rivals that will attract more views overall. That is simply because they’re offering more searchable content. So when a potential customer is looking for a specific product or service, they’re more likely to hit upon a site that offers a better chance of answering their search query. But that doesn’t mean your web designer should add filler pages for the sake of it. Every page should be targeted towards answering potential customers’ queries. This is what experts like Lilo do.
Of course, it’s vital to include the main pages that everyone expects to see in your web design – a home page, About Us, contact page, and a blog, for instance. But then you’ll also want specific pages that focus on each product or service that you sell. A good web agency will advise on pages that appeal to individual segments of your audience. Say you’re running a recruitment agency, for instance. You may deal with both businesses and job seekers in the healthcare, admin and accountancy sectors. Instead of one page dedicated to all the services you offer both to organisations and applicants, you should have at least six: one for each industry for applicants; one for each industry for companies looking to fill those vacancies, and so on. This gives you the opportunity to communicate the knowledge and experience you have in placing the right candidates in each setting. For instance, clarify on the relevant pages what sets you apart from rivals also working in recruitment in healthcare; what assistance you can give job-seeking healthcare workers specifically; and what successes you have had. This improves your website’s chances of being found relevant and interesting to each of your various target audiences.
In summary, if you’re planning a new web design, you need just as many pages as you need to communicate exactly what it is your company does and why visitors should choose you above the competition. But don’t worry: a professional web design company will be able to advise you accordingly.
