Key takeaways
- Start with four essentials: Home, About, Services or Products, Contact.
- Every page needs one clear next step: call, WhatsApp, book, buy or enquire.
- Add FAQs, proof and policy pages to build trust and answer questions before people ask.
- Plan for phones first: most visitors in Nigeria arrive on a mobile browser.
Quick answer: the pages every business website needs
If you build nothing else, build these four:
- Home: says who you are, what you do and what to do next.
- About: shows the people and the reasons to trust you.
- Services or Products: explains what you sell, in enough detail to decide.
- Contact: makes it effortless to reach you.
The rest of this guide covers each page in depth, then the extra pages that separate a basic site from one that wins business.
What should the home page contain?
Visitors decide within seconds whether they are in the right place. Your home page must answer three questions without scrolling: What do you do? Who is it for? What should I do next?
- A headline in plain words, such as “Reliable generator repairs for homes and offices”, not a slogan.
- One sentence of support and one main button (Call, WhatsApp, Get a quote, Book).
- Short summaries of your main services, each linking to its own page.
- Proof: a few reviews, client names or numbers you can honestly stand behind.
- Your phone number, area served and opening hours somewhere visible.
Do not use the home page as a place for everything you have ever done. Treat it as a signpost.
What should the About page say?
People buy from people, and the About page is often the second most visited page. Keep it about the customer’s confidence, not only your history.
- Who you are and how long you have operated.
- Real photos of the owner or team, not stock images.
- What you stand for and how you work, in a few specific sentences.
- Credentials: registration, certifications, partnerships, association memberships, if genuine.
- A button leading to Services or Contact.
How to structure Services or Products pages
Create an overview page that lists everything, then one page per main service or product category. Each service page should have:
- A plain description of what it is and who it is for.
- What is included, how it works, and how long it takes.
- Typical questions answered on the page.
- Photos or examples of finished work.
- A call to action. If you do not publish prices, say how quotes work, for example “Send us details and we reply within one working day.”
For shops, each product needs a clear photo, name, description, availability and a way to order or pay.
What should the Contact page include?
This page should remove every excuse not to call.
- Phone number that can be tapped on a phone, and a WhatsApp link.
- Email address and a short enquiry form (name, phone, message is enough).
- Physical address, a map and directions with a landmark, if customers visit you.
- Opening hours, including holidays.
- A line setting expectations: “We reply within 24 hours.” Then keep that promise.
Test your form monthly. Forms that silently fail lose customers you never knew you had.
FAQ, reviews and case studies: pages that build trust
FAQ page
List the questions customers actually ask on calls and WhatsApp: pricing process, delivery, warranty, timing, payment methods. Each answer should be short and self-contained. A good FAQ saves you time and helps you appear in search results for question-style searches.
Reviews and testimonials
Use real quotes with first names and, with permission, business names or photos. Link to your Google Business Profile reviews. Never invent reviews.
Case studies or portfolio
Show a problem, what you did and the result, in a short story with a photo. For a contractor, that is a completed project. For a clinic, it could be a service improvement. For a school, a programme and its outcome.
Policy pages you should not skip
Policies protect you and reassure customers, especially if you take payments or collect personal data.
- Privacy policy: what data you collect, why, how it is protected and how people can ask for removal. Nigerian data protection law applies to businesses that handle personal data, so ask for professional advice if you hold sensitive records.
- Terms and conditions: your rules of service, payment and liability.
- Refund, return or warranty policy: plain, fair, and easy to find. Many payment providers expect one.
- Delivery information for shops: areas, timing and cost.
Link these in the footer of every page.
Blog or guides: when and why to add one
A guides section gives you more chances to be found by people searching for answers, and shows expertise before they contact you. It works only if you publish useful, accurate pages about real customer questions, such as “how to choose a solar inverter” or “documents needed to register a school”. Aim for fewer, deeper pages rather than daily thin posts. If you cannot maintain it, skip it. An old blog with a last post from three years ago hurts trust.
Page examples for different business types
- Restaurant or caterer: Home, Menu, Gallery, Order or Book, Contact, Reviews.
- Clinic or healthcare provider: Home, Services, Doctors or team, Book an appointment, Insurance and payments, Contact, Privacy.
- School: Home, About, Admissions, Academics, Fees information, Parent portal link, News, Contact.
- Trades and repair business: Home, Services (one page each), Prices or quote process, Gallery of work, Reviews, Contact.
- Consultant or professional services: Home, About, Services, Case studies, Insights, Book a call.
- Online shop: Home, Categories, Product pages, Cart and checkout, Delivery, Returns, Contact.
- Church or NGO: Home, About, Programmes, Events, Give or support, Contact.
How to plan your menu and page order
Keep the main menu to five or six items. Visitors scan it in a second, and every extra item dilutes the rest. A sensible order is Home, Services (or Products), About, Reviews or Projects, Guides, Contact. Put the contact button in the top right on every page, so it is always one tap away.
Use plain labels. “Services” beats “Our Solutions”, and “Contact us” beats “Let’s connect”. If you have many services, use a dropdown with the main ones only, and keep the full list on the Services page.
A simple way to plan
- Write down every question a customer asks before buying from you.
- Group the questions by topic. Each group is a page or a section.
- Sketch the menu on paper and ask two customers to find your phone number and one price or quote process. If they hesitate, rename or reorder.
- Add a footer with quick links, address, hours and policies, so nothing important depends on the menu alone.
Finally, add a helpful 404 page that points lost visitors back to Home and Contact, and a thank-you page after form submissions so you can confirm that enquiries are being received.
Mobile, calls to action and the final checklist
Most visitors in Nigeria use a phone, often on mobile data. Each page should load quickly, use readable text without zooming, have tap-friendly buttons and show your call and WhatsApp buttons without hunting. Compress images and avoid heavy videos on the first screen.
Every page needs one main next step. A page with five competing buttons gets no action.
- Home, About, Services, Contact exist and are linked in the menu.
- One page per major service or product category.
- FAQ, reviews and proof added.
- Policies linked in the footer.
- Phone, WhatsApp and form all tested on a real phone.
- Every page has a clear call to action and up-to-date details.
Open your own site on the cheapest phone you can find, on mobile data. If you wait more than a few seconds or have to pinch to read, so will your customers.
Frequently asked questions
How many pages should a small business website have?
There is no magic number. A new small business can launch well with five to eight pages: Home, About, Services, Contact, FAQ and a policy page or two. Add one page for every main service. Quality and clarity matter more than page count.
Do I need an About page?
Yes. It is often among the most visited pages because visitors want to know who is behind the business. Include who you are, your experience, real photos, and credentials. It builds trust and can lead people toward contacting you.
Do I need a blog on my business website?
Not at launch. A blog helps when you can publish accurate, useful articles on real customer questions on a steady basis. If you cannot keep it updated, spend the effort improving service pages instead. An abandoned blog looks worse than none.
What pages are legally required on a website?
It depends on what you do. If you collect personal data, a privacy policy is strongly advisable, and may be required under data protection law. If you sell online, clear terms, refund and delivery information are expected. Check with a legal adviser for your sector.
Should every service have its own page?
Generally yes for your main services. Separate pages let you explain each service properly and give search engines a specific page to show for that search. Minor or closely related services can be grouped under one page.
What is the most important page on a business website?
The home page is usually the most visited, but the page that earns money is typically the service or product page plus the contact page. Visitors should be able to reach them in one tap from anywhere on the site.
Can I start with fewer pages and add more later?
Yes, and it is a good approach. Launch with the essentials done well, then add pages based on what customers ask, what people search, and what your analytics shows. Plan the menu so new pages fit without rebuilding.
We repair laptops and build websites and business systems. Have a question this guide did not answer? Message us.
This guide is general advice. Every device and business is different, so if you are unsure, ask a technician before you act.
