And I get it.
When you’re staring down a website build, whether it’s your first or your fifth, it can feel completely overwhelming to figure out what’s essential and what’s just fluff.
Do you need a blog? A portfolio? Individual service pages? An FAQ page? A testimonials page?
My humble opinion: the right number of pages for your website isn’t a number at all. It’s a reflection of where your business is right now, where it’s headed, and what you’re asking your website to do for you.
Every page on your website should 100% have a job. If it doesn’t, if it’s just sitting there taking up empty space, it probably shouldn’t exist.
Tea, I know.
So let’s break it all down.
Before you start building pages, you need to ask yourself three questions:
1. Where am I right now?
Are you just starting out? A few years in with a brand that's outgrown your current site? Running a robust business with a lot of moving parts? Your answer changes everything.
2. What is my website's primary job?
Is it generating inquiries? Selling products? Building an audience? Booking appointments? Your pages should be built around that answer and NOT around what you think a website is "supposed" to look like.
3. What are my goals for the next 12 months?
If you're planning to launch a course, start a podcast, or expand your services, your website needs room to grow with you. Build with intention now so you're not starting from scratch six months from now.
Once you've answered those, meet yourself at your stage.
If you're just starting out, operating on a tighter budget, or running a consultant-style business where the goal is simply to get someone to contact you, a one-page site is a completely legitimate place to start. It gives you a professional digital presence without overcomplicating things. You can build out more than you think with a one-page site as long as you have at minimum a clear headline, a bit about who you are and what you do, and a way to get in touch.
For most business owners – whether service-based or product-based – a standard website covers the fundamentals well. I always recommend starting with four core pages: Home, About, Services, and Contact. These four pages form the backbone of almost any business website and can be built out further as your business grows.
Advanced websites are for founders running robust, multi-faceted businesses that need more than a four-pager to tell the full story. This is where individual service pages, blogs, portfolios, shops, booking systems, and more come into play. This isn’t about having more pages for the sake of it. This is about having the infrastructure to support everything your business is doing.
Once you have your foundation, you can layer in supplementary pages based on your specific goals and offerings. Here's a breakdown of the most common options worth considering, roughly in order of where most businesses will encounter them:
If you offer multiple services that speak to different audiences or require different conversations, individual service pages are worth building out. A good rule of thumb: if a service has a distinct target client, a different price point, or a completely different sales conversation than your other offerings, it deserves its own page. Think of it this way: your services overview page is the menu. Your individual service pages are the full dish descriptions that convince someone to order.
A sales page is different from a service page. Your service page invites someone to inquire. A sales page is designed to get someone to purchase something specific like a course, a digital product, or an event ticket. If you're running a campaign or launching something new, a dedicated sales page gives that offer the focused
attention it deserves without competing with everything else on your site.
If you use an external booking platform like Acuity, Calendly, or a ticketing tool, stop sending people off your site to find it. Embed it. A simple booking page with a clear header, one line of context, and an embedded scheduler keeps the experience seamless and your visitor on your site longer. Most booking platforms make it super easy to embed it on your website without the need for reaching out to a website specialist to do it for you.
If your work is project-based and visual, a portfolio page is non-negotiable. Even a simple gallery layout with before and afters, project snapshots, and case studies does far more to build trust than a couple of photos scattered across your services page.
If your goal is to build up educational resources, establish authority in your industry, or challenge a popular narrative in your space, a blog is a powerful long-term investment for your audience and your SEO. A blog gives you a place to showcase your unique perspective, share what makes your approach different, and give your audience a reason to keep coming back even when they're not ready to buy yet.
If you sell products of any kind – digital or physical – a dedicated shop page is essential. Rather than relying entirely on external links to platforms like Thrivecart, building a shop directly into your website gives you a clean, consolidated place to showcase everything you offer. You can include digital products, higher-ticket offers like courses or VIP programs, and link out to any external platforms from there. It makes it 10x easier for people to find your products, and it also helps you showcase everything you offer without sending individual links for every single product.
While I’m happy if you have at least one kind of email opt-in on your website, I encourage you to go a bit further. If you're sending out a newsletter, you should absolutely have a dedicated subscribe page, and not just an inline opt-in form buried somewhere in your footer or in a section on a random page. A standalone page gives potential subscribers somewhere specific to land, somewhere to learn more about what they're signing up for, and a clean shareable link you can use anywhere.
This one is criminally underused. When someone submits an inquiry form on your site, where do they go? If the answer is "nowhere" or "a generic thank you message," you're leaving an opportunity on the table. A confirmation page is a chance to keep someone engaged while they wait to hear from you. You can invite them to follow you on social media, sign up for your newsletter, or check out your most recent blog post. It doesn't need to be elaborate, but definitely consider adding this to build out your client’s experience.
Looking for pages that go beyond the basics? There are a handful of underrated website pages that most business owners haven’t considered, but probably should. Check out: 5 Website Pages You’re Not Using But Probably Should Be
A standalone testimonials page made sense years ago, but today it’s one of the least effective ways to use social proof. By the time someone clicks over to a separate page to read reviews, you’ve already lost the moment and momentum. Testimonials work best when they’re woven directly into the pages where trust matters most, such as your Home Page, Service Page(s), and About Page. Use specific, results-driven testimonials that speak to your audience’s exact pain points, and place them right where that doubt is most likely to surface.
If your website copy is doing its job, most of the questions your visitors have should already be answered on the relevant pages. If you’re constantly fielding the same questions, that’s a sign your copy needs work. Instead of a standalone FAQ, add a focused FAQ section to the specific service or inquiry page where that question is most relevant. It’s more useful, more intentional, and keeps the conversation in context.
Whether you’re starting with four pages or building something with forty-six (ask me about why I have that many on my own website), every single page should have a purpose, and every purpose should connect back to your business goals.
When your website is built with that kind of intention, it stops being something you apologize for and starts being something that actively works for you.
Not sure where to start?
A Brand Snapshot gives you a quick, actionable audit of your current brand and website with clear next steps. Or if you’re ready to build something from the ground up – or rebuild what’s already there – let’s talk.
Brand and Website Designer crafting strategic, elevated designs for mission-driven entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits.
Every Wednesday, this branding newsletter will bring you one real story, one sharp insight, and one reminder to help you show up more fully in your business.
And I'm here to help every decision, design, and message work towards the building the business and brand that you’ve imagined.
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