Kudos to you for deciding to start a business! But before you quit your day job, make sure your website is up to par and ready to attract clients. Your website is the introduction of your business to the world. You want to make it as easy as possible for prospective clients to understand who you are, what you do, and how you can help them with their needs.

Leaving a prospect without a clear path to that information will cause frustration and if they can’t find the info they need quickly, they will leave your website in search of another provider whose site is easier to navigate.

Here are the three pages you absolutely, positively must have on your website:

1. An informative homepage. You only get one shot to make a good first impression, and that impression usually only lasts a few seconds. That’s how long it takes the average visitor to determine if you have what they need. Be extremely clear about your offerings and who you serve. Not every visitor will be a part of your ideal clientele and that’s alright. Consider a mix of text and video so your prospects can see you and hear your voice; video is a popular choice for building a trusting relationship, especially if your business is 100% online. Check this article to know what videos can make for your business!

2. An About page. Once your prospect thinks you might be the answer to their prayers, they will want to learn more about you. Include a prominent link on your home page and don’t be shy in telling your prospects why you’re the best choice to hire. Relate to their pain points; talk about how you developed a solution to these problems and why you’re passionate about helping this market. Gone are the days of writing in the third person; in most markets casual online writing is acceptable, so think of your best friend and write as though you’re talking directly to her.

3. A services and/or products page. Whether you provide services or products (or a combination of both), showcase those items on a separate page. Again, use a prominent link in your main navigation so this page is easy to find from anywhere on your site.

There’s an ongoing debate in the service provider world about whether or not you should put pricing on your website. One camp thinks all pricing should be custom and you should welcome any and all requests for pricing. The other camp thinks it’s wise for prospects to self-qualify themselves by seeing at least starting prices. If they know they can’t afford your pricing, they won’t contact you and you won’t waste time pursuing a client who can’t pay. The choice is yours as there are pros and cons to both beliefs.

A bonus feature to include prominently on your website is an opt-in form. This is a way to capture the email addresses of your visitors so you can stay in contact. Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective tactics to reach your prospects! If they can’t afford you now, you never know when their situation will change in the future. Or if they choose a lower-priced product now, they may be able to afford your higher-priced offer in the future. Losing that contact can be detrimental to your business because chances are high they’ll never find your site again.

Are you ready to make the jump from employee to freelancer? Here’s your next step…

Creating a website for your new venture is just the beginning. If you want to be successful, you’ll need a rock-solid foundation but it’s so hard for newbies to know how to do that without a lot of trial and error. If you're looking for a reliable website platform where you can easily design and edit your content, then WIX is the platform for you.

Tracey Lee Davis, founder of ZingPop Social Media, turns busy small business owners into online marketing rockstars! A social media expert and Certified Solution Provider for Constant Contact, she coaches entrepreneurs in how to grow their business using social media and provides total management for their email marketing campaigns. Tracey Lee is also a featured speaker for associations and business groups. She is Alignable's 2021 Local Business Person of the Year for San Jose, a Certified Content Marketing Strategist, and the Co-Owner and Vice President of the Women’s Networking Alliance. She also really, really loves cheese.