I Don’t Know What to Put on My Website — A Page-by-Page Guide

If you’re staring at a blank screen thinking “what am I supposed to put on this thing?” — you’re not alone. This is one of the most common things I hear from new clients. They know they need a website. They just don’t know what goes on it.

The good news is it’s simpler than you think. Most small business websites need about five pages. And once you understand what each page is actually for, the whole thing starts to make sense.

Don’t start with pages — start with purpose

Here’s the first thing I tell every client: don’t worry about pages yet. Start with what your business actually needs the website to do.

Most people think in terms of pages. But good websites start with purpose.

Ask yourself one question: what do I want someone to do when they visit my site?

Do you want them to call you? Book an appointment? Request a quote? Buy something? Or just learn about what you do?

A plumber’s website needs people to call or request a quote. A therapist’s site needs people to book an appointment. A consultant’s site needs an enquiry form. Once you know the action, the structure becomes obvious.

Each page answers a customer question

Here’s a simple way to think about it. Every page on your website exists to answer a question your customer has before they contact you.

That’s it. Five pages. Five questions answered. Once you stop thinking about “what pages should I have?” and start thinking about “what do customers need to know?” — the whole thing clicks into place.

Your homepage: say what you do, clearly

Your homepage has one job — help someone answer “am I in the right place, and what should I do next?”

That’s it. Not tell your life story. Not list every service. Not impress people with fancy design. Just: what you do, who you help, and how to take the next step.

Here’s what a bad homepage looks like. I see this all the time.

There’s a giant image slider at the top with four or five rotating photos — a stock image of people shaking hands, someone on a laptop, an inspirational quote, and a generic “Welcome to Our Website” slide. Sliders are almost always ignored. They push the important stuff down the page and rarely explain what the business actually does. One clear headline beats five rotating messages.

Under that, there’s a long welcome paragraph. “We are a passionate and dedicated team committed to delivering high quality solutions to our valued clients. With many years of combined experience…” Three paragraphs in and it still hasn’t said what they actually do, where they operate, or how to contact them.

Then there’s a grid of 10–15 services listed as vague buzzwords — Consulting, Strategy, Implementation, Digital Services, Solutions. The visitor gets overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to click.

Scroll further and you find a blog feed with posts from 2019, a photo gallery that isn’t relevant, partner logos nobody recognises, and a mission statement nobody reads. None of this helps someone decide “should I contact this business?”

Then right near the footer — finally — you find the phone number, service area, and booking link. The most important things on the page, buried at the bottom.

From the visitor’s perspective, the experience goes like this: “What does this business do?” Scroll. “Okay… but what do they actually do?” Scroll. “Never mind.” And they leave.

Your homepage isn’t cluttered because you have too much information — it’s cluttered because the important information is buried.

A good homepage does four things: says what you do, shows your main services, builds a bit of trust, and tells people how to contact you. Everything else is optional.

Your About page: it’s not about you

This might sound odd, but your About page isn’t really about your business — it’s about helping visitors feel confident choosing you.

The About page is the second most visited page on most small business websites. According to B2B usability research, 52% of visitors say it’s the first thing they want to see. And research suggests customers who visit the About page spend around 22% more than those who don’t. So it matters.

The problem is what most people put on it.

I see a lot of About pages that start with “I was born and raised in…” and then go through childhood, school, first job, entire career timeline. None of that helps someone decide whether to hire you today. A short origin story can work well — but five paragraphs of biography isn’t it.

The other common mistake is corporate buzzword language. “We are passionate about excellence.” “We deliver innovative solutions.” “We strive to exceed expectations.” These phrases sound professional but don’t actually say anything. Visitors skim right past them.

What’s usually missing is the stuff that actually builds trust.

People connect with motivation. Instead of “we provide professional services,” explain why you started your business and what problem you wanted to solve. That makes the business feel human.

Proof of experience matters. Years in the industry, number of clients helped, qualifications, certifications — these details help visitors quickly decide “okay, this person knows what they’re doing.”

For small businesses especially, people want to know who they’re dealing with. A real photo. A short personal intro. Some personality. It doesn’t need to be overly personal — just human.

And social proof. Even one or two short testimonials on the About page can make a big difference.

A strong About page usually follows a simple formula. Start with a short intro — who you are and what you do. Then a brief origin story explaining why the business started. Add your experience or credentials, how you approach your work, a photo, and a call to action.

Your Services page: describe the problem, not the service

The biggest mistake on Services pages is describing services from the business’s perspective instead of the customer’s problem.

A lot of Services pages read like a menu: Web Development, Digital Strategy, Marketing Consulting, Solutions & Implementation. But they never explain who the service is for, what problem it solves, or what outcome the client gets. The visitor is left thinking “okay… but is this actually what I need?”

A stronger Services page frames things around the customer’s situation. Instead of “Website Development” you might say “Need a simple website for your business? I build clean, fast websites that help customers understand what you do and contact you easily.”

Same service — but now the visitor immediately recognises themselves.

If someone reading your Services page can’t quickly recognise their own problem, the page isn’t doing its job.

For service-based businesses, I’d recommend individual pages for each main service rather than cramming everything onto one overwhelming page. It’s better for SEO — Google prefers organised, focused content. And it lets you speak directly to different customer needs without making everyone wade through irrelevant stuff.

Your Reviews page: let your customers do the talking

This is the page most small business websites are missing entirely. According to a netStripes report on Australian SMB digital engagement, only about 13% of Australian small business websites include testimonials — which is a missed opportunity.

Think about the last time you were comparing two businesses that offer the same thing. The one with recent, genuine reviews almost always gets the call.

Your Reviews page doesn’t need to be complicated. A collection of real testimonials from real clients — with their name and business type if they’re comfortable — does more for trust than any amount of polished marketing copy.

If you don’t have testimonials yet, that’s okay. Start asking for them now. Every client. Every time. And in the meantime, link to your Google reviews so people can see what others have said.

Your Contact page: remove barriers, don’t add them

The biggest mistake on Contact pages is making it harder than necessary to get in touch.

You’d be surprised how often I see contact pages with a form that has 10–15 fields, no phone number, no clear call to action, and no indication of when they’ll hear back.

When someone lands on a Contact page, they’ve already decided “I’m interested.” Your job is to remove barriers, not add them.

The best Contact pages are simple: phone number, email or a short form, your service area, and maybe expected response time. Sometimes even just: “Call or send a quick message and I’ll get back to you within one business day.”

Research shows that 44% of website visitors will leave a site entirely if there’s no visible contact information. Don’t make people hunt for it.

What about pages you DON’T need?

Not every business needs a blog on day one. Not every business needs a team page — especially if you’re a one-person operation. Not every business needs a separate mission statement page. And almost nobody needs a “Latest News” section that hasn’t been updated since 2019.

Start with the five core pages. Get them right. Add more later if you genuinely need them. A five-page website where every page earns its place will outperform a fifteen-page site full of filler.

The bottom line

You don’t need to overthink this. Your website isn’t a brochure that needs to cover everything about your business. It’s a tool that answers your customers’ main questions and makes it easy for them to take the next step.

Five pages. Five customer questions answered. That’s a website that works.

If you’re wondering what a website like this costs in Australia — it’s probably less than you think.