Before you think about design, images or wording, it’s important to know what pages your website actually needs. A clear set of core pages gives your visitors confidence, helps search engines understand your business, and creates a smooth path towards an enquiry. Without this foundation, websites often become unbalanced, cluttered or full of gaps that make people hesitate.
Planning your pages properly at this stage saves time, avoids future rework, and ensures you have the right information in the right places for your customers. It is a simple exercise, but it can dramatically improve how well your website performs.
Why getting your core pages right matters
Core pages do two jobs. They give visitors the information they expect when researching a business, and they give search engines a clear understanding of what you offer. If either group cannot find what they need, you lose momentum before a visitor ever reaches the point of enquiry.
- Visitors make faster decisions when key information is easy to find.
- Search engines reward websites that are well organised and clear in their purpose.
- Your future content strategy becomes easier to build and maintain.
- Conversion paths feel natural rather than forced.
Many business owners assume they already have these pages, but a quick check often reveals gaps, missing detail or pages that don’t support the customer journey as well as they could.
Mapping your pages to the customer journey
People visit your website at different stages of awareness. Some are discovering you for the first time; others are comparing options or ready to speak to someone. Your pages should support each stage clearly. A simple way to think about this is the bronze, silver and gold model:
- Bronze – awareness
Visitors are learning who you are and whether you are relevant to their needs. Pages here include:- Home
- Services overview
- Sector or industry pages
- Educational articles or guides
- Silver – consideration
Visitors now understand what you do and want reassurance, detail and proof. Helpful pages include:- Individual service pages
- Case studies or project examples
- FAQs
- Process or “how it works” pages
- Gold – decision
Visitors are ready to take action. These pages should make it easy for them to enquire or book:- Contact
- Quote request
- Book a call or consultation
- Pricing or packages (if appropriate)
When your pages are aligned to this journey, visitors feel supported and encouraged. They never feel lost, and they never have to “figure out” where to go next.
The essential pages every business website should include
Although every business is different, most successful websites share a common set of pages. These form the backbone of a clear, trustworthy structure and give visitors the information they expect.
- Home – a clear introduction and direction of where to go next.
- Services overview – a summary of what you offer.
- Individual service pages – detailed explanations of each service.
- About – who you are and why people should trust you.
- Case studies – real examples that demonstrate outcomes.
- FAQs – answers to common concerns and hesitations.
- Blog or advice centre – educational content that supports your SEO strategy.
- Contact or enquiry page – a clear call to action with minimal friction.
Once these essentials are in place, you can add more pages to support specific goals or campaigns, but the core structure remains steady.
How SEO architecture influences your page planning
Search engines prefer websites that are organised around clear topics. This is where the pillar and cluster content approach becomes useful. Your core service pages act as pillars, and your blogs or guides support them as clusters.
- Pillars explain the main service in a broad, helpful way.
- Clusters explore narrower questions or related topics in more detail.
- Internal links connect clusters back to the pillar page, reinforcing the topic.
This structure helps search engines understand your expertise and helps visitors move naturally from introductory content to deeper information and, eventually, to an enquiry.
Creating page plans that support conversion
Once you know the pages you need, think about what each page is supposed to do. A service page, for example, should not only describe the service but also guide someone towards the next step. A case study should demonstrate results and build trust. An FAQ should remove friction or hesitation.
Give each page a purpose. When every page has a clear job, your website becomes far more effective.
Building a website you can grow over time
With your core pages clearly planned, you have a structure that can evolve as the business grows. New content will fit neatly into the right section without causing confusion or creating duplicate paths. This makes your website easier to manage and easier for visitors to understand.
A well-planned set of core pages sets the tone for the entire website. It creates trust, reduces friction and supports a smoother path to enquiry. It is one of the simplest but most powerful steps in the planning process.
