Website Organization Blues? Here Are the Pages You Should Include on Your Website.
Don’t overthink this step. If you have completed the stalk Your Competitors exercise, you should have a better understanding of what pages to include on your site.
Here is my rule of thumb….
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Avoid using “cutesy” page titles and instead. keep it simple and generic. I know, generic sounds boring, but unless you are an abstract artist or The Riddler, it’s best to deliver page titles that allow your audience to easily navigate your site. After all, you are trying to solve a problem for your future client, not cause them more problems. If your site is hard to navigate, your bounce rate will be outrageous and your bank account will be empty. NO THANKS!
Here are my recommended page titles. Most websites should have the following pages plus any others that are relevant to your industry/business:
Home
This is essentially your “landing page” - have a nice catchy image, a beautiful memorable logo, and a navigation menu that is easy to navigate.
About
Tell your founder’s story here. Why are you in business, what steps did you take that led you here, what problem do you hope to solve for your clients?
Testimonials (or Reviews)
Why should someone hire you? Many service providers forget this page, but it’s SO important for customer acquisition! If you don’t have enough testimonials in the beginning, try to avoid faking them. Instead, offer your services for free or cheap in exchange for some killer reviews. Bonus, get them to leave the same review on Google or another rating site.
Services (or “Shop” if you are selling an item)
What are your services and how much do they cost? Make sure there is a clear CTA (call to action) on this page so your customers can books a session with you right away if they like what they see. Contact page- how can your clients get in touch with you? What are your hours?
Lastly, before I close out, refrain from making your navigation menu a mile long. If you have more than 6 or 7-page titles in your menu bar, you might need some help organizing your site….
Need help organizing your site? Feel free to send me an email here.
How Much Should I Charge for My Services?
How much should I charge for my services?
This is a question I get a lot when working with clients, especially if they are just starting out.
Unfortunately, there is no magical one size fits all formula to follow. All I can say is this….do your research.
If you have checked out my Youtube Channel or taken one of my website workshops, you know that I am a big proponent of stalking your competitors (or if you are anti-capitalist… your collaborators) in order to find out how THEY are doing things. Specifically, you can also find out exactly how much they are charging for similar services, products, or packages. If their prices aren’t listed on their website (ideal scenario) you can also reach out and pretend to be an interested customer (more skeezy scenario). Or you can just be radically transparent and tell them what you are up to. You can also reach out to virtual communities and ask people what they charge. Keep in mind though, that your rate depends on a LOT of factors such as market value (how much is your product or service worth in your specific region), how much time it actually takes you to create the product or service, how much time it takes you to do the administrative stuff associated with running your business, how much it costs to employ someone to help, etc.
While there is not a magic formula, the following tips can help you figure out best practices.
First, realize that EVERYONE has the ability to define and nurture their desired niche market and make them fall in love with you. If people fall in love with your brand (YOU) and your values, they will be willing to pay MORE than the market value (within reason). My values happen to be that I want to make website building accessible to ALL people not just those with deep pockets. That means my products and services are going to be LESS than the market value. But that' doesn’t mean I am undervaluing myself. This brings me to point #2….
If you are giving away your services for a very low amount and are left feeling depleted, deflated. agitated, or burnt-out - you are not doing anyone any favors. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but definitely don’t do it again. Instead, do this…
Work backward when determining what to charge initially. First, determine your desired hourly wage (don’t forget to factor in the extra costs that freelancers or self-employed people have to face such as health insurance, monthly bills, and expendable income), Then, determine how long it takes you to do your thing. If you are a massage therapist, it’s going to be pretty obvious, but if you are designing websites, it might be a bit more difficult. Make sure to include the time you will spend writing emails, and having meetings- this all counts as work!! So, let’s say my desired hourly wage is 50 euros an hour. And it takes me about 6 hours to build a nice website for a client plus another 2 hours for meetings and follow-ups— I would quote them at 400 euros. I might also add a few hundred dollars for any unexpected occurrences that come up. It’s up to you if you want to break it down for your client. Some folks want to be super transparent.
Now - if you are just starting out, it’s normal to be confused about pricing. There will be a period of time where you will just be experimenting to figure out how much you need to support the lifestyle you desire. Just make sure to log your hours so that next time you know whether you should raise or decrease your prices (although I wouldn’t recommend decreasing your prices if you are having no problems getting customers to pay you for your services.
I hope that helps!