Fall planning season often means one thing for businesses: new site builds and website refreshes. Whether you’re starting from scratch or rethinking your digital presence, the success of your site hinges on more than just a sleek design. You need an intuitive, user-focused experience that also checks the boxes for search engines.
At Branchleaf Digital, we believe that balancing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with User Experience (UX) is the key to building a site that not only attracts visitors but also guides them toward becoming customers. And the foundation of that balance starts with choosing the right pages.
Core Pages Every Business Website Needs
Some pages are non-negotiable. These form the backbone of any professional, trustworthy website and ensure you’re covering both user expectations and search engine best practices.
- Homepage – Your digital first impression. This is often the most-visited page on your site, so it needs to grab attention quickly, clearly state your value proposition, and direct visitors to the most important parts of your site. A strong homepage combines concise messaging, intuitive navigation, and eye-catching visuals to keep visitors engaged.
- About Page – Customers want to know the people and the story behind the brand. A strong About page humanizes your business by sharing your mission, values, and team. Adding photos, a timeline, or even a personal message from the founder can help visitors connect on a deeper level.
- Products/Services Pages – These are your money-makers. Explain what you offer in detail, but keep the language customer-friendly. For products, e-commerce functionality such as filters, reviews, and clear CTAs (“Add to Cart”) improves conversions. For services, outline your process, benefits, and pricing (when possible) to build transparency and trust.
- Contact Page – Make it easy for people to reach you via form, phone, or email. If you have a physical location, include a map and business hours. A frictionless contact page can mean the difference between a lost lead and a new customer.
- 404 Error Page – A custom error page shows you care about user experience. Instead of a dead end, provide helpful links, a search bar, or a friendly message to guide visitors back to relevant content.
- Privacy Policy & Terms – These may not be glamorous, but they’re essential for trust, compliance, and professionalism. Especially if you’re collecting customer data, these pages reassure users that their information is protected.
High-Value Additions That Build Authority and Trust
Once the essentials are covered, go a step further with pages that help you grow traffic, nurture leads, and drive conversions.
- Blog or Resources – Regularly publishing useful, high-quality content keeps your website fresh in the eyes of search engines while giving visitors answers to their most pressing questions. Think tutorials, industry insights, how-to guides, or trend updates.
- Testimonials or Reviews – Social proof is powerful. A dedicated page (or integrated sections across your site) featuring customer reviews, star ratings, or video testimonials can boost buyer confidence.
- FAQ Page – A well-structured FAQ page saves your team time by addressing common questions up front. It also improves SEO since many customer questions double as search queries.
- Portfolio or Case Studies – Show, don’t just tell. Highlight real-world examples of your work or client success stories. Case studies with measurable results are especially effective for service-based businesses.
- Landing Pages – Custom landing pages designed for specific campaigns, ads, or offers allow you to deliver a hyper-focused message with one clear call-to-action. These pages often outperform general site pages when it comes to conversions.
Structuring Content for SEO and UX
Even the best content can underperform without a clear structure. A well-organized site benefits both people and search engines by making content easy to find and understand.
Hierarchical Navigation – Organize content from broad to specific. This structure not only guides users but also helps search engines crawl and understand your site.
- E-commerce: Homepage > Clothing > Men’s T-Shirts > [Product Page]
- Services: Homepage > Services > Web Design > [Case Study]
Internal Linking – Don’t leave your content stranded. Use internal links to connect related pages, distribute page authority, and encourage visitors to explore more of your site.
Optimized URLs – Keep them simple, descriptive, and keyword-friendly.
- Good: /services/web-design
- Bad: /page?id=123&cat=45
Sitemaps – Provide both XML (for search engines) and HTML (for users). Sitemaps improve visibility, accessibility, and navigation, especially for larger websites.
Striking the Right Balance: SEO Meets UX
SEO and UX aren’t opposing forces, they work best hand-in-hand when you view your website as both a marketing tool and a customer experience hub.
- Content First – Write for people first, then optimize for keywords and metadata.
- Fast & Mobile-Friendly – Google favors websites that load quickly and adapt to any screen size. Your visitors do too.
- Intuitive Navigation – Keep menus simple, logical, and no more than a few clicks deep.
- Data-Driven Decisions – Use analytics to track behavior, find drop-off points, and refine over time.
Put It All Together
Designing a website isn’t just about visuals, it’s about strategy. By choosing the right mix of pages, structuring them with intention, and balancing SEO with UX, you create a digital presence that doesn’t just look good, it performs.
At Branchleaf Digital, we specialize in building websites that guide customers, build trust, and grow revenue. Whether you’re planning a new site or refreshing your current one, our team helps you create a website that works as hard as you do.Ready to plan your next site build or rebuild? Let’s talk.