The short answer

Most small business sites need somewhere between 3 and 6 pages at launch. More pages isn't automatically better — every extra page is another thing to write, design, and maintain, and a thin page can hurt credibility more than help it.

The pages that earn their place

  • Home — what you do, who it's for, and a clear next step
  • Services (or Products) — specific enough that a visitor knows if you're a fit
  • About — the story and credibility that make someone trust you
  • Work / Portfolio — proof, if you have examples worth showing
  • Contact — a working form and a real way to reach you

Pages to add only when you need them

  • Blog — worth it only if you'll actually publish regularly; an abandoned blog with three posts from last year undermines credibility more than having no blog at all
  • FAQ — useful once you notice the same questions coming up in every enquiry
  • Individual case study pages — worth splitting out once you have enough work to justify separate pages instead of one combined portfolio page

Why fewer, stronger pages usually win

A five-page site where every page is clear and specific will outperform a twelve-page site padded with thin content — both for visitors deciding whether to reach out, and for search engines trying to work out what each page is actually about. Depth on the pages that matter beats breadth for its own sake.

Planning for growth

Launching lean doesn't mean staying lean. It's easier to add a case study page or a resources section once the business needs it than to fill out pages up front that sit empty for months.

Not sure what your site actually needs at launch? Send a quick outline of your business and get a realistic page list back — not a padded quote.