Building a corporate website: page list, content and process

A corporate website tells people who a company is, what it sells and how to reach it, and it is built to be found in search and to collect enquiries. The hard part of commissioning one is not the design but three decisions: which pages it will have, who will prepare the content, and who will own the site after delivery.

This piece is meant to help you make those decisions before asking for quotes. Why prices vary so widely is covered separately in website cost.

Which pages should a corporate website have?

For most companies the core list is:

• Home page. States what you do in one sentence on the first screen and sends visitors to the right page.
• A separate page for each main service or product group. Listing five services on one “Our services” page means ranking weakly for all five. A separate page can rank for a separate query.
• About. Team, history, numbers. Business buyers look at this page before deciding.
• References or case studies. Work done, with results where possible.
• Contact. Form, phone, WhatsApp, address and map.
• Legal pages. Privacy notice, privacy and cookie policy.

Added as needed: a blog, FAQs, careers, a second language. A bilingual site needs technical setup beyond translation; set up wrongly, it weakens both languages.

Who will prepare the content?

Content is where corporate website projects most often stall. Design and code are ready, and copy and photos are awaited for weeks.

Settle from the start:

• Who writes the copy? You or the agency? If the agency, who briefs them and who approves?
• Where do the images come from? Your own photos, a shoot, stock images?
• How many languages? Who translates?

A practical rule: have the copy ready before design, at least in draft. A page designed around its text always reads better than text squeezed into a design.

How does the process run, and how long does it take?

In our projects a corporate website falls in the 3–5 week band. A typical flow:

1. Discovery. Goals, page list, competitors, the state of the current site. The output is a written scope document.
2. Content and structure. A site map and draft copy.
3. Design. The home page and one inner page first; the rest after approval.
4. Development. A working version on a test address you can review.
5. Launch. Domain, redirects, Search Console and analytics setup.

The two things that stretch timelines most are late content and approvals waiting on several people. The general logic of timelines is in how long does a software project take.

Ready-made theme or custom design?

A ready-made theme is quick and cheap, but because it is written for every possible site it ships with unnecessary code and is usually slow. Custom design takes longer but contains only what you need.

The test is simple: if the site exists to collect enquiries and be found in search, speed and structure matter; if it is only a digital business card, a theme may be enough. We discuss why not every site needs custom software in web design agency or software agency.

What should you receive at handover?

When the site is delivered, make sure you have:

• The domain and hosting account in your name.
• Admin panel access and a short walkthrough of updating content.
• The source code, or at least access to it.
• Analytics and Search Console in your own account.
• Backups: how they are made and who is responsible.
• Warranty and maintenance terms in writing.

If you cannot move the site when you change agencies, you bought a rental service rather than a website.

Frequently asked questions

How many pages should a corporate website have? Your number of services decides it. What matters is not the count but that each main service has its own page.

Can I update the site myself? You should be able to. Changing copy and images, and adding blog posts or references, should not need a developer.

Will I lose my Google rankings if I rebuild my site? Not if old addresses are redirected correctly to the new ones. A rebuild without a redirect plan can wipe out years of accumulated value in a few weeks.

Does a corporate site need a blog? It is not mandatory, but articles answering your customers’ questions are the cheapest way to be found in search.

Boygantech has delivered 17 corporate websites to date; we put the scope in writing and provide a 30-day bug-fix warranty after delivery. To talk about your project, you can book a first call from our software agency page.