I launched my new site a few weeks ago!
And because I’m passionate about this stuff (hey, website freak here), I’ve taken some risks.
(Btw, which has paid off already: an ideal client inquired through my site and signed my contract a day later at my now-published higher rates. Which more than paid for my investment into the site!)
Let’s take a closer look at my more interesting decisions:
- A one-pager with supplemental pages as the fundamental structure.
Because I only have one main offer — and that main offer, website copywriting, is not terribly unique — I didn’t see the need to drag my “why hire me” argument across multiple pages. Instead, I put it all on the Home page in one clean pitch.
Supplemental pages that weren’t part of that pitch but are necessary for client decision-making or my broader brand-building efforts included my Portfolio (see my work) and Blog (read my thinking behind my work).
More information creates overwhelm. Why do it with Home AND services pages when I can do it with just one?
- Skipping a formal About page.
I don’t think having an About page would have hurt my website experience. But was it 100% necessary, either? I wasn’t convinced.
When I thought about (pun intended) what I’d put on an About page, it came down to these three things:
- My business origin story (not readily tied to the mission behind my current business)
- Fun facts about me (cute but not probably not a deal-maker for anyone)
- Values (maybe reassuring to some to discover that I aim to maintain integrity, haha, but likely nothing memorable)
Frankly, when I asked myself if any of these things, given ample space to be fleshed out on a standalone About page, would make the difference between someone hiring me and not, I concluded, No.
Instead, I wrote a tight About section for my one-page pitch and trusted that the rest of my site, infused with my perspective, would not make Krista Walsh & Co. feel “anonymous.”
This no-About-page question got a ton of traction on LinkedIn — with most people disagreeing with me. Yet, at the heart of their dissent was this: “I need to know the person behind a business before I hire them.”
This is actually something I wholeheartedly agree with. What I’m trialing is whether that can be done more organically: your perspective, voice, personality, and values woven throughout your entire site, rather than relegated to just the About page.
And if so — is that formal About page truly “needed”?
(More on this in the P.S.)
- An unconventional pricing structure.
Every copywriter and designer I know charges per page (even if those pages are bundled into a default package, like a 4-page website). I used to, too.
However, billing by page had never felt optimal:
- Some pages were much more work than others, raising questions about why, say, a Contact page would be charged the same as a Services page. And charging differently for each page type was cumbersome.
- Clients could end up feeling nickel-and-dimed, possibly even removing pages from the scope to save money… leading to a lot more work for them and a disjointed final product.
- It was often challenging to determine the exact number of needed pages at the first conversation, so pricing became “it starts at this and then we’ll add on more later after the strategy,” which, of course, made it hard for anyone to plan!
- I didn’t love the way this type of pricing inherently commodified my work (e.g., sparking price-comparison lines of thinking like, “How much website do I get for this price?”).
So I took the opportunity of my website launch to figure out a new way to present the investment that kept me (not price) in the strategy driver’s seat and felt intuitive to clients.
That solution was to charge based on complexity (i.e., how many audiences we’re speaking to) and to include all pages in the strategy I recommend. See how I laid it out on my site.
- No messaging around why DIYing your copy sucks, or even why your website copywriting matters.
I’m speaking to clients who are a step beyond thinking, “Hey, I’m stuck with my copy; maybe I should hire a professional,” or “Wait, does my copy matter on my site, really?”
My ideal clients are in hiring mode, looking for the right copywriter, with a budget set aside that includes someone at the top of their game (aka an expert who comes highly recommended).
Now, rather than spend precious space trying to convince someone who’s still deciding, on a fundamental level, if they even need or want the service I provide…
… I can instead focus on getting an answer to a much simpler question: Is Krista the one I should spend my earmarked “professional copywriter” dollars on?
***
Ultimately, this website launch was a product of me walking my talk, exploring the corners of how lean I could get, and seeing how it serves me.
It is not an advertisement to mirror my exact site structure or messaging predilections.
If anything, it’s a call to reconsider general advice that perhaps wasn’t designed for you, to get intentional about your site structure, and to make wise choices that support your business model, service suite, and ideal clients.
If you want my help making those decisions, the Website Blueprint is here.
Xoxo, your favorite website freak,
Krista
P.S. The many cases where I think a formal About page would be warranted:
- You’re reaching cold audiences with your site. Ads. Cold-pitching. Big PR spots. An About page can help quickly orient someone brand-new to your brand.
- You happen to have a really compelling story / your story is closely related to your business “why.” An About page allows you to go deep and be memorable.
- You have a team with client-facing members you want to showcase so clients don’t get whiplash when they finally meet. An About page is a great place to highlight individuals in your company.
- AI search visibility is a priority for you (I heard from AI search expert Meg Clarke that the LLMs are using About pages).
- You just … really love About pages. You always read them. You’d feel devastated to not have one of your own. Follow your heart!
P.P.S. Thanks to
- Christie Evenson for the web design
- Crystal Whiteaker for the photography
- Steph Corrigan for the brand design
- April Clemmer for the styling
- Me for the copywriting and strategy
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