Technology company Square offers retailers an ecosystem of products to run their business. It's a complex suite of different connected applications and platforms that can be hard to understand and as a result provides a unique challenge. When a business can do a lot for a wide array of segments, how do your refine your website messaging and structure down to something that is clear and easy to understand? It's a question a lot of businesses grapple with, here's five takeaways for any business from how Square approaches it.

Create a clear overarching value proposition

To develop a strong website structure you need a clear overarching value proposition that every section can naturally fall out from. For Square this comes in the form of 'Powering all the ways you do business', it's a simple easy to understand articulation of what the ecosystem itself does. No matter which sector a user is coming from it's likely to resonate with them. When building a website structure, too often brands forget the importance of a clear value proposition. Once one is developed, then the core navigational aspects are easier to articulate.

TAKEAWAY: Develop one core value proposition that encompasses everything you offer and works across segments

Enable navigation by need or segment

Successful brands ensure that their website structure makes it easy for their target users to navigate and convert. Square's approach is to have a clear filter in the top third of the homepage based around each of their core target sectors - retail, restaurant and beauty. This enables their audience to self-select to view the benefits of Square's extensive ecosystem most relevant to them, streamlining the design of individual pages and messaging as a result. The brand's main navigation includes these segments as well, but also allows users to view their entire extensive product suite - which appeals to any business that falls out of their target audience.

TAKEAWAY: Ensure your audience segmentation and your navigation are aligned

Not every user needs to know everything you offer

When you offer a lot of value to your customers as a business it can be tempting to try and tell every customer everything you offer. But the reality is they just don't need to know. Your target audience segments are looking for what is relevant to them, that's all that matters. To you as a business that should be all that matters too, because you want to have the highest chance of converting them around their current needs. Square does this very well, once users have selected the sector most relevant to them they can then view a page which has distinct benefits for that sector available from the Square ecosystem. This answers the 'why' question for the audience on the value Square offers to them.They don't need to know what's available to other sectors and if they did it might even confuse them.

TAKEAWAY: Simplify your messaging per segment, each page should be on a strictly need-to-know (or want-to-know) basis.

Feature pricing prominently and simply

Square has potentially confusing pricing, there's a lot you can bolt on – from terminals to apps – and each comes with fees. There are many businesses that fall in to the trap of trying to articulate all these pricing options on one page.In doing so they make it overwhelming for the audience, and that can drastically impact conversion. Square simplifies things upfront offering three pricing tiers, one of which is just a simple 'Custom' option. This gets a user in through the door with a subscription, at which point Square can further bolt on other options for the customer.

TAKEAWAY: Don't bury your pricing, but if it's complex then create an easy on-ramp to your business and upsell from there

Make your social proof stand out

Social proof is vital on every homepage, you'll struggle to find a brand that hasn't recognized the importance of it. What Square does well is move it on to another level, the usual brand logos are present and they showcase quotes and trust pilot reviews, but Square also link in-depth case studies with beautifully shot imagery. Content is a core part of any brand's go-to-market now and leveraging social proof enables a user to go deeper and a business to flesh out the value it can offer. Data can tell a story too, and Square highlights key proof points from its success stories.