1, 2, 3 Guide - How to Start, Part B
1. Make a list of pages you want to include in your web site:
- Splash (a dramatic opening page to provide pizzazz and enticement for your site using vivid color, animation and/or audio).
- Home (where you find your site's table of contents and introductory text/copy with hi impact, advertising appeal about your products/services, who you are, and why you are better than your competitors).
- Product Display (shopping cart web sites often use a display or photo album page as their home page, and a pictorial/visual presence to accomplish the same hi impact, advertising appeal).
- Zoom (provides close-up, enlarged pictures for products as well as additional product details).
- Biographical (Who Am I?)
- Anecdotal, Human Interest
- Company Mission
- Testimonials
- FAQS (frequently asked questions and answers)
- Order Form
- Questionnaires/Surveys/Feedback/Forums
- Resources and/or Networking Links
- How To or Factual Information
- Closing
2. Decide if you can combine certain pages so that your web site doesn't get too overwhelming. Always go for compact and hi tech, hi impact (edit, edit, edit, even if it takes weeks or months)!
- For example, can I put my questionnaire or feedback page together with my order form page (or link them together)? Can I combine my networking links with my testimonial page?
3. Decide on the order of your pages.
4. Decide on your color schemes for both your pages' background and fonts.
5. Select your visual themes.
6. Decide on your basic navigation design.
- Tab Links permit your readers to move from one page to another.
- The 2 basic designs are either horizontal (tabs aligned side by side, one after another) at the top of every page, or vertical (listed in a column) to the right or left of your page.
- Some web sites repeat their page navigation links at the bottom of every page.
- Other web sites offer a different set of links at the bottom, like "feedback", "e-mail us", etc.
- Some web sites offer a "return to top" link at the bottom to encourage reader navigation.
- Other web sites also incorporate invisible, enter links or links through pictorial aides for navigation.
- Splash pages either automatically open into your home page or provide links to accomplish this. Some readers prefer the automatic types due to impatience.
7. Decide what other links you will need and plot them into the appropriate sections or pages within your web site.
- For example, you might want a "promotional" or "e-mail us" link on your opening page, or on every page.
- Governments, education institutes, organizations, directories, stores, shopping carts, and other multiple sub-category web sites include numerous links to other sources within their web sites (checkout, return to home page, edit, register, search, login, password, account, webmaster, departments, network links, etc.).
- Don't dead-end your readers ever in terms of navigation.
8. Decide on the arrangement and sequence of your links (which should be seen first and/or centrally) and position them correctly.
- Important links that will be used often should be placed centrally.
- Be careful of "losing" your links especially if your layout is complex. Don't position an important "link" in the wrong place where it will be easily missed by your readers.
- Make sure that your links are "circular". Do not dead-end your readers (no where to go). Always offer your readers link options (return to home page, return to page 2 or 3, printer version, continue shopping, contact us, visit my sister web site, etc.).
9. As already discussed in 1-2-3- Guide - How to Start, Part A, select your individual pages' layouts.
10. These few "tips" - guaranteed - will attract and motivate readers to purchase your products and services through your web site.
- If you cannot write the dynamite text/copy yourself, hire WebSiteWrite.com!
-
Let me create, revamp your web site into the most powerful advertisement your readers will ever visit and read!
-
Special: 10% off (includes a free in-depth web site critique/consultation).
|
