|
|
| Web Design Information |
|
|
|
|
Pages to Include in Your Website
What pages need to be included on your website? The answer varies for each type of business and depends on how informative you want your website to be for potential clients. Below is a list of sample pages for you to review while you plan out your website. Create a different name for these website sections if you'd like to add more personality to your site! For example, your "About Us" page can be titled, "Who We Are" or "Get to Know Us". Your business website, at minimum, should include the following pages: ? Home Page - (For more information on the design of your home page, click here) (www.elf-design.com/ articleHomePage.html) ? About Us and, if appropriate, About Our President/Principal ? Our Services ? A listing of the different services you provide, along with a short description of each. If some or all of your services require a more in-depth description, a link to more information should take the viewer to a separate page for those services. ? Contact Us ? Can range from a simple listing of your contact information to a more complex "intake form", with a range of questions on your prospect's needs. Service business sites should include: ? Client Listing ? Testimonials - These can be on their own page, listed on the client page, or distributed throughout the site. ? Request a Quote or How to get Started with Our Service Product business sites should include: ? Product Description(s) ? With photos, details, pricing, and "Add to Cart" capabilities ? View your Shopping Cart ? Check Out PR/News Pages These pages add credibility and information to your site, and they give visitors an incentive to return time and time again. ? News - Current as well as past articles ? Press Room - Press releases ? Articles ? Articles written by your firm or principals will give you "expert" status, as opposed to articles written by outside sources. ? Newsletter ? Media or Press Kit Additional Business Pages These pages may be appropriate, depending on the type and size of your business: ? Company Mission ? Company Vision ? History ? Case Studies ? Why Choose Us? ? Bios of your Team Members ? Jobs or Opportunities ? Map and/or Directions ? Details about, schedule of and sign up for Events/Classes/Workshops ? Downloads - PDFs, brochures, presentations, and software demos or programs. ? Statistics, Research or Studies ? Either conducted by your firm, or related to your firm, clients or industry ? Pricing ? If you sell products, your pricing should be listed in your shopping cart. If you are a service business, whether or not you list your pricing depends on the standards in your industry; you don't want to price your services on your site if you don't have to! Demonstrations of Your Capabilities or Skills ? References ? These are more formal and longer than standard testimonials. ? Portfolio (for artists, designers, writers, and other creative professions) ? Sound Clips (for entertainers, bands, DJs, and speakers) ? Samples of our work (for other professions, as appropriate) ? Resume(s) Additional Information Pages ? Recommended Books ? Linking these to a reseller account through Amazon.com can generate extra revenue. ? Resources - Other services that are compatible with yours, or links to places online where you can learn more. ? Audio clips ? A sound clip of you talking about your business makes your website visitor feel as though they know you. You could also provide Audio Testimonials for more punch. ? Video Clips - According to web trend forecasters, video testimonials are quickly becoming the next big thing for building credibility. ? Links - Exchanging quality links with other sites can be a good way to increase your search engine rankings. ? FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), or "Ask the Expert" We hope that this list is helpful in your website planning process! About the Author Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable ? and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Why Dot-Coms Fail - a Webmasters Perspective Everyday we hear that another company goes out of business. Save Thousands of Dollars by Creating Your Own Web Site With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista of business has opened up. Many erstwhile opportunities otherwise not available to us, many markets which were previously inaccessible are accessible to us now. We can transact with anyone anywhere across the world sitting in the comfort of our home. Quality Web Copy is the Key to Success Many websites make the mistake of being all flash and no substance. Nothing irritates potential customers more than visiting your website hoping to find information and instead seeing only blinding color and flashing borders. Of course, you want your website to be attractive, even snazzy, but if there is no useful information included in well-written copy, customers are going to go elsewhere. How to Avoid the Biggest Mistakes Member Sites Make in Their Marketing Copy If you have a web site to which people pay a periodic member fee, it's likely that you belong to other member web sites and have done so for at least a year or two. Thus it's easy for you to overlook the fact that to the average person, member web sites are either a relatively new phenomenon or a completely new phenomenon. It follows that you can't afford any sloppiness or hanging back in making clear to your web site visitors that they are looking at an opportunity to sign up for a paid membership in your web site. How to Hire a Web Designer/Programmer for Your Website Hire a designer or a programmer for your website is a daunting for any business entrepreneur. Remember that you're the important part of a design process. It is your decision makes the final outcome or success of a website. Your website is a one which works better and sells your products and have good feel for the visitors. 5 Ways To Improve Your Website Immediately If you are reading this, I assume you either have your own website or planning to get one. Either way, these 5 tips can help you create a better business website immediately. They'll help you draw more repeat visitors and help visitors find their way around easily on your website. When that happens, you sell more of your products and services! 6 Website Design Disasters and How to Avoid Them?. Let's face it; the line from A Field of Dreams isn't the whole truth. There's more to getting people to come to something than simply building it. Someone built the old run down historical mansion, but hardly anyone visits it (except maybe people you wouldn't want to run into). People want to find a place online that caters to them, specifically. They want it to be pleasant on the eyes, up-to-date, simple to understand and easy to get around in. But, this isn't an area where everyone succeeds. And sadly, some of the reasons for failure seem small, almost minute. Below are six website design disasters and simple steps that you can take to avoid them. Website Basics The Basics Wording Up Your Website Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the key to a clear and intuitive website. Do You Want To Save Time With Your Web Design? It starts off simply; a few HTML pages, a few hyperlinks, some affiliate links. Your mother is proud of her clever son. Then you install a forum, some more content, maybe consider using a Content Management System (CMS). Long Copy Sales Letters on the Web: Hype or Not? I have written before about long sales copy on the web. But I have more to say on the subject. What Your Website REALLY Says About You And Why It Matters Everything you say and do says something about you. This has never been more true than in a text based environment like the Internet. You only have one chance to put across what you want to say. Use it wisely. Looking For A Designer To Re-Design Your Website? If you were like me and you have just started an online business, you have a website that you have made or someone has made it for you, and this design does not match up to your expectations and the competition. Fear not, there is an inexpensive solution to your problem. Having A User Friendly Website Let's look at what your user wants to see at your website. Why Stock Photography is a Great Resource for Web Business A picture is worth a thousand words. Becoming A Website Designer The ability to create simple, attractive and functional web pages is a highly marketable skill. There is a huge and growing demand for websites and web content, especially for smaller organizations who often can't afford to hire a full-service web design firm. Web Design: How To Get Your Visitors To Stay Remember the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come"? In the world of Internet marketing, you not only want them to come, you want them to stay. How To Choose The Right Web Design Company 1. Size does not equate to competence Website Design Mishaps - How to Avoid Costly Errors That Can Crush Your Chances of Success Designing your website can be a difficult task especially if you decide to do it on your own and you have no experience. There are many websites and web hosts that provide tools to allow you to build your website, but if you have no knowledge of what works and what does not work in web design, you could be setting yourself up for a big fall. Review the following suggestions, implement them into your web design, and forget about being the guy with a badly designed web page. How to Force Your Visitors to Order Immediately! This may comes as a surprise to you but, if you're using popups on your website (which you should), then chances are you're using them all wrong. Almost everybody is.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |