You want to "WOW" your audience!
The 123 Guide ~ How to Make Your Site Special, part b
IMAGINE YOUR SITE CONTENT IN ADVANCE
Say something special about your business, products and/or services. Make your site stand out from the crowd. Also, please visit my main writing/editing site at GiftedWriting.com. Take your time and be inspired. I hope you will find something valuable and CONTACT ME.
WHAT DO YOUR READERS WANT TO READ?
Start with Your Pages
This is simple. Make a list of pages you want to include in your web site. You also should visit competitor websites and see what you like and don't like. Try to create some eye-catching and/or intriguing tab names as well for your pages. Remember to generate excitement and grab interest.
Here's a Page Idea list:
- 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).
- Services Offered
- 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 is usually incorporated with the Product Display page (provides close-up, enlarged pictures for products as well as additional product details).
- Biography (Who Am I?)
- Anecdotal, Human Interest Stories - Always a Sell!
- Company Mission
- Testimonials - Be careful here. I was once asked to write fictitious testimonials, which probably happens more than you think. Contact your clients/customers for their own words and include Social Media Rave Reviews.
- Guest Articles
- Upcoming events and sales- advertise them boldly, including special appearances, television, in-person presentations, lectures
- Promotions, special discounts
- FAQS (frequently asked questions and answers)
- Order Form
- Questionnaires/Surveys/Feedback/Forums
- Social Media/ Blogs
- Resources and/or Networking Links
- How To/ Factual Information
- Closing
DECISIONS TO MAKE
- Decide on the order of your pages.
- Decide on your navigation design.
- ALWAYS MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR READER TO FIND WHAT THEY ARE LOOKIING FOR.
- Can you combine certain pages so that your web site isn't too overwhelming?
- Always go for compact and hi tech, hi impact, and 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?
- Decide on your color schemes for both your pages' background, images and fonts.
- Select your visual tHemes.
- Decide on your Tab Links placement. Tabs permit your readers to move from one page to another, 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 text). 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 allow readers an easier navigation (always make it simple for your reader).
- 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 reader impatience.
- Decide if you need additional links and plot them into the appropriate sections or pages within your web site. For example, you might want a "promotional" or "Contact form or e-mail link” on your opening page, or on every page. Important links that will be used often should be placed centrally. Don't position an important "link" in the wrong place where it will be easily missed by your readers.
- 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 (nowhere to go). Make sure that your pages and links are connect with each other. Always offer your readers link options (return to home page, return to page 2 or 3, printer version/button, continue shopping, contact us, visit a sister web site...
CONTACT ME. I CAN HELP.
Nina Sherwood, Writer/Editor/Researcher
GiftedWriting.com
WebSiteWrite.com
732-300-7973
P.O. Box 9, Whiting, NJ 08759