When it comes to websites, one of the most important things that anyone who has one should aspire to is to make sure it is completely user friendly. One of the main reasons why users spend only a few seconds on a website and then quit is because of a frustrating experience.
Usually this means that it is taking them too long to find the information they want. While it is of course not possible to predict everything a client may want, you need to make sure that your site serves exactly what the majority of people are looking for and gives them ways to reach you for further information.
The Structure of Your Pages
Menus on your site should be logical and intuitive. There’s no sense in creating a completely new set of names for things that people are used to calling an “About”, “Home” or “Company” page. That’s just the nature of the beast and that’s what most people are expecting to see.
Therefore, your website should have the following sections:
- About page – this should be a description of your company, what you do, the typical clients you serve, how long you have been doing it, what your background is; it should satisfy anyone curious that you are a legitimate business and that it is safe to do business with you
- Home page – this should be a page that welcomes new readers to your site and briefly explains what you do; ideally the site should act as some sort of a hub that people can use to access your other services
- News page – this is a page where you can put industry-related news; don’t think ofthis as a blog – think of it more as a link aggregator that will allow clients to quickly see interesting news and developments in your industry
- Blog page – this is where you get to add your input and opinions; this is where you get to play the editor in chief of your own newspaper; ideally you should blog about interesting, industry related topics and give your impressions and ideas about those topics
- Store page – this is the page that you will sell your products and services on; there are many options for you to think about here (shopping carts, rating systems, product descriptions and images, etc.)
There are many other things you can add to your company homepage, but the above structure is basic enough to be truly useful and user friendly for your readership and is a great starting point.
Melissa Tyler is a tech writer at VPN Ten – a place where you can read reviews about the best VPN providers. She is fond of sharing advice about online security, safety connections and VPN technology.