The New Web Business Guide Introduction can be found here. Chapter 5 - Planning Your Website can be found here

Example Navigation Plan For Your Website - Main Page

Main Page - We discussed this in the last chapter with the example of a moving company website. You have your navigation menu that is easy to use. Fancy drop downs and rollovers are unnecessary and will confuse some users. Make it simple to navigate your website. I cannot stress this enough.

On the main page you will also make very prominent links for each type of user to find what they are looking for. This is not your navigation menu. This is addition to your navigation menu.

With the moving company example we talked about dividing up the three types of visitors and sending them where they can find what they are looking for.

Once you identify your different target groups, you can do the same thing. You might have two types, four types, or ten types of visitors that you have something to offer to. But whatever that number is take at least the most important groups and give them additional ways to find what they want.

Example Navigation Plan For Your Website - Interior Landing Pages

Secondary or Landing Pages - These are the pages you send each type of person to from the front page. These are also pages that should rank well for the keywords and phrases associated with these pages. So users may land directly on these pages from the search engines. You need to design and write them as if they are the first page a user might see.

Now even on your secondary or landing pages, you still have three types of people who land here.

You have the person that knows exactly what they are looking for and only needs to read a little bit of info before they buy. Then you have the person who wants to know a little more before they make a purchase. Then you have the person that is going to read everything on the page before they are ready to buy.

So you need to write a summary about what you are offering for your first paragraph, then offer a link to whatever you are asking them to do like buy now, sign up, etc. That will take care of the first person that knows what they are looking for and you won’t waste their time making them read more.

Then you need to write a 2-3 more paragraphs that go into a little more detail about what you have to offer. Then you give them another opportunity to buy, sign up, etc. Do not say the same thing in this offer you said in the first link. Whatever you said in the first link did not get them to click so why would you think saying the exact same thing will get them to this time? Change it up. This will take care of type number 2 that likes a little more information.

Then you need to write 3-4 more detailed paragraphs about your product or service before you try to close them again. And when you do try to close them again ask them in a different way than you have before. You can be a little more forceful with the third attempt because if they do not click this one you lost them.

If you follow this example and adjust it to your own products and services you will build landing pages that close sales.

We will discuss a lot more about adding content later in the new web business guide, but I wanted to include it now so you understand how your website will help people find you in the search engines and how you will help them find what they want once they get to your website.

Keep these things in mind as you plan how your website will be built and how it will navigate for users;

1. Decide how many products and services you will be providing. Plan to build a landing page for each of them.

2. Build your main page after you have decided on and built your landing pages. Doing the main page last will help you use the main page to guide your customers to those great landing pages that are ready to close sales for you.

3. Keep the navigation menu easy to use.

4. Give your visitors more than one way to find what they are looking for.

5. Decide if you will have a blog, a forum, a guest book, an article directory, etc. before you build the site so you can easily integrate everything together.

6. Stuff about you and your company belongs on the about us page. I see this all the time. I go to a website and the front page tells me all about the owners and their company. I don’t care. I want to know if you have what I am searching for and I want to know if I can get it easily and for a good price. Do not bore me with information that is not important to me. If I want to know about you I will click the about us link.

Focus on what your customer wants and what you can offer them. Do not focus on how wonderful you and your company are.

Now once you have planned how users will find what they want at your website and you have decided on all of your elements you will be adding like blogs and such, you are ready for the next chapter on website design.