Things You Need For Your Web Site
June 21st, 2008
Things You Need For Your Web Site:
* Essential pages
* Service and Product based businesses
* Adding credibility
* Additional Information Pages
Essential pages - Includes Web Page template with open source management system, all added content, and uploading to make it a live site! (Domain name, domain transfer, and hosting cost are extra).
* Home Page
* About Us
* Our Services
* Contact Us
Service based businesses pages - If your company performs services for others, your business is a service-based business, and your site should include these pages:
* Clients — your clients can be presented in terms of specific client names or a more general industry 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 your service
* References — these are more formal and longer than standard testimonials.
* Portfolio — this is appropriate for artists, designers, writers, and other creative professions.
* Sound Clips and videos —this is appropriate for entertainers, bands, DJs, and speakers.
* Samples of our work — these are for other professions, as appropriate.
* Resume(s).
Product based businesses page - If your company sells products, your business is a product-based business.
* You will need a merchant account to be able to sell products online.
To provide your customers with quick and easy access to your products, your site should include:
* Product Description(s) — Include photos, details, pricing, and “Add to Cart” capabilities.
* View your Shopping Cart
* Check Out
Adding credibility - Once you have these basic pages, the next step is to add credibility and information to your site. PR, news, and information pages can do this for you, providing visitors an incentive to return time and time again.
* News — Include current as well as past articles on your company. (Included in basic package!)
* Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), or Ask the Expert (included in basic package!)
* Pressroom — this is for press releases produced by your company.
* Newsletters and/or Articles— these are written by your firm or principals and help provide you with “expert” status, as opposed to articles written by outside sources.
* Media or Press Kit — this area would contain a company backgrounder, logos, photos, and tools that others may use when writing articles about your company.
* Calendar of Events
* Audio clips— these would be sound clips of you talking about your business makes your Website more personable. You could also provide audio testimonials for more punch.
* Video Clips— According to Web trend forecasters, a video testimonial is quickly becoming the next hot item for building credibility.
* Additional business pages may also be appropriate, depending upon 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
* Events/Classes/Workshops — this page would include details about, as well as the schedule of and sign-up for various company events open to the public.
* Downloads - these are 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. For service-based businesses, whether or not you list your pricing depends upon the standards in your industry; you don’t want to price your services on your site if you don’t have to.
Additional Information Pages - these are good for networking with others and getting traffic to your site. It also makes you a resource for people to come to your page!
* Recommended Books, bands, people, etc - Linking these to a reseller account through Amazon.com can generate extra revenue for your business.
* Resources - Other services that are compatible with yours, or links to places online where you can learn more.
* Links - Exchanging quality links with other sites can be a good way to increase your search engine rankings.
We hope that this list is helpful in your website planning process!
Constant Backing and General Upkeep - You should update your website:
* Every time you acquire new skills or have something new to offer.* After you have completed a successful project. * When you get updated feedback and testimonials. * Every time you write articles. (Search engines love content rich sites and visitors love to see new information.). * If you have a new press release. * When there is a change in the business that you want to report to the public.
Some other things to check on:
* Copyright statements should be updated yearly. * Make sure your links still work. * Keep your bio and time references up to date. * Keep pricing up to date.