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

---

6 Reasons Why Using Flash is a BIG Mistake

Most web designers and web design companies will try to... Read More

6 Reasons Why A Website Is Crucial To Your Business

Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More

Essential Strategies To Make Your Web Copy Attractive To Your Target Audience

Reading on the web is different than reading in all... Read More

Reach Out To Billions

Have you heard of 'Babel Fish'?It's a service provided by... Read More

Simplify Your Web Site for Clarity and Ease of Use

There are plenty of web sites out there in which... Read More

Creating a Basic Web Design Template

A "template" is simply a design format which you can... Read More

When Good Computers Go Bad

Remember the day that you got your new computer (or... Read More

Keyword Density

We can't emphasize enough the importance of including keyword-rich content... Read More

Hacked Off with CSS?

For those not familiar with CSS Hacks, they are ways... Read More

Ten Design Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead... Read More

4 Things That Make A Web Site Great

First you need original content. Content is the heart beat... Read More

The Top 8 Website Sins Part Two

Sin #5Poor Spelling And GrammarWe all make mistakes when we... Read More

Drupal Modules

There are plenty of Drupal Modules that you can install... Read More

Choosing A Web Designer : A Plan to Guide You Through The Minefield

Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task.... Read More

Five Common Web Design Mistakes

There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage... Read More

Tips On Effectively Organizing Your Navigation

Not all links are created equal.While all of your links... Read More

Free Online Tools to Design (and Maintain) Your Website

These days, it seems that everyone has a website. Unfortunately,... Read More

Web Design: Should You Hire Someone or Do It Yourself?

So you need a website. You are not sure if... Read More

Web Design: How To Get Your Visitors To Stay

Remember the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams,... Read More

Shameless Flashers - Using Flash Tools To Create Spectacular Websites

Flash is a powerful technology that can help you create... Read More

5 Ways To Improve Your Website Immediately

If you are reading this, I assume you either have... Read More

How Do We Know When Its Time To Redesign Our Web Site?

A question we frequently get asked is, "how do we... Read More

Website Design: Color Me Blue

Chris, a new consulting client, asked me to help him... Read More

Differences between XP Icons and MAC Icons

The icons in an application are the soul of the... Read More

A Web Site That Sells Is All One Needs To Have A Successful Online Business!

There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online... Read More

Internet Tip of the Week: First Impressions

First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do... Read More

You Need RSS, Atom, and ROR/RDF Codes on Your Website--Now You Need Google Sitemap as Well!

Do you have a website? If so, you need an... Read More

8 Tips for Designing a Great Website

Square buttons, round buttons, flashy buttons ? will they match... Read More

The Testimonial Trick

One of the most popular methods of traffic generation is... Read More

Dos and Donts in Web Design - part 2 (content)

Do know your audienceIt's important to know your audience. If... Read More

Does Your Homepage Work?

All websites have a homepage. It is the most important... Read More

Designing Your Web Site For ALL Browsers

Let's face it. Building a web site that browses consistently... Read More

Why Ugly Sites Sell More Than Pretty Ones

What the heck is going on lately? Most internet websites... Read More