Populating Your Website

For many, one of the most troublesome aspects of creating a great website is writing the text and populating the web pages.

It is not as daunting as one may think and by following a few simple guidelines an ordinary website can turn into a great website! What we have to remember is that in many instances ‘less’ is ‘more’ and you only have a short time to capture the readers imagination and prevent them from looking elsewhere.

Your Home Page is singularly the most important page of your entire website and it is your chance to create a first impression and engage the reader. A well-presented Home Page will multiply the value of the rest of your website and quite often may be the difference between gaining a customer or losing them to a competitor.

The page should be visually appealing and contain the most important message that you can give about your business, product or service. Here are some of the most important elements to a good Home Page:

Where the Home Page is designed to address the needs of the customer, the About Us page is an opportunity to promote yourself as a business. It is a place where you are free to publicize your skills, experience and explain what qualifies you to provide an excellent service or product. The About Us page will give you the opportunity to help readers understand more about you and your business and appreciate the skills and level of service that you provide. It is important not to get carried away writing a life history of yourself or the business but rather address the main points in 2-3 paragraphs and include:

The Services or Products page is where the bulk of a websites information is held. Readers appreciate descriptive information to help them choose a product or service that is suitable for them. The key to a good page is to present the information with clear product titles, product descriptions and if required, provide easily identifiable comparisons to other products on offer. Some of the key elements of a good product or services page are as follows:

The above guidelines cater for the most commonly found pages on a website and can also be used in more general terms for further page creation. If you follow these simple guidelines you are well on your way to creating a great website and the task of populating your website should be less daunting.

Always remember though that what may look great on your word processor may not always translate well onto a web page. It is amazing how much less room there is to write on a web page, so always try to keep your text clear and concise. Have fun and enjoy watching your website come to life!