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CONTENT
STRUCTURE FOR YOUR WEB SITE
A
web site has visual content, textual content
and a structure that puts all of it together.
The most efficient
way to organize a website is to start by
getting your main ideas written down then
to create a storyboard. Choose your main
topics and sub-topics and make a flow chart.
Remember that the topics that should be
answered by your website are "What
do you do?", "How will they benefit?",
"What is your history?" and "What
is your contact info?"
Typical
main content for a web site are:
Home Page -
Splash Page
Company Information
Products -
Services
Samples
Contact Information
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Topics
often included:
Mission Statement
Careers - Jobs
Facts &
Questions
Testimonials
Team - Company
Personnel
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An example of an overall flow chart:
In each section,
define what content is to be on each page
such as links to other pages, images to be
used, descriptions, copyright information,
etc.
Once you've finished
storyboarding and have the structure of
your site completed, the textual content
for the web must be accomplished. Writing
for the web is unlike writing for print
or paper.
Jacob Nielsen,
author of Designing Web Usability, states:
79% of users
scan the page instead of reading
word-for-word
Reading from
the computer screens is 25% slower
than from paper
Web content
should have 50% of the word count
of its paper equivalent
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Keep in mind the following ideas when writing
for the web.
1.
Limit the amount of scrolling. Users
dislike scrolling down long pages. Instead,
make shorter pages and making linking
pages; one main page (main topic) and
sub-pages (one idea each).
2. Keep your sentences simple
especially if you have a varied audience.
Being overly smart may alienate your
potential client and audience. Your
international audience may have a harder
time understanding metaphors and need
a dictionary.
3. Use bolding. Since
users will scan your page, bold captions
ands ideas that you want your audience
to notice.
4. Using bullets or numbered
lists draws your attention and catches
your eye.
5. Keep one idea per paragraph.
Users tend to read the first few lines
and skip the rest of a long paragraph.
6. Update your content.
You use credibility when your information
is outdated.
7. Integrate the keywords
in your online marketing in your text. |
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Web
Development Checklist
Before developing
a web site, there are many questions
that need resolving. Do you know what
it takes? Some people believe making
a web site is easy. This checklist
allows you to understand the tasks
and issues involved and helps you
focus on the purpose of your web site.
Print
Media Checklist
This is a
comprehensive checklist to help make
easier decisions when creating any
kind of print media.
Online
Marketing Service Analysis
Do you really
need all that marketing? Don't let
people sell you what you don't want
or you don't need. Assess why you
want marketing and what services you
need.
How
to Write a Mission Statement
Does your
company have a mission statement?
If you don't then do you really know
where your company is heading? By
writing a mission statement, you can
focus your company's vision and focus
on success.
Content
Structure for your Website
It takes more
than pretty graphics to make a website
successful. You can attract users
with great graphics but in order to
keep them interested, you need good
content. This helps you structure
and organize content.
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