So, you have a clear picture in your mind of how your website is going to look, but now you need to create the structure. What pages will you build? How will they be connected? What kind of navigation will you have? It’s important to decide now before you start building your site and not just allow it to grow like topsy.
Probably the easiest structure is a step-by-step sequence. If you have a simple brochure or catalogue site, a set of pages that step the visitor through the details he wants to know may be all that is required. Perhaps with a call to action, a phone number, address, ‘buy now’ button or email opt-in, on the last page.
Many authority, information or reference sites will have a table of contents on the home page, linking to a topic page, that links deeper to sub-pages. The bbc is a good example. Good navigation is key with these sites as is a site map or index page and a search facility. Search boxes are recommended on all sites with many pages. It helps to make your content easy to find.
Product sales websites will have a sales letter on the home page, with a ‘buy now’ button and often just a download page, if it’s a digital product and can be downloaded instantly. This has to be the simplist structure of all. Or if making a sale is a multi-step process, where you develop a relationship with your customer before he buys your product, you may want him to opt-in to your email list or newsletter.
Catalogue sites usually have a complex site structure. There may be articles, reviews and other content. And this could be separate from your product range, divided up into logical groups, each with it’s own cluster of pages with photos, data and links, perhaps to other parts of the site. Amazon is a good example of a complex, catalogue site.
If you are selling products or expect visitors to opt-in to your email list, you should have a privacy policy, about and contact, which may all be separate pages. And with ecommerce you must think carefully about how you step your buyer through the buying process, what pages will link to your credit card merchant, and how to present the details of a successful transaction to your customer.
The easiest way to build a structure is with a simple diagram. Map out each page as a box with it’s function and how the pages link together, using arrows between the boxes. It doesn’t need to be formal, just pencil-drawn on a large sheet of paper, but it will help to crystalize your thoughts.
And once you have the structure mapped out, navigation is the next task. Good navigation is really important and deserves careful consideration. There are many techniques you can use to build usable navigation to help visitors find what they want quickly and easily, and it’s the subject of a future discussion…
