|
|
| Features... This is what makes your website really powerful and provides the information that that customers need to use your business on the Internet. Any or all of these types of pages can be added to your website.
Products and/or Services
One of the most important pages on your website is your Products or your Services. This is what you do in your business. These pages will illustrate how customers can purchase products from you. If you business is a service company, you can highlight your services.
Special Events
This can be everything from a Grand Opening to a Seasonal Sales Extravaganza. It might highlight classes or professional training that you are going to offer. You can include coupons or extended hours; special pricing or exclusive product offerings; company picnics or group meetings. Anything you want to display that has a date, time, location, or special offereing can go on this page.
Calendar
This is much more than just a calendar. You can include maps to the location of an event, meeting, or class. You can include repeating events and all-day training sessions. Customers can have reminders sent to them by e-mail. This can be developed as a standalone page or can be used in conjunction with the Special Events page format.
Blog
A Blog (web log) is a seperate page that connects you with other people in a very unique way. It can be used as a Information Forum to answer questions about specific subjects. If you are an expert in a field, you can offer valuable information to customers and potential customers. A Blog can also be a more free-form discussion area. Many news businesses and organizations have Blogs that allow members to have interactive "conversations" on the Internet. Material from a website Blog might be used to integrate information into a Newsletter that can be sent out to subscribers.
Favorite Sites
In every business situation, you network with other businesses and organizations. You might be a part of a professional organization, or Business Networking International, or a trade guild. You also might offer classes at other businesses, or team up with other businesses to offer a combination of products or services. It is always wise to link to other websites that you support or do business with. For example, I had a website that specialized in organic pet supplies. I linked with the ASPCA, with specialized pet toy suppliers, and with vertranarians. You can also build in Affiliate Programs, that link to complimentary websites that will pay you a fee if a customer links from your site to theirs, and buys something.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you have been in business for a while, or have extensive knowledge in a particular area, you have heard the most frequently asked questions dozens of times. This feature reduces time and frustration for people who are looking at your website for a particular piece of information or a specific product or service. You format a common question, and then you offer a comprehensive answer that covers the question thoroughly. This builds confidence in you expertise, and is a very positive part of your website. If the question is about a particular product or service or piece of information, you can also link words in the answer to a web page that displays a product, service, or information page that offers a solution to whatever they might be seeking.
Newsletters
If you have been in business for a while, or have extensive knowledge in a particular area, you have heard the most frequently asked questions dozens of times. This feature reduces time and frustration for people who are looking at your website for a particular piece of information or a specific product or service.
Comparison Grid
If your business is in strong competition with similar businesses, or if you want to introduce a new product or service, a Comparison Grid is a great way to illustrate the benefits of doing business with you or upgrading to a new product or service. You can compare prices, services, features, or benefits.
Employee Bio
If you want to feature one or more employees, this age allows you many options. You can feature a new employee. You can give recognition to an employee who has contributed to the business or industry, and you can let you customers know about new employees that are coming on board to offer even better service.
Legal Information
It is especially improtant to offer legal information on the Internet. While most businesses are legitimate, there have been many scams on the World-Wide-Web. You need to provide information about terms and conditions that will be in place when a customer does business with you.
Press Releases
The Internet is not the only place you get noticed. You might also have informaiton published in a local newspaper. For example, if you are opening a new location, you might have a Grand Opening, and a local news reporter might interview you for the Business Section of the paper. You can highlight this type of coverage as a Press Release.
Site Map
This is a feature that used to be very important to websites. It used to be the primary method for moving from one page to another. As the Internet has become more sophisticated, the Site Map has been replaced with Navigation tabs and hot buttons. We have included this feature, because it is available, but we usually don't build it into a website. | |
|