All successful websites must have some sort of common content in order that everyone (both humans and computers) can find their way around them to some degree.
This similarity has nothing to do with the layout of your web pages, or the fonts or colours you use. All it involves is getting all the information you need down onto your page in an order that makes sense, and making sure your message gets through no matter where on your site your visitor looks.
So basically, just make sure that your site has all of the following on every page, and you will be fine!
First of all, introductions:
Page title (at the top of the browser)
When using a search engine, the first line of any result is the page title, so this is how you are going to attract customers to your page in the first place. So you had better make it good! Try to use proper sentences, but also try to keep it less than sixty characters (as this is all that will show on most search engines displays!)
Description Metatag
This is the only metatag you really need, and most search engines will use this at some point when indexing. Try to keep it to a maximum of 150 characters if possible to describe the contents of each page. If it is written well enough, it may also help boost the number of visitors onto your site, so try and get creative with it.
Main Header
You can put this before or after the navigation section, that’s up to you, but this just introduces your site and tells people what to expect. Don’t just write ‘Welcome to my home page’, give more of an idea as to what the page is for e.g., ‘Help on perfecting symmetrical pizza slicing’.
Computer indexing will use this to get a sense of your site from this and it gives you a good opportunity to get in some of the keywords for your site.
Navigation
This is one of the keys to an effective website, so make sure you put it in the best place possible: either across the top, down the left or down the right hand side. It doesn’t matter which of the three you choose, just keep it constant on every page.
Keep your navigation simple, try to use words instead of pictures as they take longer to download, and don’t rely on JavaScript. Make sure visitors can find the important pages they need wherever they are on your site, and that they know where the links are sending them.
This is another good opportunity to make use of your keywords, but don’t ever just type ‘click here’!
Main content
Don’t forget that this is the most important part of the site! It’s all fair and good having perfect headers and titles and navigation, but if your visitor has nothing to look at once they are on your site, they will log off pretty quickly.
Introductory paragraph
Whatever your site is for, you should have some sort of an introductory paragraph. It’s also another good opportunity to include your keywords once again!
Your expert advice
The more successful websites have more content. It helps search engines when it comes to indexing them, and means your visitor has something to read, and shows that you know what you are talking about, and people can rely on your expert advice.
Footer
This is a really good place for you to repeat your navigation links and give over contact details and say goodbye. It’s a good idea 2 sign off the page with a reminder of the main purpose of the page using your title or header for inspiration, so it’s the last thing people read, and so they are more likely to remember it.
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