5 Basic Web Pages Every Site Must Have

I started to write the tip of the day and then realized it's probably more of a blog post. So here goes, 5 web pages you've got to have on your website (and why).

1. The About Us page. This builds credibility at minimum. Today I was looking at a website I would potentially spend money on but it's highly technical and would have to be based upon really good supporting data.
   
   If I knew more about how the company compiled the data I would have been on board quick as a wink. Now I'm going to spend more time surfing the product/service before buying.
   
   
2. Contact Page. I know, goes without saying right? Wrong! There are a lot, I mean a lot, of web pages that have only a contact form on the site (often that's their idea of the contact page). If you want to be taken seriously whether business person or blogger you have to give people options to contact you other than a form.
   
   Best credibility: address, phone and email. Afraid you'll get spam, sales calls etc - then just get out off the web. Get a better spam filter, screen your calls - that's how everyone else does it (okay most everyone).
   
   
   
3. Customer Comments. Use them throughout the site and have them compiled on one page. It's another source of keywords being used and the referral value is unmeasured! It's the way people do business - show me that someone like me used your product/service and their problem was solved and I'll buy it for myself!
   
   I was looking for a new winter coat this week (online, of course) and I browsed several top websites and saw plenty of options. One of my favorites I read the reviews and several people complained that the coat didn't fit as described, boxy etc. The other had rave reviews from every single person whether it was a gift they received or they purchased themselves. And I mean RAVING! paragraphs of pure joy. Guess which coat I bought.
   
   
   
4. FAQ. Frequently asked questions for anyone who hasn't seen or heard the term. This one page has potentially more power than any other pages on your website. Why? Pure keyword usage in natural language plus all the benefits of buying your product/service.
   It's like candy to the search engine.
   
   
   
5. Finally - your product or service with solid descriptions using keywords in a natural way to show the benefits that your company has to offer. If you want them to buy it, tell them how it will solve their problem in the simplest terms. You don't have to be ultra persuasive, you just have to be clear.
   

Okay so that's the Tip of the Day that turned into a blog post. I would love to have your feedback so feel free to post below. If you want to get more daily tips please follow me on Facebook: Internet Marketing Ideas.

Blah Reduction!

So today Chris and I are sitting here working on a client website, reworking the style sheet and adding to the content when I said, "I think it just needs an image" and Chris replies, "Yeah, a little blah reduction."

Pretty funny but true! It's so easy to get caught up in the words on the page, the descriptive text, the headings, the key words. Good web developers recognize that people are visual beings and beyond breaking up the "blah" the right images can further convey the primary message on the page. The key is to choose the right image.

So many times we see photos of the "office" on attorney websites, photos of a real estate agent instead of the homes they are selling. What exactly are you selling? Do your images really portray the product or service?

When choosing images for your website look for pictures that are impactful, uncluttered and elicit the desired emotional impact. Always take the time to size the images appropriately. And remember to use alternative text tags! Using the right image can go a long way toward showing that what you are selling (whether product or service) is real.

Our favorite resource for images (other than photos provided by our clients) is iStockPhoto.com. If you need help with blah reduction, give us a call or email :)

But everyone else has it!

Yesterday I took my daughter shopping for new shoes. I keep telling her to stop growing but she refuses to do so. As we looked at the selection of cool light up shoes and purely athletic shoes she was a bit overwhelmed. I tried to narrow it down to the least expensive of the shoes, showing her and trying to get her read on what she liked.

Finally, after trying on the "athletic" shoe with purple glistening stripes on each side she looked up a shoe I kept bypassing because it looked so plain. She said, "Savannah has those shoes" and I thought okay, let's take a look.

When I opened the box the shoe actually came with little charm bling across the toe attached to the grommets and two sets of laces to be laced together (pink & white). She was sold and the price was right.

The day made me think of how well social marketing works. She saw a friend with them, she wanted them too. Then I realized, kids have been doing this for years, albeit sometimes it was annoying to be reminded of what their friends had!

Social media is just one more channel that is presented to people amongst all the other clutter on the internet (search engines, websites, text ads, banner ads, video etc.) and off the internet (television, radio, billboards etc.) who can really make a choice with all of this going on?

But the one thing social media does offer is the "but everyone else has . . . " in a more grown up form of course. And if everyone else has it, then it must be the thing I need too!

Not only is social media more important than ever (hey, facebook gets more traffic than Google!) it's also a great supplement to testimonials or customer comments already on your website.

And, speaking of social marketing -- it's time for me to get to work socializing on behalf of my clients. Have a terrific Monday!