Ever wondered why you never hear about people “reading” the internet? Simple – most web users don’t read, they browse, or scan. They’re impatient; they want information and they want it fast.

You therefore have to make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for – and a significant part of that involves using logical structures, both for your website as a whole and on each individual page.

The basic website structure

Every website should contain the following four pages or sections: Home, About Us, Products or Services and Contact Us. The titles are negotiable; the sections aren’t.

1. Home page
A good home page makes it as easy as possible for people to understand what you do – and use you. This doesn’t mean cramming all your information onto one page – it means engaging the user and selling yourself as quickly as possible.

Get the basics right – save detail for pages that come deeper in your site. Consider the Google [link] home page – just the all-important search box, plus company logo and links to further services and company information.

2. About Us
This is where you establish your credentials. Who are you? What makes you good at what you do? Why should people use you? This is where you back up your claims with evidence; it’s your virtual CV.

3. Products/Services
The structure of this section will depend on what you offer. You may include multiple pages, you may have one. Your home page clarifies and sells what you do in general; this section sells specifics.

4. Contact Us
Does what it says on the tin – and should be accessible from every page of your website. Your content could throw up questions at any moment – make it easy for your users to get an answer. Getting them to contact you is the first stage of engagement – and this is exactly what you want your website to do.

Optional sections

These could include:

• Articles on subjects relevant to your area of expertise – to showcase your knowledge and abilities
• Blog – to engage clients and reveal more about your company ethos and brand
• Client testimonials and/or case studies – to establish your reputation and show users that you are trustworthy

Effective linking

Users rarely work through web pages in order – they leap to sections that they believe are relevant to what they are looking for.

Encourage users to browse more of your site by linking through to different sections at relevant points in the text. Eg. if you are including testimonials both throughout your website and in a separate Testimonials section, link through to the full section at the bottom of each testimonial.

Make the wording of your links meaningful. Links are highlighted text, so will jump out of the page – which is why a link reading Contact us is more effective than one that says Click here.

For further tips on effective web writing, see: Get the words on your website home page right.