Forgotten Links on Your Web Site

When it comes to planning a Web site, some folks out there remember the special toppings on the pizza, but forget the crust. There are a some real basics that every Web site must have, and it really does annoy me to no end when they do not. All of these can be tied into giving the visitor more information. The basic problem right now is too many people are working on special features.

Think what Dr. Frankenstein’s monster would have looked like if he was missing some of the most important parts. You need the backbone before you can start adding those arms and limbs. Without it, you just have a meaty sack of flesh and bones.

About or Resume Web Page

Why not tell me who you are? This is worst on blogs because people want it to be quick and painless and don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the back end. They just want to write that post that will take them to the top of the social bookmarking Web sites out there. Don’t just say your name is Tom. Tell me your name and tell me why you should be listened to.

Contact or Support Web Page

Don’t provide a service and then give me no way to get in contact with you. The service will remain nameless for right now, but the other day I was looking for contact information from a Web site and I could not find it. I searched and searched - and almost gave up hope. Finally I found on some forums (outside of the first company’s Web site) that gave me a link to an E-mail address. That is frustrating to no end, and most folks will not go to that much trouble to contact you.

Site Map or “Master” Navigation Web Page

If you have a busy Web site with lots of different features, make sure you give a clear path as to how to get back and forth between all the content. The worst thing that can happen to a visitor is finding themselves on a Web page that doesn’t tell them where they are inside of the Web site. If all else fails, at least give a site map. This way I can quickly glance and see if you provide what I need or not.

[tags]basics, content, links, forgotten, help, contact[\tags]