website structure

Good website needs a good structure.




this figure shows the basic website structure.
good to use it as a guideline when i am creating my website.


This site explained the information that a website needs:
http://www.netsecrets.co.uk/design-info/website-structure-explained.html

A Guide to Web Site Structure

1. Introduction

No web site design can be completed until the page structure
of the site is established and agreed between the client and
the web designer. The structure will dictate the names of the
navigation buttons and the linking between the various pages
on the web site. Getting the structure right will go a long way
to ensuring the visitor enjoys a good experience on the site and
therefore wants to do business with the site owner.
The structure of the site should make it possible for the designer
to create a logical and easy to follow navigation system to permit
the visitor to reach the content they want to see quickly and reliably.
It should also make it easy to add fresh content, particularly news
items or new products/services, without major change to the
graphic design of the site. NetSecrets produce a wide range of
web sites, ranging from simple 4 or 5 page online brochures to
major ecommerce sites with hundreds of pages and sophisticated
facilities. Despite this the basics of good site structure apply to
both ends of the scale and this document sets out to explain these
basics to assist clients in working with our designers to achieve
the best results possible for their online business.

2. Home Page

Every web site has a home page. It is the first page most visitors
will see and is also the most important page for attaining good
search engine rankings, as search engines give more weight to
its content than to any other page. It should confirm to the visitor
unambiguously what your site is about, what your products or
services are and how to use the facilities on the site. It should
link to every page on the site wherever possible and every page
should link back to the home page.

3. Contact Details

A top level page should generally be included to lay out the
various methods of making contact with you. The internet is
an impersonal medium so it makes visitors comfortable if they
can see a way to phone you or fax you. If people visit your
premises this page can also include directions, maps, opening hours, etc.

4. Online Enquiry Form

In most instances web sites should include an online enquiry
form at the top level of the navigation system. This makes it easy
for visitors to ask questions, request quotations or sales literature 
or tell you how great they think your site is.

5. Products/Services Page(s)

A major part of the site refers to the products and/or services
your business offers. Some sites offer just products, e.g. saucepans,
ink cartridges, domain names or diesel generators; other sites just offer
services, e.g. web design, hypnotherapy, pensions advice or seismic
surveys; and some offer both products and services. Some sites
sell a single product or service and others several thousand.
Whichever category your site falls into the basic principles
should apply to a large degree. These pages should concisely and
accurately describe what you have to offer, help the visitor choose 
between alternatives and make it as easy as possible for them to buy
(on an ecommerce-enabled site) or take their interest further if 
the site does not provide online ordering.
Although a single page can suffice for this, particularly if 
there are small numbers of products or services on offer, there 
will usually be a hierarchy of pages in this section. Imagine a site 
selling computer equipment. The top level products page might 
summarise the types of equipment on offer. This might then link
to a page on desktop PC's, then another on laptop PC's, a third on 
peripherals and a fourth on software. There might also be a 
services page linking to subsequent pages on installation, call-outs
and maintenance contracts.
The second level pages might link to a third level, e.g. peripherals 
might break down into printers, scanners and webcams. Printers
might then break down into laser printers and inkjet printers, 
and so on. The further down the hierarchy you go the more likely
the content and structure is to change as new products arrive and
old ones are removed. We will always ensure that the navigation
system will cater for this.

6. Information Pages

Information pages provide the visitor with background information
rather than product- or service-specific details. These pages are 
used to establish your credentials as a company the visitor wants 
to spend money with, and usually offer frequently updated content
that give the visitor a reason to come back to your site repeatedly. 
They also provide content for search engines to index thereby 
enhancing your position in search engine rankings.
The top level information page will usually provide links to 
some or all of the following:

• About Us/Company Profile: company history, mission statement, key personnel, position in the market place, memberships of trade or professional bodies.
• Links: other sites of interest to your visitors, link exchanges with complementary but noncompeting businesses, links to trade or professional organisations.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's): establishes your expertise in your field of business.
• Testimonials: establishes your reputation.
• Case Studies: real life examples of clients benefiting from your expertise. These should be added frequently, not less than one per quarter.
• Newsletters: news items, major orders won, new products, industry news. Again should be added to once per quarter as minimum.
• Downloads/Resources: price lists, order forms, maps and directions, product data sheets, application forms, etc.

7. Conclusion

A clear and logical site structure will help the site succeed
in gaining new prospects and clients for your business by ensuring
visitors get to the information they want with a minimum of effort.
Once the structure is agreed the site's graphic design can be finalised
and you will easily identify what content is required for the pages defined.