Building a website does not have to be hard or complicated. If you break down the task into steps it really becomes simple. You begin by building a few simple pages.
You can break down building a website, web page by web page into five steps:
Here are the five steps:
Step #1: Plan Your Site
Step #2: Get a Template
Step #3: Make Your Graphics
Step #4: Modify Your Template
Step #5: Upload Your New Web Pages
In this web page building episode, we’ll cover the first step:
Plan Your Site
Your site does NOT need to be complicated. At a bare minimum, you need these two pages:
A sales page that convinces prospects to purchase and includes an order link so that they can do so.
A thank you page, which is where your new customers will be able to sign up for your product, service or join a newsletter mailing list.
As mentioned earlier, you may decide to add other things to your site, such as a page about your affiliate program, a squeeze page to help you build a mailing list, contact page, privacy policy, etc.
So you can focus on the simplest part, we’re going to focus on the two-page site. (You can add your other pages later.)
1. Sales page.
This page typically includes these parts:
An eye-catching header. This header usually includes photos or other graphics that match the overall site, the name of the site and perhaps even a line of text such as the main benefit. You want people to get a sense of what the page is about merely by looking at the header.
A matching footer graphic. This is a graphic at the bottom of your page that matches the header (i.e., the same colors, graphics, etc). It may include your name and a copyright notice.
Graphics depicting the product. Depending on what you’re offering, you may show graphics of ebooks, reports, CDs, videos, etc.
Other graphical elements to “spice up” your page, including buy buttons, bullet points or check marks, guarantee seals, graphics that look like handwriting, etc.
You may also consider a background graphic (though this isn’t necessary, and the wrong background makes a sales page look amateurish).
Your sales letter.
If you’re not using a separate squeeze page, then you’ll need an email capture form. This form may either be embedded within the sales letter or it can show up as a pop-up or hovering window.
The separate pop-up or hovering form is more popular, because filling out the form doesn’t take the prospect away from your sales page.
At this step you want to plan what each of the elements will look like. What colors best fit your niche? What type of graphics will add to your overall design?
Example: If you’re doing a site promoting dog training, then you already know that a site with dogs and an “pet lovers” feel and pictures of dogs are things you’ll want to include.
For inspiration, look at your competitors’ sites and analyze what you like and dislike about them.
CAUTION!
DON’T copy any of them – rather, use the other sites as inspiration for your new web pages.
2. Thank you page.
The second page is the thank you page, which is a very simple page that includes the following content.
<–Side Note–>
All of the pages on your site should match your sales page as far as colors and design elements.
<–End Side Note–>
Thank your new customer for his purchase, and congratulate him on making a wise decision.
Then you remind your new customer of all the benefits he’s about to receive. He’s enthusiastic now – and you want to keep him that way!
A good way to do this is to restate the benefits of what you are selling from your sales page.
Next, you remind him of how the charge on his credit card statement will appear.
Finally, your thank you page will include an email-capture form so he can join your mailing list.
Once you’ve planned the look of your site, you’re ready to start the actual building of your web pages.
We’ll cover the actual building of your web pages in the next episode.
Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com
Building a website does not have to be hard or complicated. If you break down the task into steps it really becomes simple. You begin by building a few simple pages.
You can break down building a website, web page by web page into five steps:
Step #1: Plan Your Site
Step #2: Get a Template
Step #3: Make Your Graphics
Step #4: Modify Your Template
Step #5: Upload Your New Web Pages
In this web page building episode, we’ll cover the first step:
Plan Your Site
Your site does NOT need to be complicated. At a bare minimum, you need these two pages:
A sales page that convinces prospects to purchase and includes an order link so that they can do so.
A thank you page, which is where your new customers will be able to sign up for your product, service or join a newsletter mailing list.
As mentioned earlier, you may decide to add other things to your site, such as a page about your affiliate program, a squeeze page to help you build a mailing list, contact page, privacy policy, etc.
So you can focus on the simplest part, we’re going to focus on the two-page site. (You can add your other pages later.)
1. Sales page
This page typically includes these parts:
An eye-catching header. This header usually includes photos or other graphics that match the overall site, the name of the site and perhaps even a line of text such as the main benefit. You want people to get a sense of what the page is about merely by looking at the header.
A matching footer graphic. This is a graphic at the bottom of your page that matches the header (i.e., the same colors, graphics, etc). It may include your name and a copyright notice.
Graphics depicting the product. Depending on what you’re offering, you may show graphics of ebooks, reports, CDs, videos, etc.
Other graphical elements to “spice up” your page, including buy buttons, bullet points or check marks, guarantee seals, graphics that look like handwriting, etc.
You may also consider a background graphic (though this isn’t necessary, and the wrong background makes a sales page look amateurish).
Your sales letter.
If you’re not using a separate squeeze page, then you’ll need an email capture form. This form may either be embedded within the sales letter or it can show up as a pop-up or hovering window.
The separate pop-up or hovering form is more popular, because filling out the form doesn’t take the prospect away from your sales page.
At this step you want to plan what each of the elements will look like. What colors best fit your niche? What type of graphics will add to your overall design?
Example: If you’re doing a site promoting dog training, then you already know that a site with dogs and an “pet lovers” feel and pictures of dogs are things you’ll want to include.
For inspiration, look at your competitors’ sites and analyze what you like and dislike about them.
CAUTION!
DON’T copy any of them – rather, use the other sites as inspiration for your new web pages.
2. Thank you page
The second page is the thank you page, which is a very simple page that includes the following content.
<–Side Note–>
All of the pages on your site should match your sales page
as far as colors and design elements.
<–End Side Note–>
Thank your new customer for his purchase, and congratulate him on making a wise decision.
Then you remind your new customer of all the benefits he’s about to receive. He’s enthusiastic now – and you want to keep him that way!
A good way to do this is to restate the benefits of what you are selling from your sales page.
Next, you remind him of how the charge on his credit card statement will appear.
Finally, your thank you page will include an email-capture form so he can join your mailing list.
Once you’ve planned the look of your site, you’re ready to start the actual building of your web pages.
We’ll cover the actual building of your web pages in the next episode.
Michael Wise
eMarketProfitStrategies.com
P.S. To read more about myths about building a website, grab a copy of the eye opening report:
7 Myths of Website Development and Marketing