You want to give your visitors a seamless experience which makes it easy for them to get around your website. In order to do this, you need to correctly set up your navigation menus and pages. In this chapter, you are going to learn methods that are the most effective ways to accomplish this.
Navigation Menus
A navigation menu is a list or group of links that direct visitors to different pages and sections without scrolling. You want the viewer to find exactly what they want as quickly and painlessly as possible. Some sites may use a single primary navigation bar on each page. Some choose to use a primary navigation bar on the home page and then secondary bars on others.
In my experience, I find that the most effective navigation menus are horizontal and are placed at the very top of the website or directly below the header image. And most importantly, they need to be on every page, not just the Home page.
Ever since the first websites started showing up on the Internet, people have been trained to look for horizontal menu bars to navigate around a website and find the pages they want. Some web designers try to do all kinds of variations with vertical menus, toggle menus, slide-in or pop-out menus. Although some of those fancy menus look really cool, testing has shown that effectiveness decreases.
Remember, we want stuff that works. Avoid that which is complicated or confusing.
Don’t make the visitor work to find what they want. Additional navigation with graphics or animations are fine, but only as a supplement for the horizontal menu, not a substitution. After the navigation menu is set up, then it is time to decide on which pages we will add to the menu to make your website succeed.
The Three Essential Pages
To begin, let’s consider three main questions most visitors will have when landing on a local service website: Who are you? What do you do? Can I trust you?
It’s easy to get carried away when deciding which pages to include on your website.
In addition to the Home page these important questions should be answered with three essential pages:
- About Us Page (who are you?)
- Services Page (what do you do?)
- Testimonials Page (can I trust you?)
The About Us Page
Many business owners take the “About Us” page for granted and it ends up just telling what you do rather than who you are. That is unfortunate because analytics reveal the “About Us” page as one of the most visited pages on any website. In addition to your “Testimonials” page, this is an important opportunity to make a connection and build trust.
My advice is to focus on the things that make you human. Tell your story by answering these questions:
- How did you get started in the business?
- What makes your company different from your competitors?
- What is your opinion on customer service and how do you treat your current clients?
The idea is to let them know who you are as a person and as a company. Make it warm and conversational as if you were sitting at a table with a client telling them about yourself and what you are all about.
It is also very powerful to include one or more personal pictures of you, your crew, your family, your pets, etc. We will get more into personalization in the section on trust, but this is a great place to start.
The Services Page
The “Services” page should be set up in one of two ways, depending on how many services you offer. If you offer one service with several variations, then you can have one dedicated page explaining everything in detail. If you have multiple services, each one needs its own page. This is important for both clarity and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Each of the service pages should be displayed as a dropdown menu under the main navigation menu.
The Testimonials Page
Also known as the “Customer Reviews” page, the “Testimonials” page is where visitors go to see rave reviews from past customers. It builds credibility and trust. Simple text-based testimonials are fine and are definitely better than nothing, but the most effective testimonials will be joined by a photo of the reviewer. I call these “Power Reviews”. And if you really want to take it up a level use video testimonials. Some people may be reluctant to share their full name, but most will share their first name and the city where they live.
The “Home,” “About Us,” “Services” and “Testimonials” pages will make for a complete website. Additional pages can be effective depending on your marketing strategy. Let’s look at some of these pages in detail.
The Optional Special Offers Page
Another important page I would like to discuss is the Special Offers page. This is a controversial topic as most marketing experts warn against putting discounts, coupons or specials on advertising. Their argument is that it cheapens your service, causes price wars and encourages price shopping, and that is true to a certain extent. However, the decision to include a Specials Page depends on your business model.
I know some business owners that refuse to put any kind of pricing anywhere on their website or advertising and they do very well. Others will put special offers all over the website including the “Home” page and are also very successful. So which model should you choose?
In our business, we have tried both models with great success and it all came down to one question: How busy are we right now and can we handle more customers with the same amount of care and consideration that is our standard? Remember, the great part about advertising with a website is that you can change things on the fly anytime you want to. Unlike a static ad in a phone book or directory, you have the flexibility to easily test, assess and regroup.
What Is a Blog Page And Do I Need One?
A blog is simply a website page that is continually updated with new articles or posts. There is a lot of misinformation in the world of Internet marketing about blogs. Some people claim that you must have a blog that is constantly updated in order to rank on Google. I can tell you first hand that this is a myth, especially when it comes to a local business website.
At one point we conducted a test on over 30 different client sites by adding a unique blog post every week for over six months to see what effect it would have on Google rankings. The results showed that it had no effect. So why would someone choose to have a blog?
The purpose of a blog is to provide new and useful information to your clients, much like an online newspaper or magazine. I personally use a blog on my website because I am constantly informing my clients and prospects of new updates or changes in the world of web design and Internet marketing.
Does this mean you should do the same? Only if you enjoy writing articles and have a steady stream of fresh information to share with people. The typical local service business will not have the time or desire to constantly write new articles.
So, is it essential to the success of your website? Absolutely not. Can it be helpful if you enjoy writing articles on a continual basis? Possibly, but don’t depend on it, as it won’t affect SEO.
Other Pages
Most other pages are considered bonus information. They are not essential to the website, but can be helpful as support pages. Here are some examples of other pages you could have on your website:
– Contact Us
– Service Area
– FAQ
– Tips
– Photo Gallery
– Video Gallery
– Our Process
– Now Hiring
These bonus pages also come in handy to decrease the amount of time you spend talking with potential clients on the phone. If the potential client is one of the few people that really want to research your services, methods, processes, etc., they can read about it before they call you.
You can also direct people to certain pages instead of spending valuable time answering questions, explaining and re-explaining.
Once your website has been properly set up with menus and pages, it’s time to consider how the site will appear on smartphones and mobile devices. In the next chapter, we will discuss how to make sure your website is set up for mobile success. This is just one more step in developing your Money Machine.
Table of Contents
Intro to Book: The Service Business Money Machine
Chapter 1: The Power of Making It Easy
Chapter 2: Navigation Menus and Pages
Chapter 3: Going Mobile
Chapter 4: Website Look and Feel
Chapter 5: Domains, Hosting and Websites
Chapter 6: Building Trust On The Internet
Chapter 7: Video Power!
Chapter 8: Closing the Deal
Chapter 9: SEO – Understanding the Game
Chapter 10: On-site SEO
Chapter 11: Off-site SEO
Chapter 12: Google My Business FAQ
Chapter 13: Facebook Marketing
Chapter 14: Bringing It All Together
