Internet users are objective driven, all users have a reason for being there - they simply want to get something out of it. If you can provide the specific information they are looking for you will fulfil there need and accomplish the objective you set out to achieve. The way in which you structure your website is therefore of utmost importance in retaining visitors once you have attracted them. It’s a good idea to draw up a website page structure chart on paper before you brief your web designer, and follow these guidelines:

» If you have the knowledge and can write the content you can never overload the system, the World-Wide-Web has the capacity to cope with your information overload! Just remember the simple funnel technique, the user starts at the top and checks out at the bottom. From the moment the consumer starts reading you have the opportunity to sell them your product or service so at the end of reading there must be a way of checking out enabling them to take advantage of your offer. Additionally interlink your content with other relevant pages within your site, search engines love cross referencing and this will only add depth to your content driven website. When drawing up your site structure make reference between interlinked pages so users can browse your pages more easily.

» Put important information as few clicks away as possible from your homepage.

» Make sure your website has a sitemap.

» Remember that people searching for information online may be looking for different ways to get to the same content. Some enquiries are product brand driven, while other users will focus on the end use of a product, what it does.

» Not everyone will arrive at your websites Homepage. You should plan effective landing pages that will clearly route users directly into specific topic areas.

» The way in which you create you websites structure will directly impact they way in which search engines index it, your WebPages should be categorised correctly into product and service areas.