What makes a good website? What components are a must-have for an effective website? Jamie will discuss how to decide what pieces your website needs and provide tips for producing the best version of each component. This session is designed mostly for the company or organization that is creating their own website using WordPress, or at least is providing most of the content for a designer who is creating the website.

1. Anatomy of a Website
Jamie Smith
WordCamp Kansas City 2016

2. Your presenter:
Jamie Smith
• Owner of Jamie’s Notebook
• Lives in Northwest Arkansas
• Jamiesnotebook.com
• @JamiesNotebook

3. An effective website must:
• Be search engine friendly (links, plugins, keywords, mobile)
• Be intuitive to navigate (function)
• Be clear with its call to action (what do you want readers to do?)
• Be clear in how the company/organization can solve the visitor’s specific
problem(s) (Content…words and/or pictures)

4. Search engine friendly
• Plugins-for websites I like All In One SEO
• Links and keywords
• Pages (more pages are better for SEO but use menus)
• Blog

5. Don’t make them think
Guidelines
• Navigation should be intuitive
• Navigation should be uncluttered
• Consider what order/location most
sites place functions
• Content should be in the logical
place
Tips/Common issues
• Use menus function with subpages (usually
no more than 5-7 parent pages)
• Search usually top right
• Home-About-Services-(Other)-Blog-Contact
• Social media icons usually near top right or
directly under header image
• Widgets usually right column

6. Call to action
• All the information on your website is great … what do you want them to do
about it? Think beyond “hire us.”
• Every page and each blog should have a distinct call to action with a link
(usually the contact page)
• Call to action should also be in the side columns (could include call us,
connect to us, etc.)

7. Potential calls to action
• Sign up for a newsletter
• Take a quiz
• Download an audio or video file
• Download an ebook or white paper
• Fill out a poll or survey
• Make a comment
• Pose a question
• Sign up for a webinar or teleclass
• Make an appointment for a
complimentary consultation
• Refer a friend

8. Clear solution to problem
• You are a solution to their problem. Tell and show them how you help them
and therefore are the best choice
• Capture their attention with creative words, but don’t sacrifice clarity.
“Edginess” often leads to ambiguity
• Avoid tired buzzwords
• Be careful with industry lingo-help them understand what you are talking
about (pictures are great for this)

9. General best practices
• At least one (the more the better)
applicable photo on each page.
• Write in third person throughout the
site (even bios). An exception might be
the contact page. Even then, it’s best to
use plural first person.
• Reduce your photo file sizes to help
page load time
• Consider the F-reading pattern when
writing
• Website is a major part of your brand.
It should fit your company culture and
overall brand
• Only use content that you have
permission to use!

10. Essential Pages
What should they include (or not include?)

11. Home
• This isn’t just a welcome mat-it’s a hub
• You have mere seconds to capture—and keep their attention
• Home page should tell very clearly what you do and what hurt point you
solve, as well as invite them to engage (CTA)
• TOO much information causes clutter and will turn them off

12. Home
• Headline-tell what your site has to
offer
• Subheadline-zero in on a common
pain point
• Primary CTA (2-3 above the fold with
at least one below the fold. Meet
different needs of the buy cycle)
• Supporting images or video
• Describe what you do matters-keep
the copy lightweight
• Easy navigation
• Resources
• Some form of success indicator

13. About
• Should tell who your company is and why it exists
• Brief but thorough history
• Include dates not “X Years”
• If someone were to write a blog about your company from your about page,
how accurate and complete would it be?
• Pictures help tell the story (don’t use stock photos here)
• You do business with people. Show your humanity!

14. Services/Products
• This is where you can go into more detail about what you offer and how you
help.
• You need pictures and words that tell your story
• Use different keywords throughout the text to fit various searches (keep in
mind some may not know exactly what they are looking for)
• This is one of the first places I recommend moving into subpages
• List all services at top then go into more detail at bottom

15. Blog
Blogging more frequently will improve your SEO
Key components of a blog post:
• 350 – 700 words
• Attention-getting, key-worded title
• Open paragraph has to go immediately to the point
• Relevant image(s)
• Main body – make it easy to skim using subheadings, bullet points, etc.
• Close with a discussion question/call to action

16. Contact
• Phone number
• Hours (as applicable)
• Mailing address (if different or if you don’t want visitors)
• Physical address with Google map and written directions
• Social media
• Contact form
• If specific requests should go to a specific person, consider listing that email.

17. Other possible parent pages
• Portfolio/Testimonials/Gallery (having pictures of your work, if applicable,
is also great for individual service pages)
• News/Media (links to articles featuring your company, press releases you’ve
written, etc.)
• Purchase/Hire (Do you sell products online? Do you offer services and want
to share rates?)

18. Other Suggested Pages
Their parent pages and best practices

19. Under “About” • Mission/Vision
• Meet the team
• Message from our Founder/CEO/Leader
These pages expound on
who you are as a company
and to some degree,
individuals

20. Under “Services/Products”
• Could also be categories of
products/services
• Link to each page from the main services
page and also link back to the main
service page from the individual pages
• Each page should detail what the
service/product is but more importantly,
how it solves the reader’s problem.
These pages are a great place
to go into more detail about
individual services or product
categories, complete with
pictures where applicable

21. Additional resources
• #WCFAY 2015 Why and How Businesses Should Blog on SlideShare
• #WCKC The Beginner's Guide to Writing in WordPress on SlideShare
• Check the blog for the company who created your theme
• Canva and Picmonkey are great for altering pictures