Even though we’ve all seen pages that don’t fit the home page, about page, a few info pages, contact page model – do we think of them as integral to website design? The hidden life of websites comprises all the pages we discover as we explore the site. Here are some examples of pages that are not so easy to find because they’re not on the main menu.
- When you first arrive at a website, you arrive on a landing page. Some websites have many landing pages, others have one, usually the home page. The website owner who knows their markets can design several pages that address each market’s needs directly. So, you might Google a keyword or phrase and follow a link to a relevant landing page. Or else you follow a link from a particular site to a landing page designed for visitors from that site. How do you know it’s a landing page? You might think you’re on the home page until you hit the home button and find yourself somewhere else entirely.
- Funnel pages often follow on from landing pages or if you follow a link to a particular offer. Sales funnel offers may be described on one or over several sales pages. It’s a funnel because other readers will join them from other pages. They might tell you more about a product and then channel you to point where you must decide whether to buy a product or subscribe to an email list or sign a petition or … Funnal pages keep you reading and you wouldn’t believe the time and effort that goes into them!
- The final funnel page is sometimes called a squeeze page. There you have to decide to sign up or leave the site. It will always have a form on it and usually a heading and minimal copy or a video.
- And there is the success page you visit following your purchase or subscription. This page will thank you and sometimes you can log into part of the website previously inaccessible.
- Blogs are another part of the site where there may be more pages than you can find in the main navigation.
These pages are designed to do a job. A website is not a static picture; it is a programmable machine. Your challenge is to work out how to structure information so that it supports your purpose. This works equally well whether you are selling something, seeking supporters for a cause, sharing information or displaying artwork.
If you can think of page types I’ve missed, share them in the comments.
