Have you been spending too much time trying to figure out how to layout your website in a way that makes sense to your visitors? OR perhaps you've been struggling to find that perfect place for a new audio or video piece you just put together.

If you're like me, you might even spend time surfing websites you really like to see if you can add anything similar to your own. The reality is that you could spend days at your computer trying to evaluate all of your favorite sites and taking notes on what you like best about them. Worse yet, you may not even see the pattern or commonality amongst all of them to use as a model of how to setup your own website. Don't feel bad!

Whether you do or don't see the common features, what most sites have in common is the pages or items they feature and where they place access to them. Here's some quick and easy steps you can follow to figure out how your site should be laid out for what you have to offer your viewer.

Step 1: Ask yourself, "What do I want my visitor to do FIRST when they arrive on my site?"

Think carefully; do you have a message or special item you want them to click on, notice or purchase? whether it's signing up for your newsletter, or reading the new report you wrote, or purchasing a new product/service, this item should be placed on your website in an attention grabbing location.

One of the most important tips to remember is that you can help visitors figure this out by telling them what you would like for them to do. A great way to do this is with Audio or Video.

Step 2: Make It Obvious!

Place your special item (free report, ezine signup, WHATEVER) where it can be easily seen and used. Typically a great place to do this is in the right hand side of the top of your website's home page. The eye has a natural tendency to drift from left to right across before moving down the page. This way, they'll see right away what you want them to do!

Example 1: If you're using audio, place the audio controls with a bolded message beneath it instructing the visitor to "Click here for a special message from [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]." or "Click here to hear what I've put together for YOU!"

Example 2: If you're using video, place it in the center of the screen with a bold and inviting title so they can see it when the page first loads. Don't place annoying ads or other items that would carry your visitor away from this page anywhere near this item. Remember, keep them focused on what you want them to do.

Step 3: Present What You Do or Offer

Space on your home page is very valuable. Oftentimes I see sites that are beautiful to look at but not functional in that they don't show me right away what the person or company does, or what they can offer me. Have you seen sites like these?

Consider for a moment what you are really offering your visitors. Is your site meant to focus on one information based product/service or multiples?

If you are working on a layout to support one product/service, you'll probably want to try a sales-letter based layout. The sales letter layout is powerful because it speaks to the reader, first alerting them to the problem or issue they are facing and then presents a solution the reader can identify with and hopefully are ready to invest in. (See the end of this article for more info on how to write sales letters.)

If however you have more than one product or service, your website will most likely be setup with a Summary Product or Service's page and may also have multiple pages. In this case, select one or two that you would like to feature and place those up front on your homepage. Try placing the product/service photo and blurb on a nicely colored background (cream or light, light yellow) and then using energizing text colors for the title (such as green, red and orange) to draw the eye.

*TIP: Remember to rotate through your products each month and offer a special discount on these to your list subscribers as a bonus!

Step 4: K.I.S.S (Keep it Simple Silly!)

What I mean by keep it simple is to place text or button links to major pages such as Home, Contact Us, Products or Services in plain site on the top, side AND bottom of the page if possible. This way no matter where the viewer is at, they can easily find what they need or contact you for help.

Bingo, now you have 4 simple steps to placing the most important aspects of what you have to offer up front for your viewers.

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Website designer Krista Garren publishes the "Design Like an Expert" monthly ezine where you can learn EASY, fun and money saving website design strategies to build a BUSINESS BOOSTING website. To learn more, check out her ezine and sign up for her FREE how-to report at http://www.designlikeanexpert.com

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