The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing

Truth 36. A home page must crystallize who you are

To demonstrate how you can go about creating a Web site structure and home page, let’s plan a simple one for a craftsperson who’s starting from scratch. And let’s suppose she creates a range of crafts and clothing that sell from $50 to $500 and have a “Vermont” theme.

Goals—To sell products via the Internet and bolster the owner’s artistic credibility when she sells at fairs.

Audience—People who like handmade crafts and the Vermont “feel.”

Content plan—Translating these into the Internet medium, she will want, minimally, the following:

• Home page

• Meet the Artist (a version of About Us)

• Product showcase (one page or set of pages for each kind of product with brief introduction)

• “Where ...