What is the best way to lay out my website?
This FAQ will help you to plan your website layout
Here we suggest a few ways that you can begin to plan the layout of your website, and being to add content to your pages.
What’s the best way to lay out my website?
In this video we’ll show you how to best lay out and structure your website using your Website Builder package.
So you’re having difficulty deciding how to best lay out your website.
Don’t worry; this is quite common, especially if you’re creating your website for the first time.
You might be having trouble deciding how many pages to add, where to put your text and images, or even how to build up your pages.
Well within Website Builder, there are many tools which will help you to easily structure and lay out your website.
Let’s have a look at them now.
Within your selected template, you’ll be given a default set of pages, this may include an About us, a Contact page, and your Home page.
If you wish to change the names of any of these pages simply click on Manage Pages.
So I could choose to rename this page here to be called Fitness Bootcamps.
Hover over the settings icon and then click on rename.
You can then rename the page and hit enter.
This will update the page name in your menu, navigation bar and anywhere else you see the page name.
Once you have all the pages you need for your website, you can use the Add Element menu here to add in boxes for your images and other content.
Depending on your template, you may already have some text boxes on your homepage near the top.
You can click on these boxes to delete the text and swap it with your own.
Use these section elements here to lay out your page content.
These boxes are great if you’re building up a page from scratch, just drag and drop the box you want straight onto your page.
You can then click each box and swap out the template images for your own, and just click on edit text to add in your own text.
It’s easy to change the size of your images and text boxes, just hover over the corner and drag the box in or out, and remember you can place the elements where ever you like.
You can also create spacing between your elements by hovering over them and dragging them out to where you want.
If you have a promotional video for your business it may be useful to have it near the top of your homepage, so users can see it straight away.
Have a look at the YouTube element and simply drag and drop it in.
You can then enter in the URL for the video and click on done.
If you have a contact us page you can easily add in a location map, so your customers can see where your business is, and know how to reach you.
If there’s already one within your template, just click on it and select edit.
Enter in your business address and use the design options to give it a border to help it stand out.
Just click done once you’re finished.
Remember, all of the elements are easily customisable and the great thing about drag and drop is that you can choose exactly where you want each widget to be placed.
Check out this video to see tips on how to best design your website.
When laying out your website, it's important to have a plan. Take the time to work out the aim of the website; what pages you want to have; and what you want on those pages.
Each page should have a singular purpose and you should design your page to best facilitate that purpose.
A common set up for a beginner’s website is to have a home page, an about page, and a contact page.
Your home page should introduce your website – whether it's your business or a personal website, if a visitor finds your website, the home page should immediately explain to the visitor who you are and what you do. How you do this is up to you, you could use text and images, or maybe a video.
An About Page is designed to give more information about you or your company. This will help you to build a relationship with your visitors, and allow them to further understand what it is that you do. For example, if you run a plumbing business, you could have the different type of jobs you are able to do or a list of qualifications you have earned. A portfolio website could include your CV or a list of your previous works or publications.
Your Contact page should be self-explanatory: this is how you get in contact with me. There are a number of ways you could do this; from having a simple email address, having a contact form, using a map widget to show where your physical locations are for if you have shops or a workshop.
Of course, all of this depends on the aims of your website. If your sole aim is to get people to contact you, then you may just want a one-page website, with your contact details front and centre.
Just remember, your page should have one purpose; how easy is it to do that purpose?