This is part seven in a series on web site design. Be sure and read Part 6 - Web Site Design: How To Get Around.
Good web sites take full advantage of the features of HTML (and the various client- and server-side scripting languages), which allow pages to be linked together at will. You need to remember that your web site is not a book, a poster or a brochure - it is a web site. By taking full advantage of this fact, you can increase the time people spend reading your pages, looking at your images, listening to your sounds, and possibly purchasing your products.
Some people actually debate the need to keep visitors on your web site for any length of time. I have heard the argument that it doesn't matter how long they stay - you really just want them to purchase something and then leave. Unless you have created a very specific, extremely targeted, one or two page web site, then that thinking is hogwash.
Look, you've gone to a lot of work to create a wonderful web site. You have tons of great content for people to look at. Perhaps you have some awesome products to sell or a message to get across. The longer that people stay, the more likely they are to see your message or purchase your products. You can almost translate the length of their stay directly to interest in what you've got to say.
So how do you get people to stay on your site for any length of time? Well, you include great content which is linked together in such a way as to pull people deeper into your site. Give them plenty of ways to explore what you've got.
Don't design your site as one huge long page. Remember that you are creating a web site, so split those long pages up into short articles and link them together logically. Your visitors like seeing one or two screen's worth of information at a time ... any more and they will just not scroll down to see it.
Link your pages together in all manner of ways. Give your visitors plenty of ways to explore the fullness of your site. You should have a normal navigation method (let's say a standard menu down the left side) which is very organized. In addition, you should strategically place links to random but related content all over your site. And remember, all of these links should be internal to your own site, not external links. You want people maneuvering around your pages, not leaving to someone else's site.
As you write a paragraph think about concepts that can be expanded. For example, if you write about birds and you mention the Amazon jungles, you might include a link to a page with more data about those jungles. Be sure the link is in a different color or format (underlined) so your visitors can see that they can click on it.
You can also include graphics which link to additional information. In this case, embed the image within your document as you normally would, and include a hyperlink to the appropriate page. You should also include sufficient ALT text to describe the image in case your visitor has graphics turned off.
The idea is to give your visitors lots of options as he is reading your text or looking at your graphics. Don't give him so many that every word is a link (that's getting ridiculous) but by including additional links to more information you cause him to want to explore your site. In other words, you make your web site more interesting.
As you include more and more content (which happens normally as your web site ages) you may want to link to older content. This tends to get additional use out of those older pages which normally get relegated to archives and never get seen again. You can also go back to the older content and add links to the newer content if applicable. This helps to keep your web site looking very fresh and increases it's usefulness.
So the idea is simple. Link and cross-link content within your site. By doing so, you create a tapestry for your visitors to look at, read and admire. If you are selling something, this adds value which causes your visitors to trust your opinion and your recommendations. This often leads to additional sales. If your goal is to deliver your message, then by using these techniques you make your site more interesting, which causes people to want to explore further.
Unless otherwise noted, all photos and text is Copyright © Richard G Lowe, Jr.