10:00pm MST: So it’s been 3 hours since I started this One-Night Website redesign. The first hour I planned, then I procrastinated, then I finalized the main new sitemap with a 7-button nav bar.
This post will be about breaking down the content into templates.
First is a Home Page template that will be inviting, have keyword-rich text and some big, beautiful main photos on it. I will save the design of this template last because it will depend on what I do with the other templates.
How many other templates do I need? For the Gourd Art page, these are the higher-end, one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Once they are sold, I won’t take down the photo unless Ami has a new piece there to showcase. In her original site, there were thumbnails and larger pop-up images, but I’m thinking to have as large a photo as possible on the first Gourd Art page.
The first piece is 450 x 562px. There are 10 pieces in this category. If I had endless hours I to bill, I would definitely give each piece its own page, but there’s a limit, so…
I also know that even though these pricey items are hard to sell online, I still want to include the Buy Now button with each item when it is first seen to improve the conversion chances. I check out the New Mexico Museum Shops site and indeed, they have a grid of items in a category and a separate page for each. I also check out Etsy.com. Such a clean, pretty site! And the same style: a grid of items with their names and a price, here with a larger per-item page with a Buy Now button. (The photos on Etsy are so beautiful!)
So I’ve decided to create a grid-landing page for Gourd Art and either 10 separate pages, one for each item, or a single page with anchor links.
Template 1: Home
Template 2: Grid
Template 3: Per Item
Now it’s time to look back at our sitemap and apply the templates to each page. I know the high-end leather art will work like the Gourd Art pages, so they will follow Template 1 and 2 (T1, T2).
I also think the Crafts pages will look great with this same setup. But if I make a new page for each of these products, it’s going to be a 50-page site!~!* Definitely not in the client’s budget. So, hmm. I’ll have to think about that. (Each page, after the template is built takes about an hour to resize 1-3 photos, write that keyword-rich text, create an individualized PayPal Buy Now button. But it would look so professional and sweet.)
I’m going to say the “About the Artist” page is a completely different template because Ami, who lived in Africa and Jamaica has great photos of her travels and stories to tell.
Template 4: Narrative
In the keyword research, Clare let us know that there are a lot of searches of people looking of “How To” information about gourds, decorating gourds, leather art, etc. Lots of things Ami knows a lot about. So I have created a “Resources” page where she can review books, give advice, suggest wholesale stores and discuss tools and techniques. This page will be chunky and informative. A different template, maybe magazine-like.
Template 5: Chunky Info
The contact page will probably follow the home page design. So no new template there.
I’m feeling good about this hour’s work. Some serious questions raised: always the pull between doing a good job or getting paid properly that seems to come up every time, but all in all, I’m clear about what to do next: Layout the templates.
The corned beef is done and there’s salad and baked potatoes. I’ll take a dinner break and be back at 11!
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