This is the third article in the user experience series. If you’re just getting started, read the introduction.

In my previous article, I mentioned that people usually come to your site from search engines and links from other pages than directly typing your site’s url.

And depending on what they clicked or typed, there’s a high chance that people are coming in from a different page on your site, not the homepage. This is important. You have to make sure that people should get an idea on how they can achieve their goals on your site regardless of the page they’re in.

That’s why every page on your site should consistently convey what the site and that specific page is about and give users an understanding of the overall site layout. Consider optimizing the following page elements:

Tagline

A tagline is a good idea if your site’s brand is new or not that popular (yet). A tagline is a brief description of what the site is about, the value it provides and is commonly placed near the site’s logo.

Navigation

The words you use on your navigation should be common, straight to the point and describe the page it will lead to. Wordplays can be tempting but try to avoid them as much as you can.

Page heading

If taglines give people an idea of what the site is about, descriptive page headings can show what a specific page on your site is about. It can be a tad bit longer than your taglines but it’s always important to try and convey meaning using as few words as possible.

Images

Images that help describe the page can be good too. Add a brief summary text for good measure.

Videos

If done right, videos can do a great job of describing what the site or page is about. Though take note of bandwidth considerations. If the majority of your visitors live in places with poor internet connections, think twice before using videos.

Making your visitor’s lives easier by giving them the information they need regardless of the page they’re on certainly makes them happier and will most likely continue using your site in the future.