• Menu-driven sites create brand loyalty

• Ideal for a line of products and other content

• Build search engine equity

• Presents a professional image

• Works well for service industries

Typically, a menu-driven site works when you are selling multiple products or intend to add to a product line. They offer the benefit of selling via a funnel system which is when someone buys a product and comes back to see what else is available because they liked the first one. So products that benefit more from a menu-driven site are products that are long term and you will be adding to. You can add articles and build a long term relationship and earn search engine equity.

A menu-driven site allows for a larger site with navigation features so you can expand your site for growth. It allows you to focus on key core selling features on each page.

Say, for instance, you are offering a series of how-to eBooks on making video presentations. You can add podcasts, a forum, a database of photos and illustrations that members can utilize. You can even case studies of how the tools were used to make effective presentations.

This needs a menu driven format. If you try and place a site like this on a single page by simply putting links in the copy, visitors will be confused, they will become stupid, sue you for frontal lobotomy damage. I see websites all the time that start with a single page and as they add pages, links are buried in a sea of type. Then it’s no longer called a sales page or a website, it’s called a navigation nightmare.

So choosing the style of website you build depends on what you want it to do, how long you want it to be up, what kind of product you have and what your target audience will respond to.

Remember, menu-driven sites are more likely to build search engine equity which means that they are usually more likely to get the organic traffic since there are several pages with keywords and titles pertaining to specific subjects regarding that product or service. A sales letter depends more on ppc advertising or the mailing lists IMers possess and have built over time.

One is not better than the other. But one is more suitable for your needs than another most of the time. And that’s what your decision needs to hinge on. Your target market and your product. What will they respond to?