What really makes a website good? If you were to take poll among a handful of friends that happen to be mostly average when it comes to using the web, the chances are really likely that the answers would vary substantially from asking a different group made up of technology proficient experts. But here’s the kicker…
Both groups are probably right and wrong at the same time.
How can this be so? Well the truth is that defining what makes a website really good is largely an objective preference among a site’s users—inclusive of factors such as what graphic design scheme has been used, what information is presented, where the navigation is located, how easy it is to use, and so on. Some business categories are practically expected to deliver a certain type or “look” when it comes to their sites, while other organizations have much more freedom to explore and push the boundaries with their websites.
However, from the perspective of a professional “grass-roots” web developer or marketer, there are just several bread and butter website essentials that should always be given high priority. These are the building blocks of a good website—the factors that are often behind the scenes, but go the distance when it comes down to ensuring a site performs without distraction. Let’s take a look:
1. Richly Informative – When visitors to a website are searching and looking for something, the last thing you want to do is present them with a website that offers little to nothing. By explaining what your organization does as clearly as possible, and by going above and beyond to provide visitors with plenty of the related on-topic content they’re searching for, you will have achieved the first building block of a good website.
2. Deeply Organized – Providing all of the information a visitor could ever want, and even providing it all for free, will not be worth the effort if the site isn’t organized well enough for the visitors to actually be able to make proper use of the content provided. This means that it’s essential to have a well-designed plan including topic categories and other important website structure components complete before attempting to build out the site. Also a significant part of this essential building block is implementing an easy-to-use navigation system that enables visitors to get around the site effortlessly.
3. Clean and Clear – Take a cue from some of the leading websites on the web—keep the site as simple, clean, and clear as possible. Going “over the top” with the graphical design is easy to do, but more often than not, adding more just for the sake of adding more only creates a cluttered, confusing interface for the visitor. Professional-looking graphic components are always essential; however, do realize that many of the most popular sites stray from anything more than the basics.
Follow these three principles (a.k.a. building blocks) of a good website, and everything else will practically fall into place. After all, there’s no need to make it any more complicated than it has to be, right?
Until Next Time.
George Chaney
President/CEO
SEO King, Inc.
