Websites come from various creative perspectives, but there are a few characteristics that are fundamental to most successful websites. A well designed site is a enjoyable to view, easy to navigate, and quick to load. It is built with the visitor in mind, and provides them with the information they are looking for quickly and efficiently. It is also optimized to bring in the right kinds of traffic from search engines.
PLANNING
As with any well planned project, the major goals and decisions should be determined in advance. Figuring out the purpose of your website can shape the content that is expressed. Deciding on your target audience can help your designer appeal to specific markets. Besides industry standard SEO practices that your designer can implement, how will you generate interest to your website? How will your site be maintained after it’s creation? Getting answers to these types of questions can certainly pave your road for long-term success and continued growth.
CONTENT
Not everyone is a strong copywriter and that’s okay. You can hire for copy-write services and your web designer can likely be in a position to help you out. But don’t skimp on this. It’s important. Your website content should be written in an easy, conversation style. You don’t want your website to come across as being impersonal or un-relatable.
When creating content for your site, you need to put yourself in the place of your visitors. Is the relevant information for your product or services easily accessible? Is it accurate? Is it engaging? In most cases you want to convert a site visitor to a customer. Does your site provide a clear path for that transition?
DESIGN
A well crafted site is visually appealing and polished. The components should coordinate well and every aspect should be have a clear and defined purpose. Your website should instantly communicate that you are stable and successful.
Award-winning design is not the most important thing in a website, but if you fall below a certain level of expectation from your visitors, your visitors won’t take you seriously. A fly-by-night website will get you fly-on-by visitors. Good design doesn’t have to cost you a ton, it just requires careful selection of the type of designer you work with.
PERFORMANCE
The way your site performs for your visitors is also an important factor in a successful website. Every function or feature that is designed into your website should be properly running. There should not be errors on your site and everything should load fairly quickly.
An experienced web designer can create a good design for your site but a good web developer can ensure that these designs are properly executed for optimal performance. Working with someone who is well versed in both areas is a good way to cover all your bases.
MONITORING
A site that is created and just carries on without regular and proper monitoring is a disaster waiting to happen. Many may not realize it, but monitoring your website is a good practice that is often overlooked. By keeping tabs on your website you can stay on top of important security patches and industry updates. You can also be aware of malware attacks and viruses that have the ability to damage and in some cases even destroy your entire website.
If your site provides your visitors with the option to leave comments on your site, these comments should be moderated to some degree. SPAM(junk links/junk posting) is a common drawback on interactive websites. Keeping your website maintained and monitored shows your visitors that you are actively engaged.
IN CONCLUSION
This is a short post on some of the pieces that work together to create a successful website. Re-evaluating these components individually from time to time in depth can also ensure that your website continues to “grow” and that your design, content and practices remain relevant with changing technologies, client expectations and visual trends.
