Your website is the most powerful tool your business can have; especially digitally.
Websites build credibility, create trust with your audience, grab attention and help your business grow.
Given the technological world we live in today, every business regardless of industry should have a website!
Many people believe a good website depends on particular page layouts or the colour of your CTA button, but there are few factors that often get overlooked but make the biggest difference.
Here are 5 important factors that make for an exceptionally good website.
Properly Designed
As you know, the internet is constantly evolving. And with this comes new website design standards your audience expects.
So not only are businesses adapting to change, but websites need to keep up with online trends too.
At the end of the day, your website is your brand’s biggest asset: it’s working 24/7, even when you’re sleeping – it’s your greatest employee.
Unfortunately, if your website isn’t reaping the rewards, it’s probably because it’s been designed poorly. Your website is what gives your audience their first impression of your brand, and as soon as they land they’ll have made a judgement within seconds.
Consequently, if your website appears outdated, you’re only going to be perceived negatively and you’ll lose potential leads as they leave to go to your competitors.
Simply, a good web design keeps your visitors on your site for longer.
Also, branding must remain consistent throughout your website, this includes colours, typography and visual elements. Doing so will make your website more memorable and allow your brand’s personality to truly shine, therefore building trust and as a result, more leads.
Talking of leads, if you would like to convert more of them into paying clients, please check our video below:
User Experience
User Experience (UX) plays an important part in helping your visitors use, understand and stay on your website for longer.
To put simply, your website needs to be easy to navigate and have a clear hierarchy. Essentially, each page layout should be consistent and there should be visual clues for functionality across the whole website.
In other words, your website should be easy to use for both visitors that are just there for a browse and those who are looking for something in particular.
Typically, the navigation menu is how your visitors will find specific information, so the most important pages should be located here. Note, you don’t want to include too many options in your menu as this can become confusing.
It’s also worth mentioning here that 80% of internet users access websites on their mobile devices. As such, your website should be mobile-friendly and responsive: basically, you shouldn’t have to pinch in and out to view information.
High Quality, Valuable Content
Content always has, and always will, remain supreme when it comes to a good website.
Content is your opportunity to explain to your audience why they need your business, even if they didn’t know they did.
Whilst writing content, ensure it speaks their language so it makes sense to them – avoid jargon, acronyms and complicated words no one understands.
Rather, content needs to be concise, accurate and relevant. Not to mention updated quickly with fresh ideas to keep visitors returning for more.
At the same time, your content should build an emotional connection with your audience so never forget your human side. Understand your audience’s pain points and explain how your product or service can help serve their needs.
Lastly, high quality images are a must-have. Pixelated visuals will not complement any design and will just put your visitors off. In addition, the images used need to remain consistent with your brand and your content overall.
Moreover, images are processed quicker so quality infographics can be very effective. But, it can still be just as confusing if it’s irrelevant – graphics need to drive your message home and not leave your visitor asking more questions.
Clear Calls to Action
If you’re not clearly telling your visitors what to do next, then what’s the point of your website?
Even if your website is just to inform, you’ll still want people to share your content, follow you on social media, join mailing lists etc.
Regardless of what you want them to do, the goal should be clear on every page to create conversions, otherwise your visitors will be confused and simply just leave; a clear call-to-action will help bridge the gap between your desired action and their buying decision.
Quick Loading Time
Your visitors categorically will not wait for your website to load.
Everyone hates slow content; they need information quickly.
I understand that website load time is not the most exciting step in building a website, but speed is crucial for creating a good user experience.
Ideally, your website needs to load within 2-3 seconds – that’s the turning point that makes bounce rates shoot up, and so a quick loading time plays a role in your Google rankings as well.
There are a few things that can affect your site’s inability to load quickly, some include:
- You may have too many plug-ins working in the background
- Image and file size may be too large
- Poor coding
Don’t worry, one easy but effective way to speed things up is switching your web hosting provider, and making sure they have enough resources on their server.
Final Words
Above all, your audience should be at the forefront of your mind when designing your website. They’re the ones who are going to be using it after all.
It’s a good idea to ask people outside of your business to visit your website and ask for feedback – be open to criticism.
There are plenty of analytic tools available for you to see how people are using your website, the content they’re engaging with and spot where improvements need to be made.
Finally, always stay true to your values. Be transparent, honest and authentic – come across too salesy and you’ll just scare your audience away.
Take a look at our Web Design services in the meantime.
