For anybody, business or organization the key to success online is having a strong and functional website. The internet has come a long way since it first became readily available to the world. Gone are the days of static, boring and dull websites, today we are able to do and create just about anything we want or can imagine. If you want to succeed online then you really have to have a good website.
But what is a GOOD website?
Well to start, your website should be an extension of whatever it is you are representing. There is no point creating a website that doesn’t carry on the look, feel and goals of your business or organization. For instance, if you have a Flower Shop, that is fresh, colourful and welcoming, there is no sense in creating a website that is dark, plain, and uninviting. Take time to assess your business, take notes of any features, designs, logos, colour schemes and slogans that may be able to make the transaction over to your website. A good Web Designer will take the time to gather this information for you, and will create a website that suits.
Another critical point to get right at the beginning design stage is functionality. Functionality can be the breaking point of any website, the goal being to create a site that is easy to access, simple to navigate and provides an overall user friendly experience. When we talk about functionality and user experience a key place to start is with consistency. The structure of your site should be consistent, both in its design and its layout. This allows user to become familiar and confident when browsing your site. By ensuring that all the pages of your website continue a consistent design you will heighten the user experience, meaning those that visit your site are more likely to engage in deeper page exploration resulting in a higher percentage of conversion. Another key thing to ensure is that you thoroughly test your site regularly not only when designing and developing. This will alert you to any bugs, problems or details that you may wish or need to change in order to maintain a highly functional website.
Perhaps one of the most important factors to focus on when creating a good website is how to attract business. There are many things one can do to optimize a website so that it encourages those that visit, to sign up, register, purchase, enquire or contact a business. This is often referred to as the art of conversion. Conversion is all about call to actions. Calls to action are the messages, buttons and forms within your website that lead to people contacting or purchasing through your website. It is the most important element of any successful business website and should be explored, researched, tested and optimized over and over to identify a strategy and method that works for your business. By taking the time to get this stage right, your business will benefit greatly in the long run.
These are just three simple fundamental factors that go towards making a good website. There are many more, which we will look at in future posts.