5 Key Aspects of a Good Website
A good website provides visitors with something they need in a way that keeps them coming back for more. While good websites might look simple and easy to create, they might be a bit more complex than you realize. Below are five characteristics that all good websites have in common. Consider the following tactics when creating a website for yourself or your next client.
1. Web Site Navigation
Navigation is key for any good website. Visiting your website should be a simple and enjoyable experience so if your customer or visitor can’t find what they’re looking for quickly and efficiently, they will most likely leave and find it somewhere else. Some tips for good website navigation are:
- Use icons…people like pictures
- Group similar links together.
- Use breadcrumb navigation. This is the trail of going from one page on your site to another so they can easily navigate through the various levels of your site.
2. Clear Point of Action
A good digital marketing student can likely point out that every website needs a clear point of action. Why is someone viewing your site? If your website is for a business, you should have a big visible button that yells “Buy” on the front page. If your site is not commercial, you should have a “subscribe” or “contact” button present. This will give your visitors a sense of purpose on your site so they don’t feel lost. Some tips for making a clear point of action are:
- Make it as simple as possible. More work for the visitor will cause them to lose interest.
- Have a clear primary objective. If you have multiple on one page, it can get confusing. Don’t make the visitor think…just do.
3. Color scheme
Not everyone has great eyesight so the easier it is to read the content on your site and the more aesthetically pleasing the visuals are, the more likely your visitor will spend more time on your page. Color has an interesting way of instilling feelings within people. Blue and green, for example are cool colors and tend to create a feeling of calmness, whereas red is a more edgy color. Here are some tips for color schemes:
- Take a look at popular websites. Facebook blue is looked at constantly by a very large population…people like the “Facebook blue,” and are comfortable with it. Try it on your page.
- A lot of color and content is not necessarily more attention grabbing. Google uses multiple colors, but the landing page is primarily white space. Think about it.
- Visit color coordination sites to get an idea of which colors mesh well together.
4. Presentation
Yes, we know you have A LOT to tell people! Of course you don’t want to leave anything out, but if you DO have a lot of information, how you organize it is extremely important. In this day and age, no one reads a whole page…too many words. I bet you didn’t even read every word in this blog and now you’re smiling because I’m right. This is why it is so important for you to strategically organize your content. Some tips:
- Attract attention to the important points by bolding them or italicizing them. These differences in style stand out and will keep the reader entertained.
- Use boxes to separate information…or imaginary boxes, and don’t be afraid of leaving some white space
5. Relevance
This goes along with presentation. Make sure that you don’t overload your page with clutter. Too many pictures can be distracting and too many words are boring. If you have a somewhat lengthy paragraph of some sort, break it up with an image that illustrates something you want to convey so rather than reading it, the visitor can see the image and create their own interpretation. It’ll be more fun for them too. Here are some tips:
- Only put what is absolutely necessary. If it’s not that important, make it less obvious than something that is more important.
- Ask yourself if every item on your website serves a purpose…if it can function without it, take it out.
- Organize your content for your visitor so they don’t have to. Remember, the easier the experience is for them, the more enjoyable it is, and the more likely they’ll come back.
Starting Your Career As A Digital Marketer
If you are looking to start a new career as a digital marketing professional, or would like to become upwardly mobile in your current job, please fill out the form on this page to learn how Fremont University can help. As a web and mobile marketer you will learn about PPC, SEO, email marketing, outreach and PR, social media marketing, and much more. Get started today by filling out the form on this page.
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