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When we look at the factors that contribute to making a good website; there can be two perspectives to it. One is the Company or entity owning the website; the second is the user experience of the target audience and the general public. From an organizational side primarily, if they want their website to attract customers and business, they need to provide a high-quality experience in all aspects, to leave a lasting impression. From a user point of view, it needs to be a dream to use, smooth, swift and simple, and deliver to their needs. It would be safe to say that the entire users’ side can be summed up under the User Experience factor.One might ask, how to quantify the quality of the website to evaluate? Well, there are factors that can help establish how good a website actually is, and if a website has all these nailed, voila! Lucky for the business owners, the technology in this era enables them to justhire freelance web developers, designers, and content writers to make sure their website ticks all the best practices for a great website as mentioned below:
Strong Content
First Impression Matters! And this is what original, comprehensive, yet simple content, is all about. Website content is two-pronged; first is the main content, which is the essence of our online presence. This is what communicates to the customers, and it needs to be:
▪ Professionally written, outstanding grammar, correct spellings, errors and typos free
▪ Straightforward, clear and concise, the less wordy the better
▪ Thorough fact checking – 100% accuracy
▪ Expert in the relevant industry – reliable and confident
The quantity of the content is also important. It means the content on each page should be enough to provide value to the target audience. It is important not to over fluff it, but under doing it is also damaging. The next type of content is the secondary content. In order to take a website to the highest level, it is imperative to provide extensive value, beyond the products and services being sold. It does not mean posting links to funny YouTube videos. It means one is providing users with valuable resources, beyond trying to take their money, such as:
- Links to resources related to the relevant industry – e.g. a website for a hospital may link to other health authorities
- Blog posts with tips and industry news – e.g. a landscaper might publish a blog post with tips on how to care for your lawn during the winter
- Other media – e.g. a mechanic could post a video showing the fastest way to change your oil
This content will help build a positive reputation, and an enhanced customer base, might not directly cause a hike in sales.
Appealing Design
The layout and design of a website needs to be designed with the user in mind, that is what qualifies as a good design, a relevant one. It does not mean it has to be made using cutting-edge technology with all the bells and whistles and special effects. Only if the theme demands it. Simple, elegant websites, look equally fetching. The design should be created, keeping the following in mind:
- High quality imagery, the right style, the right font, easy to read
- Usability – visitors should be able to navigate through easily, and find what they are looking for
- Function properly – without hiccups, loading issues, and device adaptability constraints
- Optimized landing pages, SEO fundamentals, and analytics – built in
Speed
A swift, smooth as silk, easy flowing website, is a dream to visit, and one tends to spend more time on it. Readers need their information quickly and without delay. On the other hand, websites that take ages to load, have too many special effects slowing them down, keep their visitors waiting and waiting, can prove to be a frustrating experience; whereby users are forced to move to other channels of information, in this case.
Regularly Maintained
Regular upkeep and health checks ensure the following:
▪ Website works all the time
▪ No Broken Links – all external and internal links point to the correct working page
▪ No Missing Images – there shouldn’t be any big holes in the site where an old image used to live
▪ No Outdated Information – all the information is up to-date, including address, contact information, business hours, and offers and promotions
▪ Dynamic blogs and articles
Flawless User Experience
The most important factor is a seamless customer experience; this what all websites aspire to achieve. This includes all of the above factors in one. If our customers are happy, that says it all! Engaging, clear and updated content, providing all the information, simple, pleasing to the eye design and color scheme, easy to navigate layout, supersonic speed, swiftly flowing from one page to another; fulfilling all their needs.
Conclusion
All these factors together contribute to make a fabulous website. But even if one of them is not up to the mark, the entire website can simply fail. You do not need to hire people in-house to build a great website. One can find freelancers, from different online platforms, who can work on their project in a professional manner.
