subject: Elements of a Great Website [print this page] Elements of a Great Website Elements of a Great Website
There are millions of websites on the internet but what makes one stand out from the next? There are lots of details to consider when designing a website ranging from the visual design of the site to the navigation of the site. If you look carefully you'll begin to see that there are several elements that every great website has. Consider the following tips:
Choose the domain carefully. Avoid common names instead choose something that is unique and easy to spell. Choose a domain that is easy to remember and type in.
Have a well organized home page that makes it easy for a visitor to find the information they are looking for. Too much text, too many icons, images, or buttons and the visitor might not know where to look, instead they will leave. The layout should be consistent throughout the website. That doesn't mean that every page has to look the same but it does mean that some elements are repeated on each page.
Your logo should be placed on every page of your website. You will want a logo that is professionally designed and that looks good no matter the color or the size. The goal with the logo is that when people see it they will be able to identify your company name.
Most people tend to look at a website starting with the upper left corner, then move to the right corner and then in a zigzag pattern down the page. Knowing this can help you to place the most important elements in key positions. Your logo should be placed with this information in mind.
Attempt to answer all of the questions a potential customer might ask while they browse around your site. They are unlikely to contact you to ask the question, instead they are likely to leave and not come back. If you can think of a question that someone might ask while viewing your site then find a place to answer that question. A FAQ page is frequently a good place to put answers to questions that don't fit elsewhere in the content of the site.
Avoid excessive animation and graphics. Some animation and graphics are important but use them sparingly. Go with the theory that less is more.
Use only 2-3 colors on a site. Keep text colors and background colors simple so that the text is easy to read. Too many colors can be overwhelming and become a distraction.
Easy navigation is a must! The navigation should be consistent throughout the entire site and the primary navigation should be found above the fold. If a website visitor can't find what they are looking for easily then they are likely just to leave. Well designed navigation with clearly defined sections, and clear links all work to create a great website design that will make a site visitor's search more enjoyable.
Be sure that your website is compatible with a variety of different browsers. What works in one browser often may work differently, or not work at all, in a different browser.
Even though the site should look nice remember the saying, "Content is King". The content on your site should be meaningful providing your visitors with information about your company as well as your products or services. Be clear about how you can help your clients or customers.
Clearly provide contact information. If the visitor is interested in your services they need to be able to get in touch with you. Provide as many forms of contact as possible. If available include a phone number, mailing address, email address, links to facebook and blogs, fax number etc.
If you have a large website with several pages including a Search box can be extremely helpful to your site visitors. If they can't find something easily they can use the search box to locate specific information.
Hiring a professional web development company with properly trained development experts to design and build your website will help you to avoid problems and will help to insure that you have all the important elements of a great website. A good designer will create a website for you that will offer a great presentation of important information, be visually appealing, and be fully functional in a variety of browser windows. A successful presence on the web is vital to the success of your business.
