The internet is an incredible place. It has revolutionized the way we do almost every single thing in our lives, from buying groceries to finding a date. So when it comes to building a website for your business, it is quite obvious you take this task seriously. A good business website needs to have it all: appealing design, user-friendly navigation, effective content management, search engine optimization (SEO) speed and security. All those aspects combined is what we, website developers and designers, call a “good website”.

Good Website Is Built by Asking Right Questions

Never underestimate proper planning. Despite how much you are craving to dive in and create something bold and memorable in terms of design, remember, the proper structure is still the key.

To plan your website correctly, and make it good, you should ask the right questions.

Decide on the type of site you want to build: Is this going to be more informational? Will people need to sign up or buy something? What sort of content will they find when they visit? This will determine how much space your homepage needs as well as which features should go where.

When designing a homepage, ask yourself what are the most important things that people will need about the site when they first visit? These are typically logo/contact info/slogan/mission statement.

What makes this company different from all of the others out there? Is there something specific they do or is it more focus on their service as a whole? What sets you apart from another competitor in the same field? How can you portray those differences with your design and layout of the site as well as through words and images throughout the content areas? This will help generate interest for your visitors and show why they should your business instead of someone else’s.

If you will get all your answers straight, you will see how much nicer and more consistent your website will become.

How to Make a Good Website?

Every good website will have key elements listed below. Make sure you add them to your website.

Logo

The logo will be the first thing that people see when they visit the site, so it’s important that it looks professional and represents what the company is about. Logo is not easy to make. This tiny element has a huge impact on your customer, business and your representation. Never underestimate the power of a good logo, as we believe it can be a tiebreaker between a good website and a really good website.

Images and Video

In terms of design, make sure that the images aren’t too large or they’ll take a long time to load. A good website will have a good balance between aesthetics and functionality so readers can both be impressed by how it looks and how easy it is to navigate through all the different sections without being overwhelmed.

When uploading images into your pages (if this applies), make sure that file type is right or else they won’t display correctly or at all on some browsers. If you need to rescale the image size once it’s uploaded because it’s too big etc.,

Impress With a Homepage

Homepage is the first page your visitors will visit, so do not shy away from putting extra effort into it. Put your best stuff up there, tell people what your business is about. The design of the homepage should be simple but effective to reflect on their services, not overloading it with content but allowing things to breathe more.

Mobile Version

Around 80% of your website traffic will come from a mobile. This is almost a definition of a good website – it needs to be equally good on mobile and desktop.

In this retrospective, add some white space to your design in order for things to not look cluttered. It has to function on both desktop widths as well as on mobile phones – it will help with better information structure needs and easy access on all devices/screen sizes. A grid system can help keep everything uniform.

The Flow

Your website is your 24/7 sales person, and as every good sales person, a good website needs to have a good sales pitch. In our industry, we call it a good flow. Do not come on to your visitors too hard. Tell them who you are, what you do, how you do it, and why they will benefit from your product or service.

The design should look professional and well put together. Things should flow well with each other, not appearing too disorganized or messy. I would suggest maybe looking at successful websites in the same industry to get an idea of what your competition looks like and then staying away from anything that may come off as “unoriginal”.

CTA or Call To Action

You want your customers to take action on your website, so you have to make sure that your Call To Action buttons are well-designed, visible, and most importantly clickable on every device, mobile and desktop. The ideal CTA is a product or service that the company offers and should be written in a clear and concise manner – “Get an Insurance Quote,” for example.

Implementing all these will definitely help you with your website performance, but let us quickly take a look at things that we should avoid when creating a good website.

5 Common Websites Mistakes to Avoid

Avoiding these basic mistakes will definitely help you to create a really good website.

1. The first pitfall comes when a website doesn’t have a clear call-to-action or goal for visitors on its homepage. If you open up a site and don’t know what they want you to do, then you’re probably not going to do anything at all – which isn’t good for either party.
   Solution: Websites need to make their intentions clear so people know where they stand from the beginning.
   
2. Another common problem is when a website’s navigation is cluttered, poorly labeled, or otherwise obtuse.
   Solution: Finding the stuff you want on a site should be easy and straightforward, not a chore that requires advanced computer skills.
   
3. Not enough attention devoted to the information representation. Once you’re actually on a site, the font size/font type/text color probably needs some work too. The bigger text means more visitors will read it, so give them an incentive to do so! If people can only find what they want by accident then you’ve already lost them.
   Solution: Take your time to decide which information is more important and emphasize it. Guide your customers through your website with proper use of fonts, colour and design features.
   
4. Nobody likes slow websites – if yours is slow then people will go somewhere else. Make sure your site loads quickly and that your pages load in the order they’re supposed to – this is another thing that really frustrates people when it’s not done right.
   Solution: Find a balance to make your website interactive and appealing, but also lights and fast. Do not forget about proper media file optimization.
   
5. Finally, outdated website and content will not bring you new visitors – nobody wants to look at the same old outdated stuff all day! Besides, if you don’t have anything new to offer then there’s no reason for anyone to come back in the first place.
   Solution: Try to keep your website updated with fresh content, think of what is trending in your industry and be the first one to inform your clients.

Conclusion: What Makes a Good Website?

So, if you decided to create a website, and you want to make it good, keep the following guidelines.

• A website needs to be well structured and thought-through.
• It needs to be adaptable for every device and be cross-browser friendly.
• Every website needs to have a purpose and define the business’s value.
• The design must be easy to use and uncluttered or invite long scrolling sessions.
• It should not take more than one click to access the information that you need.
• The website must be informative and provide helpful content such as video tutorials, blog posts, and social media engagement.
• The company’s social media platforms should be linked to maintain brand awareness with minimal effort on their part.

But if you need some help, remember that there is a loophole: a good website developer and designer knows how to make a good website. And we are open to any projects!