Three Aspects Of A Well-Developed Website
1. CONTENT
Instant Identification. When a visitor arrives to your site, it should be immediately clear who you are, what you can do for them, and how to contact you. If your branding is outdated, this is the time to update.
Contact Information. This is the most important content on your site. Make sure it’s accurate and complete. Providing your phone number throughout your site gives the visitor the confidence that you are ready to help them, right now.
Relevant Content. Every business has industry language. Write content that speaks the language of your target audience. If they can’t understand, your efforts are pointless.
Solve a Problem. Visitors come to your website because they are looking for a solution to a real problem. Provide an abundance of “free” help throughout your website followed by a clear Call to Action to contact you for more help. Results will follow.
2. STRUCTURE
Organized. Use wire framing when designing your website so nothing of significance is overlooked and each element is visible according to priority.
Navigable. Limit your primary menu items to between five and eight, and your drop-down levels to one.
Consistent. Visitors feel a disconnect when they experience too much change within one site. Keep consistent structure within your pages and it will add to the feeling of trust.
Readable. When a paragraph becomes too wide, it decreases readability. Keep paragraphs more narrow than wide.
Decluttered. Visitors don’t want too much information or too many options. Don’t scare them away with clutter and too many words.
Scannable. Visitors will quickly scan your site, looking for something that resonates with them. If your site is lacking white space, it’s harder to scan, read, and understand.
Sensible. Visitors should not have to guess where they are headed when they click a hyperlink.
Optimized. To promote fast load time (important for SEO), upload images at 200kb or less.
3. AESTHETICS
Target an Audience. Knowing who your audience is will help in designing the look and feel of your website, the best way to present content for them to digest, and the strategic calls to action you should include.
Unique Design. You want your website to stand out from your competition’s, not to be a replica of theirs.
Distraction-Free. Just because something is “cool” doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for your website. Animations, crazy images, extensive motion, and sounds are often distractions to a visitor.
Colors. Create a color palette and only use colors that are scientifically proven to work well together (via the color wheel). Find a balance: make sure your important elements like CTAs and links don’t get lost because of color use, yet don’t scream at visitors, either.
Screen-Friendly Font. There are fonts for print and fonts for on-screen. Make sure to use a font style, color, and size that’s easy to read.
Unobtrusive Background. Keep the main thing the main thing. A background is meant to go unnoticed.
Storytelling Images. Every image on your website tells the story of your brand. When an image is too small, of poor quality, or confusing, it conflicts with the message of your brand. Hire a professional photographer that will accurately represent your brand!
Adaptable to All Devices. Whether your visitor is viewing from a smart phone or a desktop, the information they’re seeking must be served to them in an organized manner specific to their device.