What makes a good website?
I frequent a number of web design and search engine optimization
discussion forums. Almost all of them have a topic where people
can submit their website for review and critiquing. The topic
attracts many people that are new to web design, and just want
to know what professional web designers think of their work.
Others are posting their URL, just to hear some reassurance from
people that they are doing a good job. In any case, the results
almost always end with vast ideas and opinions. Everything from
pats on the back to structured criticism and sometimes even some
not so nice criticism are offered. The reality is, everyone has
a different opinion of what a website should look like, but
there are some things that should be considered in all
websites.
It really doesn't matter if a website has a flashy header, or
even if it has fancy drop down menus that make a little noises
when the mouse hovers over them. As long as the visitor of the
site stays long enough to gather whatever is offered to them,
then the website is considered successful.
There is a lot of research available on what attracts visitors
to a website, and what makes them stay once they get there. The
result of most of the research indicates that most people prefer
similar basic concepts in a website's design. Anything else that
is added to a website can actually be detrimental to the overall
plan of the site. This is not to say that web designers should
stop producing sites that amaze us with their use of things like
color, animation, and creative ideas for layout. What it does
mean is that a website should be designed with some key features
in mind.
A website should be fast loading - Despite what some
would believe, there is still a great deal of the population
using dial up internet service. Most people don't want to wait
more than a few seconds on a page to load. If a page is going to
take too long for those people to load, they will simply use the
back button and leave. That is a huge number of visitors that
you can simply write off. Think of the potential buys that you
just sacrificed just to keep your favorite song playing in the
background.
Make a website easy to navigate - It will not help you
sell your product, if your visitors cannot find it. Your website
navigation should be clear and easy to follow. Too many links
scattered around will only confuse and drive your visitors away.
Your main navigation should all be located in the same place on
each page. If they found a certain page by clicking on a menu
located in the left side of the page, then that is where they
are going to look first when they decide to go to another
page.
Don't use too much animation - Placing too much animation
on a page, will not only slow down the time it takes a person to
open the page, but it will also focus their attention on the
animation and not your product. The idea is for them to see the
product, read about it, and then buy it. If you divert their
attention from that plan, they will lose interest very
quickly.
Split up long pages - Adding too much content to a single
page will only cause your visitors to stop reading it. People do
not mind clicking on a "Next" button. It gives them a little
rest period while reading. What they do mind is scrolling 10
pages down just to find what they are looking for. Besides, more
pages on a site equal more content, and more of a chance to use
some anchor text. Search engines love that stuff, and anything
you can do to suit search engines and customers at the same
time, should always be taken advantage of. Including about
600-800 words in a page's main body is considered normal.
Make your text readable by everyone - Many new designers
do not realize that a browser will only display a font style, if
that font is installed on the user's computer. So, if you are
considering using some fancy font that you found while surfing
the Internet, think again. If I do not have that font installed
on my machine, my browser will display something entirely
different. It may be a different size, style, bold, or even too
small to read. Use a font that is easy to read, and is normally
standard on all systems. Such fonts as Arial, Times New Roman,
Verdana, and Helvetica, are all fonts that most computers will
already have, and are commonly used in website text.
Make them search engine friendly - Let's face it. If
people do not find your website, you are not going be very
successful on the net. Creating a website that is search engine
friendly, and optimizing your website for search engines will be
well worth the trouble. Most people rely on search engines to
bring them the bulk of their visitors, and if you don't do well
in a search engine, you may be looking at some very costly forms
of advertising to make up the difference in traffic.
The result that we all want from our websites is directly
affected by how people perceive our design. If it confuses them
or makes navigation difficult, they won't stay long and you will
lose a potential customer. Keeping a website easy to use and
looking professional is they key to success. In today's internet
world, designers are coming up with new ideas and creating some
fantastic looking websites. As long as the visitor feels
comfortable on the site, they will stay and maybe even take
something with them when they leave.