What Makes a Website Great?

While this is a big question, we’ve got the answers! Take a look below at the key factors that make a website great:

1. Fully Responsive

This is a question we get asked quite a bit. What does it mean for a website to be responsive and why does it matter? A responsive website means that it responds to different sized devices. A correctly designed website will reformat its layout automatically to adjust for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. 

It’s important for a website to be fully responsive to provide a consistent, easy-to-use experience for your website users. If it’s a pain to use or things are getting cut off or looking strange, people won't try to figure it out, they’ll just move on to another site.

2. Easy to Find

SEO! The big scary acronym that people love to throw around but aren’t often sure what it means. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Essentially, SEO is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search results.

When you Google, let’s say “Life Coaches Near Me,” the listing results that appear do so due to SEO. We won’t dive too deep into that here, but here are four main points you need to know for an effective website:

  • Make sure your website isn’t slow
  • Content, content, and more great content
  • Include well-written title tag and meta descriptions
  • Google reviews!

Making sure you’re easy to find in search results is key! If they can’t find you, how would they know you exist?

3. Easy to Navigate

Making sure your website is easy to navigate and is organized in a way that makes sense is crucial. So many websites do NOT do this—by doing so, that’s already a great way to help you stand out!

Do you have a gazillion drop-down menus? Or, do you have a simple, easy-to-follow navigation? Are your team bios on the contact page or are they on an “About” page? Even what you name a page can help ensure it’s easier to navigate!

4. Include Calls to Action (CTAs)

People like direction! Having a clear, direct call to action is key to an effective website. Think of the ONE action you want someone visiting your website to take. Is it to book a call with you? Fill out a contact form? Buy your product? Whatever it is, it must be defined and strategically placed via CTA buttons throughout your website. 

5. No Fluff

People are skimmers, especially when reading online! Don’t fill up your website with tons of copy just for the heck of it. Think of exactly what someone needs to know in order to make the decision to contact you. They would need to know about what services or products you offer, the process for working with you, and how to take the next steps! 

Your website (and ultimately, your brand), should always be able to answer these three questions: Who are you, what do you do, and why does it matter? While no fluffy copy is important, so is what the content is actually saying.

6. Style AND Substance

A website needs to both look great and have great content! Design and copywriting should always go hand in hand. In fact, compelling copy draws 7.8 times more website traffic and produces brand recall that increases engagement rates.

What
you say and how you visually present and organize the information greatly affects the overall user experience. You could have the best content in the world, but if it’s poorly designed no one will stick around long enough to read it.

On the same note, you could have the best-looking website ever, but if once someone starts reading poorly written or vague, you lose your credibility and people will move on.

Don’t waste time on a mediocre DIY website or overpay for a website designed by an agency. Our flat-fee website packages provide you with everything you need to present your business professionally, communicate your value, and turn website visitors into customers. 

Book a call with Mothershed Design Co. today to start improving your online presence and growing your business.

By Meg Mothershed

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