We all want our websites to be successful – we want them to look great, be engaging for our visitors and, ultimately, lead to a sale or new client. But how do we go about achieving this? How can we take an okay website and make it a great one?
We’re here to share some of our secrets…
Prep Work
Know YourselfYou need a clear understanding of what your website should offer. Ask yourself these questions – who am I? What am I offering? What do I want people to do on my website? The answers will help you to build the foundation of your site – homepage, about and products/services.
Know Your AudienceKnowing who you’re speaking to will determine what you say and how you say it. Ask yourself these questions – who are my visitors? What brought them to my website? What did they come here to find or learn? The answers will help you to arrange your content accordingly.
Main Ingredients
Content
We’re sure you’ve heard this before, but it’s true – content is king. You need to know what you want your website to say. So, how do you cook up great content? Provide engaging, useful information that is fresh and original; ensure it is free of spelling and grammatical mistakes; and send a consistent message via strong branding (logo, slogan, etc).
Functionality
Give visitors an easy way to access all your content with a user-friendly website. It should be easy to understand, intuitive to navigate and free of excess noise/distractions. What makes a site user-friendly? A menu that is easy to find, clear and has simple page titles; and internal links that help a visitor to move seamlessly around the site.
Design
Once the foundations of your website (content and functionality) are established, you can move onto what it looks like. So, how do you craft a design that dazzles? Create a clean layout and work within the concept of a grid; choose a high contrast colour palette for an eye-catching effect; and stylish but readable fonts (don’t mix more than 2 to 3).
Remember that every website is different, so what works for one (in terms of content, functionality and design) may not work for another – even if you’re in similar industries with a similar audience. This is why it’s important to partner with a website professional who can help you to navigate all the ins and outs.
