What makes a good website?

Content is king

Whatever the purpose of your website, visitors want to know what you have to offer. They are not interested in how flashy your website is.

Therefore, concentrate on making sure your website answers your visitors' questions. This is much better than having a pretty site that tells them little.

Updating your content regularly will encourage visitors to return. Outdated content will only serve to tell people that your site is no longer important to you.

Make sure spell check what you have written, and get someone else to proof read it.

Readable content

Writing for the web is different from writing for print. Basic rules for writing for the web are:

• Keep it short and to the point
• Break up large blocks of text
• Highlight important points with colour or bold text

Check out our Writing Website Content article for more advice.

Easy, non-confusing navigation

Customers must be able to find what they want. If they can’t, they will simply go elsewhere.

Test your navigation by showing the site to friends. See if they can easily find what they are looking for.

Target audience

Think about your target audience and design your site with them in mind. You may think something is great, but you are not selling to yourself.

Consistency

Ensure each section of your site keeps the same style, so you don’t confuse your visitors.

Short and Simple Forms

If you have any forms on your site, make sure to make them short and simple. Nobody enjoys filling in forms, so make the process as easy as possible.