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What Makes A Website Good?
Your social media, SEO, and email marketing campaigns might be out of this world . . . but none of it matters if you don’t also have a solid website to point people to. This raises the question: what makes a website good? And, is yours up to snuff?
Like all good nerds, we love to get technical. But when it comes to marketing, the most important details are always very simple. Like, caveman simple.
People like what they like—always have and always will. The same is true for your website.
So, if you’re looking for a refresher on what makes people say, “Please take my money now,” this article is it. It’s not groundbreaking, you probably won’t learn anything new, and you may even wonder whether it was actually written by a caveman.
But you might also leave feeling energized with the knowledge that you can do this. At the end of the day, a good website is about giving people what they want. So here it is.
Clear and Concise Copy
Today’s internet users do not like to waste their time wondering. They want information, and they want it fast. So, above all, your website needs to make these details clear right out of the gate:
- Who You Are
- What You Do
- Why It Matters
Don’t leave your readers guessing! Mystery has its time and place, but your website ain’t it…which is why it’s best to either hire a copywriter or research for yourself how to write impactful copy. (Copy, here, means words that are written to sell a product or service.)
If the words on your website aren’t clear and concise, all of the resources you’ve poured into directing traffic there will be wasted. Readers will take one look at an overwrought or confusing sentence and bolt. So, keep it simple.
Eye-Catching Imagery and Design
Selling a product or service has always been about speaking to human emotion. Even if you sell something as vanilla as . . . vanilla, you want your website to speak to the motivating factors behind such a purchase.
Ask yourself, how will your product make the consumer feel? What hole in their life is filled when they shop from you? Most importantly, why does your product matter?
Sure, you can tackle the answers to these questions in your copy. But you can also spark an emotional response through your website’s imagery and design.
For example, an actual vanilla peddler might take their website to the next level with an image that hits visitors right in the feels. We’re thinking, a toddler in an apron mixing batter with her mother. Or, a close-up of drool-inducing muffins coming out of the oven. These are the kinds of images that say, “This could be your life . . . if only you’d buy some vanilla.”
This is the kind of marketing that really, really works. In fact, research has proven that websites with relevant photos and infographics are much more effective in sparking engagement and conversions than those without. It’s science.
And yeah, okay sure, designing a website is not easy from a technical standpoint. But you can always hire someone to do that legwork for you. What’s important is that you, the business owner, understand your audience and what they want. That way, you can direct your design team towards choices that truly speak to the needs, wants, and emotions of your average customer.
If the words on your website aren’t clear and concise, all of the resources you’ve poured into directing traffic there will be wasted.
Outstanding User Experience
We’ll say it again for the people in the back. Creating a good website is about giving people what they want. And what internet users really want is for things to be easy. Thankfully, there is a lot of technology out there to ensure that using your website is as easy as a literal walk in the park.
Here are a few key things you can do to boost UX (user experience) for your website:
- Create a responsive website that is mobile-friendly
- Keep your menu and navigation simple and uncluttered
- Use tools to increase website speed and ensure high performance across all devices
- Implement lots of paragraph breaks and bullet points in content to keep it skimmable
Some of these steps you can tackle on your own. Others may require the support of a web designer. But none of them should be that difficult or expensive to implement on your website. And man, are they worth the minimal effort they take.
Thankfully, there are lots of tools out there that will help you monitor metrics like bounce rate, conversions, and time on page, which will help you see for yourself what a difference UX can make.
Trustworthiness and Security
We’re sure you know that almost nothing is worse for a business than a bad reputation. This is especially true online. If your website becomes known as an insecure place to be, it can be really hard to come back from that. (And by insecure, we mean not protected against hackers and cyber-thieves.)
So, if there is only one thing that you take away from this article, let it be this: do not skimp on website security. Install an SSL certificate, use strong passwords, back up your site regularly, and use security tools as much as you can. Fortify your website to keep yourself, your reputation, and your web visitors safe.
No, We’re Not Kidding. That’s It.
We told you at the start that a caveman could cover it; we weren’t joking.
As you can see, making your website a good one is actually a really intuitive and simple process. Yes, there may be some complicated tech stuff along the way. But if you understand what web visitors are really looking for, you’ll have everything you need to create a site that keeps them coming back for more.
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