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What Makes A Good Website:
How To Elevate Your Site Above The Competition

Most people mistakenly assume that the way your site looks is all that matters. 

In reality, there are a lot of pretty websites that don’t convert visitors into paying customers. So that means there must be something more to a good website than just the looks.

A good website is a mixture of many different elements – put together and implemented the correct way.

I’ve grouped those different elements into four main categories…

  1. The design
  2. Compelling and informative content
  3. Functionality
  4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

As I discuss these four elements, I’ll give you insight into how I build websites and why I create them the way I do.

#1 – The Website Design

Let’s face it, first impressions are instantly made based on how your website looks. That’s why you want a website design that appeals… not to you or the masses… but specifically to your target market.

design definition on phone

When you aim to visually appeal to a target market or ideal customer, chances are they’ll stay after landing on your web page and continue exploring the rest of your website.

If you make a great impression, it’s likely your visitors will remember you if they’re comparison shopping between you and your competitors.

To create the right look, I ask my clients questions about their target market and their personal likes and dislikes. Then, I come up with a layout and design that combines the two.

Creating a good website design involves paying attention to the smallest of details and understanding things like:

This is why it’s important to use a professional website designer that understands how to harmonize the main visual elements of design and follows the principles of design that boost conversions.

#2 – Compelling & Informative Content

Wouldn’t you agree that you tend to stick around longer on a website that gives you exactly the information you’re looking for? The same works for your website.

Great content makes visitors stick around. So it’s necessary to either learn how to write compelling content for your website or hire someone to do it for you.

You must give your reader a clear idea of who you are, what you do, and answer some of their most frequently asked questions. That’s what builds your credibility and establishes trust between you and them.

In turn, trust and credibility is the key to converting your website visitors into paying customers.

For a lot of business owners, it can be hard to brainstorm what to write about, or guess what your potential customer may be searching for outside of the products or services you offer.

The best way to find interesting topics to write about is to do keyword research.

When I work on my clients’ website, I utilize a special online tool to do keyword research regarding their industry.

That tool gives me valuable information about what people are searching for related to my client’s services or products. Then from that information I tell my clients what topics and keywords will bring potential customers to their website.

Along with your written message, you need to select imagery that will complement your text.

#3 – Functionality

Picking a good hosting company, website building platform, and template is imperative when it comes to functionality, because they directly affect your site’s usability.

Every time someone visits your website, technical processes and functions are happening to keep your website is running. Some functions are plainly seen on the page in the form of sliders or photo galleries. And others happen quietly in the background, although they contribute to your visitor’s overall experience like page speed and load times.

In combination with those technical details, you can positively or negatively affect your website’s functionality and usability depending on how you design the visual elements of your website. For that reason, its recommended that you use best practices when it comes to your design choices.

Remember, a well-functioning website:

  • Loads fast
  • Stays online 24/7 or has very little downtime
  • Is easy to navigate and read
  • Is responsive or mobile ready

#4 – Search Engine Optimization

Your website isn’t useful to you if no one ever sees it. So you must drive traffic to your website.

There are two main ways you can drive traffic to your website with either paid and/or unpaid organic traffic.

The best route is to focus on getting unpaid organic traffic by means of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Yet, there are advantages to paying for traffic through ads since SEO is not as instantly gratifying as paid traffic.

SEO is what you utilize to drive unpaid traffic to your site from search engines like Google and Yahoo.

What does that involve? SEO involves picking keywords that are winnable, add effective page titles, descriptions, organize your web pages into tiers, and much more.

SEO entails a lot of work, but the results pay off in the long haul.

Attaining The Idea Of A Good Website

As you can see, it’s not one thing that instantly makes a good website design. Some factors are plainly seen on the surface of the design, and others are hidden behind the scenes within the coding.

Just knowing that can be daunting for a lot business owners. That's why many decide to hire a professional web designer rather than doing it themselves.

Whether you choose to create your own site or have a pro do it for you, if you implement all of the elements I mentioned above, you can make a success of your website!



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