From small enterprises to big companies, building a business often comes down to building a brand. And perhaps no tool builds your business brand better than a high-quality website, which can help reinforce the presentation that will define the product and services you provide. But where does a website’s quality come from? And what makes a good website work?
There are many essential qualities that users look for in a website. Far and away, easy navigation is the top quality users value, with one survey showing 94% of people saying a website must be easy to get around, or they won’t be coming back.
If you’re looking to launch a website for your business, or if you already have one, here are 9 essential elements that you’ll want to make sure your website is at its best. If your site is missing some of these elements, reach out to the website specialists at Gifted Owl to see how to get the most from your online presence.
1. Easy Navigation
The information, features, products, and functions of your website must be easy for a visitor to find, whether it’s a shopping cart with their purchases or the latest blog post. Website navigation should allow a visitor to not only know exactly where they are on your website, but also what pages they’ve visited and other places where they can still go. This includes how menu bars are aligned, where links are placed and what functions are available.
2. Smooth Design
From surveys to social media to new products, there’s lots of cool stuff to post on your website. But too much of a good thing can create bad results for a website, making it cluttered and hard for users to follow. White space and imagery, going hand-and-hand with navigation, is critical to creating a website that’s easy on visitors’ eyes, making them more likely to come back again and again.
3. Compelling Content
Whether it’s new products, company updates, a timely blog post, or valuable news, websites must have content that keeps visitors coming back for more. And not surprisingly, it’s the highest-quality content that creates the best engagement with visitors. Even if visitors to your site aren’t ready to talk to an agent or make a purchase, content can keep them interested, entertained, and can keep open a connection for the future.
4. Captivating Images
Photos and art are another kind of content that can draw users to your website. While content is effective at engaging your visitors, it’s the visuals that will impress them, and have them wanting to come back. Moreover, quality imagery is a sign of a well-designed site, helping demonstrate your business professionalism.
5. Fast Loading
Images, content, and features are why most users go to websites, but if they are designed in a way that are slow to load, then it can undercut your efforts to build traffic to your website. Testing your website is important, especially for variables like a slower Internet connection, processing speeds, or mobile device performance.
6. Mobile Friendly
If your website doesn’t work well on a smartphone or tablet, there’s a good chance visitors will be frustrated and leave. From design to content to function, any website must be designed to work on a phone just as well as on a desktop computer, because losing a possible visitor isn’t worth it. Plus, making your website friendly to mobile devices also helps boost its search engine ratings.
7. Essential Contact Information
Believe it or not, proper contact information is an important element to show that you are operating a legitimate website. For starters, contact information is an element that Google, Bing and other search engines use to help rate the quality of website results. But additionally, its good business practice.
8. Call to Action
You have the design, the visuals, the content, what comes next will be visitors to your website. But now that you have them there, what should they do? That’s where a call to action comes into play. Whether it’s making a purchase, connecting with a company representative, or helping spread the word about your products, once a visitor is on your website, you should ask them to do something.
9. Search Engine Optimized
Lastly, but certainly, not least, Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, may be the most critical element for your website. Without fine-tuning your website for Internet search engines, visitors may never find it. That’s because SEO helps calibrate your website with keywords, tags, links, content updates, and other elements that search engines look for to rank your website.
Contact Gifted Owl for Your Own Website Checklist
Making sure your website has all of these elements can be overwhelming for a business owner. But the Gifted Owl Technologies can make it easy. Our professionals have built more than 150 websites and have the know-how to make sure your website has all the essential elements to get the most from your online presence. Contact the experts at Gifted Owl for a website strategy that can build your online reach and grow business profits.