8 Key Principles For A Great Website

There are way too many websites out there that make you wonder what the web designer was thinking when they created their website. Websites that are just loaded with colors, images, sounds, content all over the place with no structure, and there is no obvious theme or purpose of the site. While it doesn’t take much to make a bad website, it actually doesn’t take much to make a good one if you put in the time and effort.

All it takes is 8 simple ideas to keep in mind when creating a website. These simple ideas can mean the difference from a poor website and a great website. Regardless of what type of website you are trying to create, these 8 key ideas are important and should be considered. (These are in no specific order)

Purpose Of The Website
Sure, people have come to your website somehow and so the purpose of the site should be obvious, right? Wrong. You cannot assume that your site will be obvious in what it is trying to convey. Be clear about what you are offering your visitors and, better yet, how they will benefit from it.

Less Is More
On average, most people spend only about 5-10 seconds on a website. So you have only 10-15 seconds to convince them to stay on your site. If your site is filled with all sorts of ads, graphics, colors, and pretty much everything else under the sun including the kitchen sink, it will make it difficult to see what your site is about and even overwhelm your visitors. By keeping it simple, visitors will know where to find what they are looking for and continue viewing your site.

Consistency
The layout and design of your website should be the same for all your web pages and especially for your site navigational menu. Consistency also applies to colors, text fonts, and design. The purpose is to make it easy for your visitors to get used to your site and feel more comfortable.

Know Your Audience
You want people to come to your site. So, you won’t be looking for dog owners if your site is about cats. In the same way, don’t go just looking for just anyone. Seek out people who can really benefit from your site. This way you will have a better chance of finding people that will keep coming back. So in this way, you will get quality visitors instead of just quantity.

Navigation
It is very important to make sure visitors will be able to find their way around your website. Having clear and consistent placement of your sites internal links will make visiting your site more enjoyable and keep them coming back.

Personal Yet Professional
This is not as hard as it may sound. All that is needed is to write your web page content as if you were actually talking to a person. That is the personal side…the professional side is simply to convey the information you are trying to get across in a respectful and courteous manner.

Visually Appealing
If an entire website looks like it was put together in less than 10 minutes, would you continue to come back? You might say yes if the sites content is informative. But the first thing that we notice about a website is how it looks. Give them the complete package of looks and content and keep your visitors coming back.

Content Is King
This saying has become the ‘golden rule’ for websites. This is because it is so true. The whole point of a website is to say something or to get something across to other people when they come to your site. Whether to inform, to sell, or any other reason, websites are created to share something with people. The best way to do it is to provide content that people are interested in.

Every well designed website should reveal these 8 elements on every page of the site. These are simple yet effective principles that will speak volumes to your visitors about your website.