Building a great website isn’t a magical process whereby some inexplicably succeed and others don’t. Nor does it require a huge budget or a lot of tech savvy. The secrets to a great website start with the fundamentals of Internet marketing: valuable information that is easy to get to and easy to act on.
For your website, this means great content and simple, intuitive navigation. If you want to improve your site, or start one from scratch the right way, here are 5 essential tips:
1. Speed up page load
Nobody notices how quickly your web pages load until they stop loading quickly. Slow load times are a major source of frustration for visitors and a major reason why they leave. Here are a few ways to speed up your page load times:
- Optimize images
- Enhance server speed
- Avoid redirects
- Eliminate 404 errors
2. Make navigation intuitive
People tend to leave sites that are difficult to navigate—and they usually don’t return. Site navigation should be intuitive and simple, and it should take people to where they need to be in as few clicks as possible. Make it happen with the following tips:
- Use anchor text to lead people directly to the desired information
- Offer alternate navigation options for those who can’t find what they need
- Offer clear visual cues such as buttons, graphics and images
- Provide a site map
- Keep it simple!
3. Provide clear, concise, useful content
People don’t read web content the same way as they do print content. Internet users are scanners with notoriously short attention spans. And, they expect your content to give them the answers they need. Here are a few basic rules:
- Make it information-dense; fewer words, more real information
- Use anchor text that includes your keywords, to assist navigation and boost your site’s SEO value
- Always provide unique, high-quality and authoritative content for your readers, and update it frequently
- Check spelling and grammar
4. Optimize your images
Images are an essential part of any website. They enhance its appearance and help visitors visualize your company. They can also slow down your pages and distract. Here are some things to remember:
- Make the file sizes as small as possible
- Use common image formats—JPG, GIF and PNG (PNG is not compatible with mobile devices)
- Crop images to remove extraneous visual information
- Adjust quality settings to be as high as possible for the file size
5. Pay attention to colors
People react to color on a subconscious level, so be sure to think about your audience when choosing your colors:
- Gender: women tend to favor warm colors, while men gravitate toward cool ones
- Seasonal: change your colors to reflect the seasons—it adds interest and shows that you are keeping your site updated and fresh
- Age: Young people and children like bold colors while most adults prefer subdued tones (of course, there are exceptions, so stay in tune with your audience’s preferences)
Building a great website starts with great content, easy navigation and a commitment to keeping it fresh and updated. Use these simple tips to create a website you can be proud of!
