What Makes A Good Website: 14 Key Elements

A website is like a digital storefront, and just as you would want your physical storefront to be attractive and easy to navigate, you want your website to be too. In addition, there are other factors to consider when creating or updating your website, such as loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and quality content.

So, what makes a good website? In this blog post, we will discuss the 14 key elements that make up a good website. Let's get started!

1. A clear and concise message that is easy to understand

In order to create a successful website, you need to make sure your website has a clear understanding of why users are coming to your site and what they hope to accomplish. Are they looking for information? entertainment? or maybe they just need to kill some time.

Once you know the answer to that question, you can start tailoring your content and design to meet their needs.

If you can provide value and help users achieve their goals, then you're well on your way to creating a successful website.

2. An attractive and professional web design

A good website design is important for any business in the modern world. People are more likely to trust and purchase from a website that looks modern and professional.

There are a few elements that go into making a good website design.

Colour scheme.

The colours should be complementary and easy on the eyes.

Font choice.

The fonts should be legible and easy to read.

Layout.

The layout should be logical and easy to navigate.

Finally, the content must be well-written and relevant to the audience. A great website design will have all of these elements working together to create a site that is attractive and professional.

You may also want to consider using a custom design instead of a template, as this will give your website a more unique look.

If you're not sure how to design your website yourself, there are many online tools and services that can help you. Or, you can hire a professional web design agency to help you create the perfect look for your website. For example, we offer pay monthly website packages, to make websites more affordable.

3. Mobile-friendly design

What makes a good website? In the past, the answer to that question would have been quite simple – a website had to look good, and it had to be easy to navigate.

However, in the age of mobile devices, the definition of a good website has changed.

Nowadays, a great website must not only look good and be easy to navigate but it must also be designed for mobile devices. This is because an increasing number of people are using their smartphones and tablets to browse the web. A website that is not mobile-friendly will often be difficult to view on a small screen, making it hard for users to find the information they need.

As a result, many businesses are now focusing on mobile-friendly design when they create or update their websites. This involves adjusting the layout and design to be easily viewed on smaller screens, as well as making sure all the features of the website work properly on mobile devices.

If you want your website to appeal to a larger audience, it is important to make your website mobile friendly. This is also important for search engines like Google. Websites that have a responsive design, have a big advantage over websites that are not.

Now that you know you need a mobile-friendly website design that looks professional, what is the next step?

4. Fast loading speed

While there are many factors that contribute to a website's quality, one of the most important is loading speed. In today's fast-paced world, internet users have little patience for slow-loading pages.

If a website takes too long to load, users are likely to click away and find another site that can give them the information they need more quickly. For this reason, it is essential for website owners to ensure that their page load time is low as possible.

Best practices to improve site speed:

• Optimizing images - this can involve reducing the file size of images, using the right file type, and choosing an appropriate image resolution.
• Using caching plugins. Caching plugins create a temporary copy of your website's pages and store them in the browser's cache. When a user visits your website, they will load the cached version of the page, which can dramatically reduce loading times.
• Regularly clean up any unnecessary code. This includes anything from old plugins and unused CSS stylesheets to extra spaces and line breaks. Removing this extraneous code can help your pages load faster, and it also makes your site easier to maintain.

Having a fast-loading website not only improves the user experience but can also improve your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings, leading to increase website traffic. The loading speed of your website is a ranking factor for search engines.

5. Quality content & structure

Fresh web design and relevant content, as well as keyword-rich titles and descriptions. Regularly updating your website with new content helps to show customers that you are active and invested in your online presence.

Furthermore, using keywords throughout your website's content can help improve your SEO ranking, which makes it easy for potential customers to find you when they search for related products or services.

In addition to quality content, it is also important to have a well-structured website. This includes organizing your pages in a logical manner and making sure all links are functioning properly.

A good website structure helps improve the user experience and can also positively impact your search engine rankings like Google.

When designing or updating your website, be sure to consider the value and structure of your content as well as its visual appeal. A website with high-quality content and a clear structure will likely see more success in attracting and retaining customers.

6. Optimising for search engines

A good website is not just about pretty pictures and flashy videos. In order to be successful, it also needs to be optimised for search engines.

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is the process of making your site more visible to search engines like Google and Bing. By improving your site's ranking on search engine results pages, you can increase the number of visitors who come to your site.

Search engine optimization is a complex and ever-changing field, and there are many factors that contribute to a website's ranking.

However, there are a few basic things that you can do to help improve your ranking:

Use keywords throughout your website content

Keywords help search engines understand what your website is about, and they also help users find the information they are looking for. When choosing keywords, it is important to choose ones that are relevant to your topic and that are not too competitive. You want to choose keywords that you can realistically rank for in search results.

Optimise your website images

By including keywords in your image file names and descriptions, you can help improve your website's ranking in search engine results pages. In addition, optimizing your images can help to speed up the loading time of your website, making it more user-friendly. With so many benefits, there's no reason not to optimize your website images for SEO.

Perform regular website audits

There are many factors to consider when conducting a website audit. Some of the most important include site structure, content, usability, and link building. By taking a close look at these and other aspects of your website performance, you can get a better understanding of what is working well and what needs to be improved.

Use Google Analytics to track website traffic and performance

By tracking analytics, you can have a better understanding of your website traffic and also you can see which areas of your website are successful and which need improvement. For example, if you see that people are leaving your site after the home page, you know that you need to work on keeping them engaged. If you see that people are searching for a specific product but not finding it on your site, you know that you need to make it easier to find. Tracking analytics can help you fine-tune your website so that it performs its best.

Invest in quality SEO software and tools

When it comes to ranking high in search results, quality SEO software and tools like Ahrefs or Semrush can make a big difference. With the right tools, you can optimize your website for specific keywords, track your progress over time, and even diagnose and fix technical issues that could be holding you back.

7. Have clear Calls to Action

While it is great to have good quality, engaging and SEO-friendly content, you need to tell the reader what to do next. This is what is known as a call to action and one is needed on every page.

This could be asking the reader to download a free guide that will help them, call you now, get a free quote or place an order for example. Some call-to-action prompts lead to another page to take the visitor on a customer journey.

A call to action is basically something that tells the reader what to do next. When done right they can really improve your conversion rate.

8. The Trust Factor

By including pictures of you and your staff on your website, as well as your office address and landline number, potential customers will be more likely to trust doing business with you.

Furthermore, If you have industry membership badges or certificates, display them prominently on the site. These verification symbols help instil confidence that yours is a real and reliable business operation.

9. Testimonials

Not only do testimonials build trust, but they also show off your brilliance. Feature them prominently on your home page, which is often the first stop for visitors to your website.

If you have too many to fit there comfortably, create a separate testimonials page that lists all the happy clients you've helped.

If you want to convert potential customers, showcase testimonials from people like them on your website and social media pages. If you're selling to businesses, feature their logos with the accompanying testimonial.

This increases trust between you and the customer while also building a relationship foundation.

10. Payment Logos

Be clear about your payment options on your website if you want to sell products. Credit card fraud is a common concern for many online shoppers, so reassure potential customers that it's safe to pay on your site by displaying relevant logos (e.g., Visa, Mastercard) or payment methods (e.g., PayPal).

11. A contact form or email address

Including a contact form or email address on your website is a must. This allows site visitors to easily get in touch with you if they have any questions or concerns. It also makes it easy for them to request a quote or more information.

Your contact information should be easy to find on every page of your website. Make sure it is prominently displayed and that the contact form or email address works properly.

12. Easy social media integration

What makes a good website? Is it the design? The content? The user experience? While all of these factors are important, one element that is often overlooked is social media integration.

In today's digital age, it's essential for businesses to have a strong social media presence. By making it easy for users to share your content on their favourite platforms, you can dramatically increase your reach and engage with new audiences. What's more, social media integration can also lead to higher levels of customer loyalty and satisfaction.

So if you're looking to take your website to the next level, consider adding social media integration. It's an essential component of any great website.

13. Have a blog on your website

A blog is important for a business because it allows you to share your expertise with potential and current customers. A business blog can also help to build trust and credibility with customers, as well as increase traffic to your website.

By sharing valuable content on your blog posts, you can attract new customers and retain the ones you already have. In addition, blogging can help to improve your search engine ranking, as Google likes websites that are constantly updated with fresh content.

If you're not currently blogging, now is the time to start. There are many free blogging platforms available, such as WordPress and Blogger, so there's no excuse not to get started. Just be sure to write content that is relevant to your target audience.

14. The website should be secure, with an SSL certificate

In an age where cyber security is a growing concern, it is important to have a secure website. One way to do this is by having an SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate, which encrypts data exchanged between the visitor and the website.

This helps protect sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or passwords, from being accessed by hackers.

In addition, an SSL certificate can also help to improve a website's SEO ranking. Google prefers websites that are secure, so having an SSL certificate can help your site rank higher in search results.

If you're not currently using an SSL certificate, now is the time to get one. It's important to choose a provider that is trustworthy and reliable, such as Kinsta, which provides free SSL certificates as part of their hosting packages.

Conclusion

A good website is more than just a pretty design. It should also have relevant and engaging content, easy navigation, and important features like contact information and social media integration. And don't forget about security – make sure to have an SSL certificate to protect sensitive information and improve your search ranking. By taking these elements into consideration, you can create a top-notch website that attracts and retains customers.