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What Makes A Good Website?

What makes a good website?

Unfortunately the answer to this web design question is highly subjective. You might say it depends what web designer you ask. However, following standard graphic and web design principles and adhering to proper technical guidelines usually insures positive results.

A good website must be developed with three major aspects in mind, optimization, content and layout.

"85% of businesses are found online through search engines."

What is optimization? It is the web page's ability to be found on the Internet. In order to be found by search engines, web pages have to be optimized or "prepped". 85% of businesses are found online through search engines. Many web sites don't succeed because they cannot be located by prospective clients. Building a website alone without promoting it will more often than not result in failure.

"A slow loading site can cost you 33% of potential traffic."

Layout should be simple and facilitate navigation on any given page of the site. Navigational clues such as home, back buttons and clear contact information all contribute to clean streamlined web site design. Limited use of Flash and multimedia is also recommended unless implemented with the greatest of care. Text, fonts and structure should be compatible with major browsers. A fast loading site is also crucial, research has shown that a slow site can cost you 33% of potential traffic.

"Content does

 


matter"

In addition to being optimized, web site text should be written wisely. Online content should be readable, usable, findable, accessible and last but not least credible. Online text should be written like an essay in a logical and rational fashion. Research has shown that seasoned Internet surfers pay a lot more attention to content than was previously assumed. Typographical and grammatical errors can also have a disastrous effect on a web site's credibility and reputation.


The nuts and bolts of a good website:
Use conventional fonts, size 8-10.

Black text for main body (the recent gray text trend has proven to be strenuous on the eyes.)

Use of blue underline links.

Gif and Jpeg file sizes under 5 KB.

Total website file size under 50 KB.

Use of pastel or white backgrounds.

Html text versus gif text.

Limited field forms.

Caution in table use.

Strategic keyword placement.

Cautious use of multimedia.

~~~~~
Bruno Vincent is a web designer, search engine promoter, and online entrepreneur. Originally from Vancouver, BC Canada, he now resides in Thailand where he runs - http://www.novatranz.com - and lives semi retired thanks to the global reach of the Internet. Source: www.isnare.com