The Best Things that Every Successful Website Must Have

Today, we live in the digital era, and the importance of having a website, particularly for business organizations could not be stressed more. Nowadays, a website is a powerful tool and is an absolute must. Websites are the number one method of advertising, spreading information, and entertaining.

Whether it’s an eCommerce platform or website or a combination of both, hiring a web development company enables you to reap major benefits. Various websites serve different purposes on which the audiences intended are. Some website designs are geared towards selling products while some are simply to achieve popularity to reach people.

Still, a website remains infinitely more popular with consumers compared to all the other mediums. With most if not all organizations of all shapes and sizes requiring a website to stay competitive, website development has become a very lucrative business venture and a very in-demand service. Still, there are some companies without their website.

If your brand has reached this far without a website, then you might be thinking what good would be having a website now would do. What would be the point of having a website if your business is successful already without one? The simple answer is that now is more than ever the best time to invest in a business website.

A website offers so many benefits for small businesses, and most of the benefits exponentially escalate in value every year, the same as the internet itself. Building an eCommerce store or a website is easier these days. So now, you’re finally convinced that you need a website for your successful small business venture.

The next thing for you to think about is the things that would make a successful website. If you decide to hire PHP web developers for your website needs, then they will tell you the best things that your website should have.

Nevertheless, you should also be aware of what things your website should have to be successful.

9 Best Things for a Successful Website to Have

#1. Modern, Updated Design

The internet evolves constantly. There continuously are new web standards to meet as well as security measures to update. Just like businesses, websites evolve forever.

The biggest asset that you could have and your best employee would be your website. It runs 24/7, 365 days a year even when you’re asleep. If it doesn’t benefit your business, then it’s not effective.

Distracting function, colors that clash, hard-to-read, and big text, or inferiorly executed web elements, all belong to the past. Outdated sites lose credibility fast and miss out on evolving web technology that could make them more powerful.

#2. Mobile-Friendly

Your site should be accessible not just on mobiles but should respond to them as well. Meaning that there’ll be no pinching in and out when reading content and information. If the website of your competitor is mobile-friendly and yours isn’t, it shows up on the Google search results.

We know just how important Google search results are. Aside from being a huge no-no in the Google standards, failure to deliver a mobile-friendly experience is highly frustrating to users. If they could not easily find or call you and read content, they could easily abandon your website altogether.

#3. Quality Content

Content is king and that is so true. For websites, it’s important to have helpful and relevant content. If you write things simply for the sake of doing it and with no clear purpose, your audience would start tuning you out.

You should also pay close attention to your content’s organization and display, aside from having a helpful and clear content. Headings, lists, and visuals should be used effectively because they help in breaking up content so that users find it easier to digest and skim.

#4. Critical Business Information

Your email address, phone number, business hours, physical address, and so on should be on a very obvious spot on your website, whether in the header, footer, or on a contact page on the main navigation menu. If web visitors want to call you, request for more information, or put an order, they need to find a piece of updated contact information.

#5. Social Media Icons

Your website should have social media icons. Social media is a terrific tool for your customers to learn more about your brand. It’s their way of connecting to you on various platforms, and for you to put a bit of personality behind your brand as well.

If you’re posting content, social sharing buttons are critical. If you regularly update your log or have a portfolio, the point entirely is for people to see the content. You do not just throw in buttons that link to your social media pages, you also should actively stay updated and consistent on those platforms.

Consider for instance the last update on your Facebook page was three years ago, visitors might think that your brand is no longer in existence or you don’t care about getting in touch with your audience.

#6. Sturdy Visuals

Visual elements help move the eye of users down the page, as well as break up text-heavy content. Just like graphics, visual information is processed multiple times faster compared to written information. They could greatly influence the decision of a user to either stick around or leave your website.

An absolute must for your website are high-quality images. Pixelated visuals are difficult on the eyes and do not also complement any design. You should also make certain that the images you use are consistent with your content and brand.

Simply because a visual is processed much faster it doesn’t mean it would make up for the confusion that it will cause if it’s not relevant. Web graphics should drive home your brand’s message and not end up creating more queries.

#7. Menu that’s Easy to Navigate

Typically, users find information on your website through the navigation menu. Make sure that the most critical pages of your website are accessible but not overloaded. Too much information tends to make users confused.

Some may break up information into a couple of separate navigation bars. As long as this is strategically done, this could work extremely well and if there is a significant purpose behind each one.

#8. Internal Links

Considering that it has something to do with SEO, this may seem intimidating. It’s simple and packs so much power. Internal linking is when you connect a page of your website to another page.

Internal links help boost the user experience and shows users that there is more relevant information regarding the content that they’re read already. Some people do internal linking with a ‘Related Posts’ section or just simply linking a portion of the content to another beneficial website post.

#9. Branding that Sticks Together

One of the most powerful aspects of your website and also your business is maintaining a focused and clear brand. One of the wonderful ways of coming across as trustworthy and professional to your audience is to stay visually consistent. Your branding must have a consistent theme, such as fonts, colors, and visual components.

Use this theme across your site, marketing assets, and social media accounts. Of course, you would want your brand to be remembered and recognized when people check it out, and cohesive branding could play a gigantic role.

Conclusion

Whatever size and type of business that you have, having a successful website almost always spells success and makes you remain always on the competitive edge.

About The Author

Dave Jarvis is working as a Business Development Executive at eTatvaSoft.com, an enterprise-level mobile & web application development company. He aims to sharpen his analytical skills, deepening his data understanding and broaden his business knowledge in these years of his career. Follow him on Twitter.

Featured Image Credit: Illustration by Ewa Geruzel via Dribbble