What a novel question! When designing or redesigning a website do you stop and ask yourself what makes a good website? Or ask what is it that your customers want or need instead of what you want?
Hopefully you ask these questions, but there are many websites out there that beg for this question to be asked.
My daughter graduated from high school this week on a day where the temperatures rose quite high. We wanted to have good seats for the evening graduation ceremony so I made a deal with her boyfriend. If he saved us seats (3 hours ahead of time in the direct sun, with scorching temps) I would buy him 2 water park tickets for the following week. He agreed and saved us the seats--great seats mind you, and enough for the whole extended family.
So, to hold up my end of the bargain, I went online to purchase the tickets to the water park. The website was colorful, fun and very detailed about the different activities and tickets available. There was a nice CTA in the left hand column that read “Buy Tickets Now” and when I clicked on it, I was directed to a page with a long list of ticket options: season tickets, mini golf tickets, birthday celebration packages, equipment rental options and even “online ticket specials.”
The problem was when I scrolled down to a day pass ticket, which had a “special online price,” there was no “add to cart” option like the other tickets had. In fact, the whole list of day pass tickets had no option to click, add to cart, buy, order or anything. It was just a list. Frustrating, since other types of tickets like a season pass or mini golf pass had the option to add to cart.
There was probably a way to buy these tickets online, but it was very difficult to navigate and find, and being a busy mom, I gave up. I gave him cash instead, so for the water park’s sake, I hope he chooses to buy the tickets.
When the mechanism to purchase online is easy to find and actually works! If there was another water park option in our community, I would have given them my business and my money.
Okay, so now I have vented...
The point is, many times we focus on the bells and whistles and don’t have the mechanics all worked out. A good website will not only have a great “look and feel” to it, but it needs to do its job. There are quite a few ways that good websites can actually suck at the job they should do. If I can’t click on a “buy now” button, then I may want to push the whole site aside, like this baby who is frustrated with magazines that don’t respond like an iPad.
So, besides having links that actually work, what qualities make a good website?
Does your website meet its purpose and is that clear to the customer? If your site is an ecommerce site, the purpose is focusing on purchasing. The purpose of a property search site is finding the right home or apartment. A lawyer’s website may focus on displaying qualities, characteristics, cases won, and skills the lawyer has that set her apart from her competitors so clients can make decisions. Whatever your purpose is, make sure your website focuses on it!
No matter what the purpose of your website is or the type of services/products being offered, quality content is a must! A good website has content that is relevant to customers, helpful, as well as current. This is always valuable to your business. When your content is engaging and relevant, it brings value to your business and to you as an expert in the field. Customers are more likely to see you as a valuable resource when quality content is offered on your website. So whether you are a medical doctor or a mechanic, your content needs to be of high quality!
If your website is hard to navigate and things are hard to find, it doesn’t matter how great the content is-your customer can’t find it! Keeping things clear, labeled and easy to find are important. What makes a good website is when it is more than just a poster or a listing in a directory; it is a tool and another “employee” for you. You want customers to be able to take an action and receive something in return. This can be finding tickets and buying online, using the contact us page to submit information to make an appointment, or just reading a blog about a new idea that is worth trying.
When a website is pleasing to the eye and the ear, it evokes feelings in your customers.If colors, fonts, animations or video are pleasing the senses, customers are engaged and delighted, but if the senses are overwhelmed, it can be a turn off and your customers will leave without engaging in your content or services. Good website design is a very important component that has a very powerful impact on your customers.
None of these qualities stand alone. You can have quality content, but with an obnoxious design a customer may bounce before they can even read your content. If your homepage content is poorly written or hard to understand, your customer may not even choose to access the rest of your site. A great design is wonderful, but if the “buy now” button doesn’t work, no one is buying! If your purpose is unclear, you may lose customers who get lost in the maze of who you are and what you are trying to offer. To make a good website be clear, be concise, be relevant and meet your customer’s needs.
If you are looking for more specific features that make a good website for local business, check out our blog article on What Makes a Good Website for a Local Business?