Creating a website can be considered a combination of science and art. But, what are the key elements that make a website work well?
A great user experience
A website that enables the user to easily complete their intended aim, as well as enjoy their visit, is highly desirable.
A well crafted site will be easy to read, understand, and navigate. It will have a clear menu structure, understandable labels, responsive and interactive buttons and menus, and a design that is free of clutter and doesn’t have irrelevant content or elements.
A fast-loading and responsive website
A website that loads quickly and responds to commands without lagging or glitching is much more likely to satisfy visitors.
Websites that can offer this usually utilise a Content Delivery Network: a way of ensuring that a user’s request is processed as geographically close to them as possible. They will also tend to have a minimal number of plugins and tools, and images will be optimised so they are not slow to load.
Mobile-friendliness
As the majority of people now access websites via mobile devices, a good website will take this into account.
This will include touch-friendly navigation, content prioritisation, optimised text size and spacing, a sensible number of images, easy forms, and automatic orientation.
High-quality content
Quality content is key to making a website stand out from the crowd and fulfil its users’ objectives. High quality content consists of clear and understandable language, useful and up-to-date information, relevant and understandable images, videos where necessary, and small chunks of text in a sensible layout.
Website specialists
If you feel that you could benefit from the services of website experts, there are several companies, such as Absolute Creative, who specialise in web design Gloucester and the surrounding areas.
Clear calls to action
Calls to action, also known as CTAs, are essentially friendly suggestions of what a user should do whilst on the website. These also help ensure visitors feel like they are valuable, and encourage them to interact.
