It seems to me that many of you who are new to building websites
are having trouble figuring out exactly what makes the difference
between a website that's effective and one that doesn't produce
results. For example, I recently received this from a reader of
my e-zine, Marvin Baerg:
> This is a suggestion for an inclusion of an article on site
> design tips. It would be great if you could give some URL's of
> "excellently" designed sites with the reasons WHY they are
> superior, in order to give a model to those of us who are still
> amateurs at web design. Maybe also a not-so-good-one,
> but then again, that may be construed as slander.
I told Marvin that was a great idea, and that I'd love to do an
article like that-and that's what this article is. However,
instead of focusing on the sites themselves, I'm going to focus
on the aspects of the sites that make them so great. So, let's
begin.
First, there are always five core elements to a successful
website: global navigation, clean and attractive design,
effective sales copy, appropriate text formatting, and value to
the visitor. Let's explore each of these in more detail:
(Please note that with each element I explain, I may give an
example of a good site and possibly a bad site. In no way are
these examples meant to be an insult to the site owners or
reflect upon the quality of their products. I'm simply pointing
out what is, in my opinion, good design and bad design.)
1. Global Navigation - It's absolutely vital that your visitors
be able to quickly and easily navigate your site and find what
they need. In order to provide for this, a site must have a
navigation system that will allow them to reach the main
sections of the site immediately, and it must always be
available and recognizable to the visitor.
o Good Example: www.sybren.net. I'm probably a little biased
here as this is my site, but really, note that no matter what
selection you make or what part of the site you're in, you
can always get to the "main" parts of the site with one
click.
o Bad Example: www.magic-city.net. Note that as you move
through this site, you have to constantly return to the home
page in order to navigate to other pages.
2. Clean and Attractive Design - A site that reflects a
professional appearance is essential. While it's not absolutely
vital that your site be designed by a professional, keeping it
organized and free of clutter is imperative. To do so, make a
logical outline of how you think your site's pages should be
organized and then build (or rebuild) the site around that
outline. Also, remove anything from your site that isn't
generating results for you. It's just making your site cluttered.
Further, spend some time in your graphics program to learn
how to create attractive graphics for your website.
o Good Example: http://imc.sybren.net. I don't have to say
much here just look at the site: It's just very appealing
and nice looking!
3. Effective Sales Copy - The sales copy you write is extremely
important to the success of your site. It should be written with
your target market in mind. (Note that if you have a
content-based site, this should be replaced with good content
instead.) To make your sales copy work, focus on benefits to the
customer, not on features. Also, incorporate testimonials.
Additionally, unless you're extremely good at writing sales copy,
short copy is usually better than long.
o Good Example: www.roibot.com. Note the effective use of
testimonials and how the focus is placed on benefits, not
features.
4. Appropriate Text Formatting - If you format your text
incorrectly your site will, quite frankly, look silly. Throughout
your site, try to keep your use of font styles, sizes, and colors
consistent as well as avoid too much bolding. This is best
illustrated with examples:
o Good Example: www.howstuffworks.com. Click on several of
the articles on this site and notice how they are
consistently formatted the same. Your content should be
formatted consistently as well.
o Bad Example: www.business-opportunity.net/fort5000.htm.
Notice all the different sizes, colors, and overuse of
bolding throughout the text. (By the way, this example is
taken from an article written by Ralph Hilliard of
WordNet.net)
5. Value to the Visitor - In order for your site to be valuable
to its visitors, it must provide something that they need (be
that a product, service, or information). Because not everyone
will be interested in what you're offering, the most effective
way to make your site valuable to your visitors is to target your
marketing efforts to the right group of people-instead of
trying to create a site that has a little bit of something for
everyone. There are some other things you can do, like giving
away freebies such as newsletters, eBooks, or articles, but
that's a whole different subject.
About the Author
Micah D. Cranman designs attractive, compelling, and
results-driven websites for small businesses and organizations.
For more information on how he can help you develop a
powerful web presence, visit his site at www.sybren.net.