Imagine it’s September 1997 and you’ve just been told that you can find out more information about a company by signing onto the Internet and typing in a web address. This may have impressed you greatly because you were still finding phone numbers in the Yellow Pages. The website is probably very simple with few images, no videos or banners, and is more informational than aesthetic.
But now it’s 2020, and websites are so easy to build that everyone – from elementary school students, mommy bloggers, and freelancers to professionals in private practice — have their own website. In addition to a website, almost everyone has a social media account, and most large, multinational corporations have an account on all of the major platforms. So if you want to stand out, yours has to be great for 2020 standards.
Characteristics of a Well-Designed Website
While Google does not release its actual search volume, there are some estimates that Google is processing 70,000 search queries every second, which translates to 5.8 billion searches per day. With all of these people performing searches and looking for websites to visit, it’s important to follow certain key design principles that have evolved as the Internet has grown.
Search Engine Optimization
Optimizing your website for search engines is the best way to connect with users who are trying to find you. Through keyword research, you can discover what words users are typing into Google or other search engines to find yours or your competitors’ websites. You can increase your rankings on search engines by incorporating these keywords into your website content, from your homepage to your product descriptions, and include them in your headers, title tags, and meta descriptions.
Scalable
No matter the size of your company, you expect your business to grow. Every website owner has to deal with expanding at some point. You will need to have a strong enough infrastructure to support your website and to allow it to scale up as more visitors come to you.
Secure
Security means a lot to today’s users, especially in light of some major cybersecurity breaches. Your website must be updated with the most recent software that protects from spam and malware attacks. You must be following industry standards and all of your protocols must be up-to-date. You could also do things that improve privacy such as making sure that passwords are encrypted rather than displayed in plain text. And of course, if you have a password feature then you do not want a reset password feature that does not ask complex security questions before allowing the user to change or retrieve their forgotten password.
Characteristics of Poorly-Designed Website
Just as important as knowing what makes a well-designed website, it’s important to know what to avoid. Some quick things that you definitely do not want on your website include:
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- Too many pop-up advertisements
- Text that is hard to read, whether that’s a fault of the tape face or color
- Blocks of text without images or headers
- A visually complex or busy layout
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What To Look For In A Web Design Company
You want to hire a web design company that specializes in SEO and can manage other aspects of your digital marketing and branding, such as building and managing your app or e-commerce website store. Web design by On The Map Tampa is a comprehensive service provided by a full-service digital marketing agency, with all of their team members working in the house.
