Beginners Guide to the Web: Websites that work

Typically, a good website should have the following key elements:

• The website should have a distinct purpose and this should be measurable.
• The website should be easy to use and inoffensive.
• The website should be accessible.
• The website should adhere to recognised standards.
• The website should be one component of an overall marketing plan - not the only component

A distinct purpose (that is measurable)

If you have no idea why you want a website or what you want the website to achieve, it is as well to sit down and think it through, rather than rushing to put up a "White elephant" that doesn't serve a purpose. Every website must serve a purpose, and that’s usually where many websites falls short. They serve no purpose because the website owner never gave much thought to it. It’s not the website’s fault. A website is inanimate. It is only what you make it. The only life a website has is the one given to it by its designer and owner. If the human element doesn’t do a good job of defining the building blocks, the website will serve no purpose and eventually die a digital death.
Equally, the success of a website in meeting that purpose must be measured.

Easy to use and inoffensive - the WOW factor

We often get asked to produce a website with the "WOW factor". The "WOW factor" is a term that means different things to different people. Often, the person or business commissioning the website have grandiose plans for extensive animation, splash screens, cartoons, garish designs... It's very rare we agree with this approach - A bold garish design with "off the wall" colour schemes may seem bold an innovative to some people, but may really put off other site users - Find the happy medium.

Our own interpretation of the "WOW factor" is a site that is very simple to use, clean, crisp, user friendly, fast loading with great content. Basically, the site that delivers it's underlying message quickly and concisely is the most effective. Google has the WOW Factor and you don't see slow loading animation on that website.

Accessible

We recommend the overall design caters for the largest audience possible - including promoting a high degree of usability for people with disabilities.

Standards

We code our sites to universally recognised web standards as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - the governing body for web standards. Our sites are tested in all of the major web browsers.

Part of a wider strategy

Your website should integrate with and complement your other marketing activities. Promote your site address where you can. Consider putting it on your business cards, stationery, merchandise, delivery vans, carrier bags, customer receipts and on your shop front. Drive people to your website through online adverts, search engine marketing and active offline promotion.

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