Designing and developing a website is a complicated process which requires taking into consideration huge number of elements and details. There are though few key features which every successful website possesses. Check if your website design has these features:
* Enjoyable Visual Design
As they say – fine dress helps to impress. The first impression is always the strongest one; if your website is poorly designed your visitor will most likely leave it in seconds. The question of what is an enjoyable visual design has of course a subjective answer. There is a number of good articles describing the web design trends of the year, I suggest you to read them. I would add for myself that you should know when enough is enough. Trends are good but overusing them is not good at all.
* Plain Navigation
Every good website is user friendly. You should always remember that you design for people, and people should be able to find where to click. The navigation is to be obvious and easy.
* Quality Content
Content is king. Always remember that when creating a website. People visit your web page to find information, so give it to them. A good visual design without a meaningful content won’t make you successful.
* Web Optimized Pictures
All the images you use when designing for web should be compressed to 72dpi. If you use Photoshop for designing just use a “Save for Web†feature that will compress your images automatically.
* Contact Information
Your website visitors should be able to easily get in touch with you to give you their feedback and suggestions. Thus do not hide your contacts from them. Make a simple contact page and include it to your main navigation.
* Search Feature
As said above – you design for people and people should be able to easily find what they are looking for at your website. No one likes browsing through hundreds of pages in search of a thing.
* Cross Browser Compatibility
If you use only Firefox it doesn’t mean that everyone out there uses it either. Do remember that your visitors might use other browsers and never forget to check your websites for cross browser compatibility.
Would you suggest more features every good website should posses?
