WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE WEBSITE

What Makes An Effective Website

What Makes An Effective Website

Introduction

Every Web site should be built with its purpose in mind. How well a Web site fulfills its purpose is influenced by several factors as will be considered in this article. Firstly, does it load quickly? Remember that many potential visitors may not have the same connection speed available to others. If, for instance, a Web user is forced to wait several minutes for a large graphic to load, they will very likely move on to another site. These visual effects, though important in boosting visual appeal, must be used judiciously. There are numerous fast loading visual alternatives available like skinny horizontal graphics rather than the ones that occupy a lot of vertical space. There are places available on the internet to check the site load time. (Allsopp, 2000, 12)

What Makes An Effective Website?

A Web site must deliver what it promises. It is essential that the keywords of a Web site be justified. When a visitor to a site expects to be greeted with something and is finds that the Web site's content is very different, annoyance and breakdown of trust naturally follows. Not a great way to start.

If misunderstandings do occur or questions arise, the user will want to know how to contact the company that the Website belongs to. By displaying contact information and location, not only is the visitor assured that the site actually belongs to the company, but the people who prefer email or postal mail etc are also catered for. (Allsopp, 2000, 12)

The text written on the Web site should also appeal to the visitor. Yes, the language used on a Web site is also a powerful tool. The use of "you" and "your" frequently, will add a sense of personality to the delivery of the message to the customer. They will know that their needs are priority. Also, the purpose of the Web site should always be reflected in the words used. Concise, direct language will help the user to focus on what is on offer rather than become confused by irrelevance.

Have you ever felt confused and frustrated when trying to order something online? The longer it takes for a customer to find information or place an order the higher the chance becomes that they will just leave without ordering. This means less money to the website's owner. Traditionally there has been a disconnection between web design and web marketing. Web design requires both technical and artistic competence. I don't know how many web designers possess both these skills and understand what makes a website sell -- but it isn't very many. Can your customer find what they are looking for in one or two clicks? Do they have to use a special search function (which returns irrelevant results?) (Allsopp, 2000, 12)

Your site should have a traditional navigation menu -- preferably on the left column or on the top by the header. The harder someone has to look the less ...