There are many ways to build a website and plenty of advice our there on how to do it. Below is a list of seven essentials to consider when building your site.
1. Original Content
You can, of course, copy articles from other locations on the web and give proper credit. This article I’m writing here is inspired by an article on a similar subject (credit below). But, if you really want to create a strong website, you should focus on original content and create something that can’t be found elsewhere on the web. This way visitors find value in your site and have a reason to visit.
2. Valuable Content
It sounds logical, but many sites out there just don’t create valuable content. Think about your customers and visitors you wish to attract to your site. Create content that is valuable to them. If you demonstrate you are an authority in your field, visitors will be more likely to hire or consult you for work. This not only means more traffic for your site, but more income.
3. Current Best Practices
The web is constantly changing; “Best Practices” also evolve. Right now some of the best practices include using CSS divs, reducing use of flash, mobile media friendly sites, and SEO friendly URLs and smart keyword management. Some bad practices might be use of frames, tables for layout, heavy flash usage, etc.
4. Content for Your Demographic
Installing Google Analytics will tell you a lot about your site visitors. For instance, you’ll be able to tell common screen sites which helps you in determining optimal page width. Looking a types of browsers viewing your site will help address issues like mobile compliance or supporting less common browsers like Opera.
5. Be Mindful of Keywords; Don’t Allow Them to Dictate Content
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is big right now. Some businesses spend a lot of time loading articles with keywords–sometimes a bit too much. It is not worth sacrificing good, valuable content in your articles just to load them up with keywords. That said, it isn’t a bad idea to create an article for each of your keywords. Nothing wrong with that!
6. Be Consistent with New Material
Not only is it good for search engines, but your site visitors will respond better to regular, timely updates to content on your site. I recommend posting at least one new article a week to a blog or news section.
7. Clean Navigation
Too often I see sites where navigation is difficult. Short simple words for your navigation links are idea. Organizing content by category is a great way to reduce navigation clutter. Additionally, if you follow navigation trends with terms and link names, you’ll make it easier for visitors to find key formation.
Credit: This article is a revised list of my own creation based on concepts found in an article on a similar topic: http://web.pixelcrayons.com/knowledge-base/top-7-essentials-of-a-successful-website-design/