What makes A Good Website?

By James Anderson

Any experienced Webmaster can tell you that functionality is more important than looks. People will NOT stay on a web site that is hard to use or a site that doesn’t work. It doesn't matter how pretty you make your web site or what color scheme or template you use. Don’t waste time presenting a hundred choices with fancy flash introductions that make your site more complicated. Your customers will not stick around and probably never come back if they can’t find what they are looking for fast. If you are selling something, make it simple for someone to purchase. For example, if you were in a Department store and decided to buy something, you may have second thoughts when you see a long line at the check out register.

The best way to create an effective website is to use simple web pages and not depend on commercial HTML packages like FrontPage or DreamWeaver. You should spend the time to learn some basic HTML so that you can create pages that are easy to use and modify. The main problem with using commercial software for building a website is that these packages change every couple of years. Your site may look different in a newer version of the software.

If your website is designed to sell something make sure to focus on what your selling. For example, if it's an information site, then make sure your focus is on providing information. If you are selling games or movies, then make sure the focus is on entertainment. Your goal should be simple and clean with a functional web site that delivers the content or services to your customers in the most efficient manner possible.