So what are the attributes that make for an effective Website? We ask that question ourselves regularly and try not only to fit the mold but create the mold as well. Most of our attention at the 3 Magic Beans goes to Denver based businesses, but these attributes are more widely applicable.
- The most essential quality of an effective website is one that is graphically pleasing and engaging. The 3 Magic Beans will build in free tools from Google’s Webmaster Suite including site Analytics. Here you will find a most critical measurement in the quality of your web graphics and that is Bounce Rate. Bounce Rate is defined as the number of people who click to your site and immediately leave. If your Bounce Rate is below 50% on a given page, you are doing something right with that page. If your Bounce Rate is above 50%, you have some problems to fix. Engaging graphics are not the only factor in bounce rate, but they are the most critical component of presenting a clear and engaging message to potential customers.
- The next most important quality for an effective website is that it should be extremely easy for a business owner to create new content! The reason simple content creation is so important to your website is because search engines are continually looking for new and interesting content. Those sites that create new and interesting content for topics related to their business have a much higher probability of being found for those topics. If your site is totally controlled by your web designer and you need to contact them to add content, you have, as the Last Knight from Indiana Jones said, “chosen poorly”. The 3 Magic Beans will accommodate business owners that want us to improve their search results, but we first look to educate our clients on the how-tos.
- The third most critical issue for any website is one of our favorite topics, keeping your brand message simple and easy to understand. This topic ties your graphics and text together so that your visitors do not need to try extremely hard to understand what it is that you do. Often times it does take a third party to help a business focus on brand message and core business principles for you website success. The famous acronym KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is an important concept to apply to your graphics and messaging. That’s not to say that your site doesn’t utilize powerful and complex tools behind the scenes, but your face to a new prospect needs to be simple and precise.
So an effective Website is user friendly, graphically pleasing, and simplified. Following the path less traveled by following these steps to show your customers that their experience with your business and products is of utmost importance to you.
Sincerely,
3 Magic Beans
Tags: 3 Magic Beans, Denver Web Design, How to build an effective website