What are the credentials of a good website? Have you ever wondered what is it that makes you stay on a website and explore it further even after your actual purpose has been solved? Content, appearance, usability, site structure and graphics are usual fundamentals of a website, but how to use these basics to create a unique website experience is a challenging yet interesting job. Let’s explore some of the hurdles that you need to cross in order to create a good website -

Appearance -Judge the book by its cover!

Gone are the days when a book was not judged by its cover. Today every author wants an interesting cover for their book, just to attract readers. Same goes with websites, whether it’s a website related to the glamorous world of fashion or the mundane world of financial services, a website needs to look attractive to catch the surfer’s eye. A good website will always be one that looks interesting in appearance and reflects a personality, personality of the company, brand or the services that it is offering. The best looking websites are either embellished by flash banners, videos or graphics. Their color schemes convey a mood, a feeling. Check out Disney.com or phong.com. Both the websites have used flash concepts and graphics to convey a personality. While Disney creates a fantasy world and exudes charm, Phong delivers class and aesthetics.

Content – Make it an emotional experience!

Your website speaks on your behalf; hence a good website is one which has an engrossing and gripping content. Your content needs to have all the emotions and ingredients, from humor to suspense, to make it compelling and absorbing. Communication is a two way process, hence a good website not only talks to the readers but interacts with them to. Good websites are made out of innovative contents and ideas that bring with them a breeze of fresh ideas. Look at wordsatplay.com, the copy on the site explains a mundane topic like type faces in a distinctive and aesthetic way.

Structure- Novelty is the spice of life

Updating your website regularly can be quite a tedious task, but a change is for the good. Why do you think people wait for newspapers with bated breath? Well, that’s because everyone loves to explore and know more. It is necessary for a good website to constantly evolve, in its structure, as well as content. An easy yet imaginative structure lays the foundation of a website. It is evident that your website should be easy to navigate but it that doesn’t restrict you from an imaginative structure. Leo Burnett’s site has videos of it’s people talking about their experiences and leaders talking about company values, instead of two long pages boasting about the same. A landmark advertising agency like Leo Burnett could have successfully and creatively put it all in words, but they chose not go the routine way.

SEO – Don’t get lost in the crowd!

A good website will never be recognized, until it is marketed well. It needs to rank well within the major search engines and promote search engine optimization practice.