Every website is different and has different goals but, there are some essential features a site needs to ensure your website is engaging, user-friendly, and effective, here are 10 essential elements that every website should have.
Easy Navigation
The navigation menu is the roadmap for visitors to explore your website. It should be prominently placed, easy to understand and use. Consistency in menu placement across all pages and organizing content into logical categories will help users find what they’re looking for quickly and effortlessly.
The footer should have your website pages as well this not only helps your users have an overview of your websites offer but also help Google crawl your page more on that soon
Responsive Design
StatCounter, a free, online visitor stats tool, shows that 52.08% of the total web visits are currently mobile, compared to 47.92% from desktops. This means your website should adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes, ensuring a consistent user experience across devices.
A mobile-friendly layout not only improves usability but also positively affects search engine rankings, as Google prioritizes mobile-responsive websites.
Pro-tip: If you’re reading this on a desktop, an easy way to check if your website is mobile-friendly is to press Ctrl+Shift+i in your browser, then Ctrl+Shift+m which will show you what your site looks like in mobile view.
Clear Call to Actions
What is the goal of the website? is it to get the visitor to subscribe? make a call? or is it to book through your site? If you don’t tell your visitors what to do when they land on your page then they’re not going to know what to do next. here are some tips for writing effective call-to-actions
Engaging and Relevant Content
Compelling content is the heart of any successful website. Craft well-written, informative, and engaging text that resonates with your target audience. Highlight the unique selling points of your products, services, or organization while ensuring your content is concise, error-free, and easily scannable.
Regularly update your website with fresh content to keep visitors coming back for more and make sure it is relevant.
If your website is about baking but you start talking about barbequing then you’re going to confuse Google. Google doesn’t know the difference so it checks other websites that have high authority and then checks if your content matches. Irrelevant content damages your SEO.
Contact Information
Make it easy for visitors to contact you by prominently displaying contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses, and social media links and if your a brick and mortar your address.
Pro-tip: When Google crawls your website, to determine what your website is, it checks the footer of your site to find the sitemap and quick links but did you know it crosses references to your Google business profile to see if you’re information matches.
On top of that having your contact information and trading hours shows Google that you are a legitimate business and gives you extra brownie points when ranking your site, so make sure your filling in your footer with the correct information.
Additionally, strategically place clear calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your website to guide users towards desired actions, such as making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or filling out a contact form.
On-Page SEO
An effective SEO strategy is crucial for driving organic traffic to your website. Optimize your content with:
- Relevant keywords
- Meta descriptions and headings
- Alt descriptions
- Proper Header Tags (H1, H2, H3, etc)
- Backlinks
- Internal linking
- SSL certificates
- Regular content updates
- Schema markup
- Google Analytics
- mobile friendliness
Ensure your website loads quickly, has descriptive URLs, and a clear easy to navigate design. Conduct regular SEO audits and stay updated with the latest best practices to maintain your website’s visibility and ahead of your competitors.
Social Media Integration
Social media is a must nowadays many clients or customers find your product or services through this channel so make sure to incorporate social media buttons and links to your profiles on platforms relevant to your target audience.
Social media integration allows visitors to share your content easily, thereby increasing your website’s reach and potential for engagement. This integration also enables you to build a strong online presence, interact with customers, and foster brand loyalty.
Secure and Reliable Hosting
Choose a reputable web hosting provider that ensures the security, reliability and speed of your website. Opt for hosting packages with regular backups, strong security measures, and 24/7 technical support.
A secure website builds trust with visitors and protects sensitive information, such as user data and payment details.
There are so many hosting provider options out there and it may be tempting to go with the provider that is the cheapest but keep in mind that these providers are cheaper for a reason and usually do not keep their servers up to date and or have poor customer service.
If you are overwhelmed with hosting and want else to take care of it I can help you with that. but if you like to handle your hosting but don’t know where to begin I highly recommend Cloudways. they’re secure reliable and fast and on top of all that you only pay for what you use. Use this affiliate link and get $25 credits.
Another thing to consider when choosing hosting is your SSL certificate, this encrypts your data when it’s being transmitted over the internet and provides a better browsing experience. Some hosting providers make you pay extra when really it should be free.
Analytics and Tracking
Implementing web analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, provides invaluable insights into your website’s performance. Track metrics like visitor demographics, traffic sources, and popular pages to gain a deeper understanding of user behaviour.
Analyzing this data allows you to make informed decisions, optimize your website’s performance, continually improve the user experience and remove what is not working.
Regular maintenance and updates are essential to keep your website running smoothly. Choose a content management system (CMS) that suits your needs and allows easy content management.
Regularly check for broken links, fix errors, and update plugins or software. FYI I can handle this for you with the Website Management Package.
Easy Website Maintenance and Updates
Not doing so can result in your website getting hacked or broken. keeping your website up-to-date minimises the chances of getting hacked or things breaking. Broken links or errors on the other hand affect your SEO
