What makes your website successful?

This is the question you have to ask yourself before you consider building a website.

In this blog post, we break down, how you can build a successful website.

I’ve come across so many websites, which are essentially unsuccessful. They are slow, don’t work on mobile and have more text than most essays. I want to help you understand what makes a successful website, so you don’t make these mistakes.

I can only guess that people underestimate the value of their website. This is why they end up with horrible websites. But when you consider that a website, is now the hub of your organisation. You have to take your website seriously, because if you’re website is rubbish, your organisation looks rubbish.

Let’s jump in, here’s how to build a successful website, in hierarchy of importance.

We don’t talk about SEO in this list, because if you follow these recommendations, you will have great SEO.

1. Have a goal for your website.

   Too many people jump in and build a website, without considering their objectives. Define what you want to achieve with your website, and ensure you design your website to achieve these goals. This will help your website visitors understand how to use your website.

2. Your website has to be mobile optimised.

   If your website isn’t mobile friendly, you will alienate half of your website traffic. Because on average, half of your website traffic will be on mobile devices. Simplicity is key for web design on mobile devices. As you’ll all know, complicated websites often don’t transfer well to mobile.

3. Your website needs to be secure.

   You need an SSL certificate on your website. This will ensure your website is encrypted, making it safer against hackers and spammers. You’ll know your website is secure, because Google will show a little lock, next to your URL.

4. Keep your website simple.

   Make sure you only include what you need to on your website. I’ve seen so many websites have endless text and photos, which no one will ever see. If your website content doesn’t help achieve your goals, don’t include it.

5. The faster your website loads, the better.

   People will never get to your website if it takes forever to load. We’ve all clicked away from websites which take too long to load. Keeping your website simple is the best way to ensure your website loads quickly.

6. Setup Google Search Console.

   Google Search Console is how Google discovers websites and reads them. So sign up, and verify your domain. Search Console has many tools, but getting verified is the most important thing. This will do you a world of favours with Google.

7. Include social proof in your website.

   In order to achieve your goals, you’re going to need social proof. Social proof essentially means, prove that people trust your organisation. Great ways to show social proof are, testimonials, reviews, case studies and social media.

8. Your website has to look great.

   This shouldn’t have to be said, but an attractive website will ensure that traffic stays on your website. Only use high quality photos and graphics. Your images reflect your organisation, so don’t skimp on the aesthetics of your website.

Keep in mind this list was written in order of importance. And as mentioned previously, I said I won’t discuss SEO in the list, but here I am, about to discuss it.

Search engine optimisation or SEO, is essentially how high Google ranks your website. There are lots of people who search for quick ways to improve SEO, and they’re chasing a fairytale.

I’m going to tell you the secret to SEO.

Google will only show your website if it is valuable to someone searching on Google. So… You need to prove to Google, that your website will bring value to people.

So… How do you provide value to people on your website?

This is simple, it’s done by making your website user friendly, safe and providing content which is valuable for them. Essentially by following the list I wrote, you will build a valuable website. Therefore Google is going to show your website.

There you go guys, that’s my list of how to build a successful website.

If you need help with web development, we are happy to help. Get in touch with us.