1.0123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advicehttps://www.123-reg.co.uk/blogWill Stevenshttps://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/author/will/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="1jC93QqY8d"><a href="https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/web-design/makes-good-website/">What Makes a Good Website?</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/web-design/makes-good-website/embed/#?secret=1jC93QqY8d" width="600" height="338" title="“What Makes a Good Website?” — 123 Reg Blog: Small business tips, insight and advice" data-secret="1jC93QqY8d" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script> https://www.123-reg.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/16-edit.png200200You’ve got a website, but is it a good one? Perhaps you’re planning on creating your first website and you want to make sure you get things right. So, how can you tell if a website is good, especially if you’ve never created one before or you’ve got an existing website that you think is underperforming? In this post we’ll look at eight things to think about when trying to make your website is a awesome as possible. 8 elements of a good website   1.      Your website is created to meet user needs It can be tempting to view your website as a tool you use to meet your needs, whether that’s selling products or generating leads. However, a good website is actually designed to meet the need of users. This difference can be subtle, but it’s always important. Make sure you know the answer to these questions: What is the overall aim of the website? If it’s an ecommerce site, it will be to sell your products. If you’re a service business (like a plumber) it will to be generate enquires you can turn into sales. If it’s a community site you may want to attract volunteers. If you’re setting up a blog, you’ll want people to read your posts. What are the secondary aims of the website? If you’re a business, you’ll need a way of handling customer services issues. If you’re a community organisation, you might want a way to raise funds. If you’re a blogger, you’ll probably want readers to comment on your posts, and you might want an email sign up form too. What features/pages does my website need to achieve these aims? Now you know what your website needs to do, it’s time to make a list of what your website will need to make sure it can help you achieve your goals. For example, if you’re planning an ecommerce site you’ll need a homepage with navigational links to the rest of your site, product pages where people can view products, a secure checkout and payment system so they can actually buy them, customer service pages along with a method of contact, so people can ask you to put things right if they go wrong. If you’re a community organisation, you’ll want to include pages detailing who you are, what you do/who you’ve helped, ways people can get involved and any other information you think is pertinent. Bloggers on the other hand, will want to put the focus on their blog posts. But they’ll also want a comments function, an email signup box, a page that tells readers more about who they are, and perhaps a way for readers to get in touch directly. Now if you’re creating your first website, this can all feel a bit overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to. If you’re not sure what pages and features your website will need, then take a look at some leading sites that serve a similar purpose to yours. Take note of the kinds of pages they have, and what you can do with them and use this information to help build your own list of pages/features. Also, don’t worry about technical terms. If you’re using a web designer, they’ll be able to understand what you’re asking for, whereas if you opt for something like a website builder, you’ll find everything is written in an easy to understand manner anyway. 2. Your site has simple, clear design Just as your website should have an overall purpose focused on users, so should each page. And it should be clear and obvious to anyone visiting a page just what the purpose of that page is. One of the ways you’ll communicate that purpose is through content (see below) but simple, clear design also matters. A basic way of deciding if a page has a simple, clear design is by using the squint test. If you look at a page and squint, its most important elements should stand out from the rest of the content. Do your calls to action (see below) stand out? Or are they drowning in a sea of other visual content? If the latter, you may need to reconsider your page designs. 3. Your website is easy to navigate Have you ever visited a website and discovered it was impossible to find what you wanted? How did you react? Did you persevere and find what you wanted? Or did you go to another site that was easier to navigate? Don’t kid yourself that people will hang round if your site isn’t easy to use. You already know from your own experience of using the web that they won’t. That’s why a good website is one that’s as easy to navigate as possible. If have, or you’re planning to create, a site that’s fairly simple – such as a blog, or a “brochure” site designed to sell a single product or service, then ensuring your navigation is easy to use should be pretty simple. But if you’re planning a larger ecommerce site, then things start to get a bit more complicated. No matter what kind of website you’re creating, navigation should be part of your planning. We’ve already discussed what kind of pages your website will need, and navigation planning involves deciding how visitors to your website will move between those pages. Now, navigational decisions can get very complex, especially if you’re creating a large site. However, if you’re going to use a website builder, or a content management system like WordPress, some of those choices are going to be taken out of your hands. Likewise, if you go to a web designer, it’ll be their job to come up with the final navigational layout. But as always, the more planning you do before you start work on your site (or someone starts work for you) the better. Overall though, you’ll need to come up with a navigation menu that groups your website’s pages together in a logical manner that people