The company’s website has a key meaning in the digital world. Not only does it represent the brand, but also serves as a source of traffic. Lots of things are important to make the website work. First, it must be unique to stand out among hundreds of similar ones and to interest the target audience. Second, the site should offer great capabilities and be easy to use.
It takes an average of 8 seconds to decide whether we want to stay on site. During this short time, we must notice something remarkable to make us return next time. So, what to pay attention to when creating a website? We’ve come up with 7 essential things.
Domain
Choosing the company’s name may seem to be the most creative task, but it’s not. Coming up with a domain also requires imagination. The name of your site, which is indicated in the address bar, should be simple and memorable. It must also be easy to write, so that a person can type it manually.
The domain name should also be related to the sphere you work in, of course, and be understandable to the user. You can consult tried and tested app review sites for domain services, such as domain name generators, domain appraisals, and other tools to make domain naming and hosting a breeze.
Semantic Core
When the site’s name is finally chosen, let’s move on to figuring out the semantic core. This is a collection of search words and phrases that characterize services or goods offered by the site. Traditionally, they are selected by SEO specialists to promote the site effectively.
Key phrases should correspond to the site’s topic and be error-free. They are picked up, taking frequency into account. To make your site user-friendly, analyze all the queries that are in demand in your niche.
The semantic core can be collected in three ways:
- Use keyword planners as Google Trends, Answer the Public, Keyword Generator, etc.;
- Come up with possible requests on your own;
- Turn to SEO specialists.
This step usually requires more energy than you expected, so be ready to find yourself less focused on other everyday activities.
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Website Loading Speed
Search engines don’t give high positions to slow sites, so pay particular attention to the loading speed. You can check it using the Google PageSpeed Insights tool. After the analysis, the reasons for the low speed will be indicated. The main problem is usually unoptimized images.
By the way, pictures are of paramount importance for both SEO and user experience. So, make sure they:
- Are unique and devices display them correctly;
- Are loaded fast;
- Correspond to the content of the page.
Structure
No doubt, the site should be user-friendly and well-designed, as it influences the way it will be filled with the content. Opening the site, each visitor should be able to find the necessary products or services, get your contact information and find answers to questions in general. All blocks and sections should be arranged logically and consistently.
In case you own an online store, then the header should have such sections as: About Us, Bestsellers, Promotions, News, Contacts, Shopping Cart, FAQ. And don’t forget about the hyperlinks to social networks.
Design
When we visit a resource, design is the first thing that our eyes catch. It should prompt the visitor to spend time on the site for as long as possible. Also, the information must be easy to perceive. Here are some tips for making your design look truly pleasant.
Choose a neutral background and match colors correctly. From the psychological point of view, 90% of the colors should be neutral and 10% – bright and catchy. The background should not attract too much attention.
Use the right color combination. It can be a gradation of shades belonging to the same group, or colors that go well with each other.
Choose fonts of the optimal color and size. Letters that are too large may look ridiculous, while too small ones are extremely hard to read. The font color should stand out against the background as much as possible. The optimal font color is black, especially if the background is white. Better choose something more classic, not complex.
HTML coding
Without the HTML coding, the site will remain just a meaningless picture with no functions. Links will not lead anywhere, the text will not be available for copying, and so on. Therefore, after being your site’s designer, you must become a developer and turn an image into a fully functional web page.
The widespread problem with incorrect HTML coding can be an inconvenient site’s display in different browsers. It goes without saying that each browser is developed taking into account its own technologies. So, don’t forget about cross-browser compatibility.
Moreover, make the site responsive so that it displays correctly on any type of device, be it a mobile phone or tablet. Then, check if the site works properly: if everything is okay with the buttons, if users can reach you, and so on.
Content
Last, but certainly not least is filling the site with the content. It can be anything that your clients may be interested in: articles, pictures, videos, price lists and various files. Visitors come to the site searching for content, after all. They are interested in a specific product or service. At the same time, convenient functionality, simple structure and beautiful design only complement it.
Also, content plays a vital role in SEO promotion. As it was mentioned earlier, the articles should be written using the semantic core.
Now, all you have to do is to modify the site from time to time. The more visitors you’ve got – the higher are chances to actually have an income.
To Sum Up
Creating your website, thinking through its concept, idea, structure and design are time-consuming, but also enjoyable. In this article, we explored the necessary stages of developing a web project and we hope that thanks to our guide you will avoid many widespread mistakes.