10 Features Every Great Website Must Have

Think your website is fine the way it is? Think again. Even if you’re not seeing a decrease in traffic or conversions, there’s always room for improvement. Your website should be one of your most important marketing and promotional tools. But for it to be effective, it has to be designed right.

Check out these 10 features that every great website must have to make sure you’re providing visitors with the best possible experience. You may be surprised at how many of them your website is missing!

1. A catchy and easy to remember domain name

A great website must have a catchy and easy-to-remember domain name. The domain name is the first thing that a potential customer will see and it needs to be easy to spell and pronounce. It should also be relevant to your business and give customers an idea of what your website is about.

There are two ways to go about your domain name: One, is to replicate the business name. For example, a business called ‘Crystal Clean Cleaning’ on the Gold Coast could use the domain name crystalcleancleaning.com.au. The other is to use keywords for the domain name. So, using the same example, Crystal Clean Cleaning’s domain name could be ‘cleaningservicegoldcoast.com.au’. The key is to make it short and catchy. You don’t want to go over 20-25 letters if you can help it.

A good domain name will help you to stand out from the competition and attract more traffic to your site. There are a number of websites that offer domain name registration services and it is important to choose a reputable provider. I personally use Crazy Domains.

Once you have registered your domain name, you can then start to build your website.

2. A Homepage That Captures the Essence of the Website

A website’s homepage is often the first impression that potential customers will have of the business, so it’s important to make sure that it’s a good one. The best homepages are those that can capture the essence of the website in a single glance.

This can be achieved through the use of an attention-grabbing headline, an engaging hero image, and clear, concise copy. Additionally, the homepage should be easy to navigate and should provide visitors with a way to learn more about the business and what it has to offer.

By following these simple guidelines, businesses can ensure that their website’s homepage makes a great first impression.

3. Crisp and Clean Design

In today’s competitive market, a website must be much more than just a digital business card. It needs to be a well-oiled machine that effectively converts visitors into customers. And in order to do that, it needs to have a crisp and clean design.

A cluttered, confusing website will only drive potential customers away. That’s why great websites have a minimalist design that makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for. Everything on the page should have a purpose, and there should be no unnecessary distractions.

The colours should be pleasing to the eye (see point 4.), and the overall aesthetic should be professional and polished. Fonts should be easy to read, and images should be high-quality and relevant to the site’s content. Most importantly, the design should be responsive, so that it looks great on all devices (see point 8.).

A well-designed website will also be visually appealing, further engaging visitors and keeping them on the page. With so much riding on the design of a website, it’s essential to make sure that it’s up to par.

4. Appropriate Use of Colours and Graphics

The colours and graphics you use on your website should be in line with your branding. Your branding is the overall look and feel of your business, and it should be reflected in every element of your website, from the colours to the fonts to the photos.

If you’re not sure what your branding should be, take a look at your competitors’ websites and see what they’re doing. Then, come up with a unique twist that will make your site stand out.

For example, if you’re selling products that are targeted toward women, you might want to use softer colours like pink and purple. Or, if you’re selling products that are aimed at kids, you might want to use brighter, more vibrant colours.

You should also use high-quality graphics that are relevant to your business. If you’re selling products, for example, you’ll want to use product photos. If you’re a service-based business, you might want to use photos of your team or happy customers. If you don’t have quality photos of your own to use, it will pay to subscribe to an affordable image library such as freepik.com, which is what we use at Ignition Media.

5. Easy-to-find navigation bar with an easy-to-use menu

A website’s navigation bar is one of the most important elements of the site. It should be easy to find and use, with a clear hierarchy that allows users to quickly find the information they are looking for. The navigation bar should also be responsive so that it works well on mobile devices as well as desktop computers. In addition, the menus should be easy to use, with clear labels and drop-down options that make it easy to find the desired pages.

Branding is also important for a website’s navigation bar; the colours, style, and layout of the navigation bar should match the rest of the site so that users know they are in the right place. A well-designed navigation bar is an essential part of any great website.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your website’s navigation bar is user-friendly and helps visitors easily find the information they need.

6. A clear and concise headline

A clear and concise headline is essential for any website that wants to be successful. Not only does it need to grab the attention of your audience, but it also needs to clearly communicate what your website is about.

A headline should be short and to the point, ideally no more than a few words. It should also be relevant to the content on your website.

In addition to a headline, your website should also have a call to action. This is a brief message that tells visitors what you want them to do next. It should be visible and easy to understand, without being overly pushy. A great call to action should urge the reader to take some kind of action, whether it’s clicking through to read more, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase.

A well-written headline and call to action can help to increase engagement on your website and encourage people to take action.

7. Well-organised content

When it comes to creating a great website, content is king. However, simply writing quality content is not enough – it also needs to be well-organised and easy to find. Web users have limited attention spans, so it’s important to make sure that your content is structured in a way that is easy to understand and navigate. Otherwise, users will quickly get frustrated and move on to another site.

There are a few simple ways to ensure that your content is well-organised. First, use clear and concise headlines to break up your text and make it easier to scan (see point 6.). Second, use bullet points or numbered lists whenever possible to highlight key information. Finally, use images and other visual elements to break up long blocks of text and add interest. Finally, proofread your content carefully to ensure that there are no errors or typos.

By taking the time to organise your content effectively, you’ll give readers a much better experience – and they’ll be more likely to come back for more.

8. Mobile-friendly layout

In today’s mobile-centric world, websites need to be designed with mobile users in mind. With over 60% of internet traffic now coming from mobile devices, it’s more important than ever to make sure that your website is responsive and can be easily viewed on a variety of different screen sizes.

A mobile-friendly website will have a design that is easy to navigate on a small screen and will use large fonts and buttons to make it easy for users to click on the desired links. Additionally, all of the website’s content should be easily accessible on mobile devices, and there should be no need to zoom in or out to view it.

By ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly, you’ll be able to provide a better experience for your mobile visitors and increase the chances of them becoming customers.

9. SSL encryption for secure browsing

In an age where data breaches are becoming increasingly common, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is secure.

One way to do this is to ensure that your site uses SSL encryption. This type of encryption helps to protect users’ information as they browse your site, and it also helps to build trust with your audience – it’s what changes your website URL from http://yourwebsitedomain.com to https://yourwebsitedomain.com, signifying the site is secure.

You can easily enable SSL encryption on your website by purchasing an SSL Certificate from your website hosting company. They will do all the installation and activation so it’s as simple as placing the order and waiting for the installation to be complete.

In addition to SSL encryption, you should also consider other security measures such as two-factor authentication and regular updates.

By taking these steps, you can help to keep your site safe and secure.

10. Fast Loading Speed

In today’s fast-paced world, people are used to getting the information they need quickly and easily. When they click on a website, they expect it to load just as quickly.

If a website takes too long to load, users are likely to click away in frustration. That’s why it’s essential for every website to have a fast loading speed.

Fortunately, there are several things that web developers can do to improve loading times. For example, they can optimize images by reducing file sizes without compromising quality. They can also minify code and use caching strategies to reduce the amount of time that it takes for pages to load. Using a content delivery network (CDN) is another option.

A CDN is a network of servers that deliver content to visitors based on their geographical location. This means that visitors from all over the world will be able to access your content more quickly. Additionally, using a CDN can help to reduce bandwidth costs.

By taking these steps, developers can help ensure that their websites meet users’ expectations for speed and performance whilst improving your Core Web Vitals score. A Core Web Vitals score is a number from 0 to 100 that Google uses to measure a website’s overall performance.

A good Core Web Vitals score is important because it can impact your website’s ranking in Google search results.

Conclusion

Many factors contribute to a website’s success, but these 10 features are essential for any great website. By ensuring that your site has all of these features, you can help to create a successful, user-friendly website that will keep visitors coming back for more.

If you need help implementing any of these 10 features on your website, please get in touch with Ignition Media. We specialise in website design and development and would be more than happy to help you create a successful website for your business. We can help you to implement all of the features on this list, and we will work with you to ensure that your website is optimised for search engine ranking and conversions.

Contact us today to find out more.