Recently, when the word “google” became a verb and people began to google everything and everybody, having a good website also became vital for your brand. Concerning this, I am very often asked what helps to make a good website.  There are many aspects of a “good” website, but first let me share with you about the technical content.

First, a clear navigation is a must. Visitors will decide within a few seconds if they want to check more pages on your website. If they can’t easily find the information they are searching for, they simply will click the back button on their browser and return to Google search; therefore an unusual or poorly placed menu on your homepage will not work.

Secondly, website intros are a big no-no.  The same counts for music in the background and websites done entirely in Flash. Apart from many other reasons which you may read about, you need to remember about the growing number of people who check out websites on their iPhone or other smart devices.  Have a look at the photo to the left.  Here you see an example of how a Flash website is viewed on an iPhone.

Third, avoid using poor graphic design.  It jeopardizes the credibility of the brand if the website appears old-fashioned, cheaply created or worse. Add to this a logo done by the gifted dabbler, and you have the perfect recipe for website disaster.

I could go on and on about this forever, but instead let’s discuss website content.  The most common mistake is to create a website without thinking about the visitor.  Of course you would like to tell about your mission and goals.  On the one hand this information may be interesting, but on the other hand it is really not benefiting everyone.  If you will tell how your organization can help visitors, it will be appreciated.  Doing so may help provide the motivation hook for making business together.  It can also help explain how problems can be solved, while the visitor looks for what they’re interested in working with or buying from you.  In addition, did you know that the average time an internet user spends on a website is less than 2 minute? The explanation of this fact is simple; web visitors don’t read word by word instead they scan a webpage.

Lastly, don’t forget that internet users can get bored quickly, so update your website often.  It’s important to change graphics, add new content or write a blog to keep visitors coming back.  Also I would suggest you should set up a Twitter account.  Here you can accumulate followers and keep them up-to-date about the latest additions you’ve added to your website.

Connect with Bea Stanford: Twitter, LinkedIn, Inside Twente