Home
>
Web Development
>
9 Keys to an Effective Website

9 Keys to an Effective Website

Many small companies choose not to invest in a professionally designed website, although a well-designed Web site may raise the company's level of professionalism and exposure ? AND drive business and sales!

Make sure your website is working for you with the following characteristics:

Usability enables your users to get the most out of your site. This means that the site's navigation is consistent, clear and easy to follow; forms and links are in working order; and the information on the site is current and answers incoming clients' potential questions.

Findable: If people can't find you, then they won't buy from you. Make sure your pages have text coded in HTML instead of embedded in the graphics, so that search engines can read it. Put ALT tags on the images you do have ? search engines look at these, and they can improve your rankings. Include META tags in your code and submit them to at least the major search engines. You can do this for free ? ask me how! Finally, find some online directories where your site would be a fit and add your site to those directories. This is one more way potential clients can find your site; having directories and other sites linked to yours can also increase your ranking in the search engines.

Legible fonts, sized for easy reading on different platforms and browsers. Also, make sure your font is either significantly lighter or darker than your background color or pattern, so that your site is readable for colorblind people, too. If you're using a background pattern, make sure that it doesn't interfere with the text.

Cleanly designed, with graphics that enhance the website's message, instead of detracting from it. This applies to animations as well, which should be designed with a purpose.

Reinforces and repeats elements of your brand image, building upon the design of your corporate logo and other materials and repeating your company's message. Consistency of your company's brand is important across all media.

High-quality graphics that are optimized and saved in the correct format for their content ? JPEG format should be used for gradients or photos, and GIF format should be used for images with areas of solid color.

Fast loading: Optimizing your graphics and writing clean code will ensure that your users only wait a minimal amount of time for the page to come up. If people don't see your site quickly, they're more likely to click away from it or not return in the future.

Cross-platform compatible: Make sure that your site looks the same on PC and Macintosh systems, and on Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla and all the other browsers ? that way, you're not missing any of your audience! You'll also want to make sure that the site looks equally as good in older versions of the browsers ? not everyone updates their browser software when new versions come out.

Clean code will load fast! Well-written code is also less likely to load incorrectly in different browsers. Clean code will also enable other web designers to pick up the maintenance of your site easily if you decide to transfer those responsibilities to a new designer.

A well-designed website works as a qualifying agent and also provides information 24/7 about your business to all your potential clients. It is a vital resource and marketing tool for doing business in today's global marketplace.

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable ? and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: logo design at logo design

spotless home service Lake Forest ..

In The News:

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.

Protect your home network by enabling proper encryption, creating strong passwords, checking connected devices and using VPN and antivirus software.

The Navy's solar-powered Skydweller drone flew nonstop for 73 hours in Mississippi, proving renewable energy can power long-endurance military missions.

Moving and downsizing expose seniors to identity theft and scams as data brokers collect real estate records and personal information to sell to criminals.

ShengShu's Vidar technology revolutionizes humanoid robot training by using AI-generated synthetic video, reducing required training data from hours to just 20 minutes.

Apple's older Mac computers face security risks without regular updates, but 10 essential tips including FileVault encryption and strong passwords can keep aging Macs protected.

Self-driving trucks from PlusAI could reshape freight transportation by 2027, addressing driver shortages and reducing logistics costs for businesses.

Solar farms are turning to sheep instead of mowers to cut grass under solar panels, lowering costs, reducing emissions and creating new income for farmers.

Fraudsters posing as local officials are making fake calls about missed jury duty, demanding payments in a rising scheme that exploits fear of arrest.

Honeywell Aerospace engineers developed a "surface alert system" that gives pilots two aural warnings when they are 15 and 30 seconds away from a collision on the runway.

Anonymous researcher has scraped public Spotify accounts of politicians and celebrities, highlighting major privacy risks in default platform settings.

AI chatbot toys marketed as screen-free playmates could undermine children's empathy and critical thinking skills, according to pediatric specialists.

TransUnion confirms a major data breach affecting 4.4 million U.S. consumers after hackers exploited third-party Salesforce apps to steal personal info.

Scammers use fake DocuSign emails claiming Apple Pay charges to steal personal information using fraudulent phone numbers and fake receipts.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Farmers Insurance confirms data breach affecting over 1.1 million customers nationwide, exposing customer info including addresses.

The iconic Mary Kay pink Cadillac goes electric with the Cadillac Optiq, available only to the company's top 1% of sales force performers.

Cybercriminals abuse trusted Intel driver to gain kernel access and shut down Windows Defender, enabling undetected malware deployment since July 2025.

Using email aliases for online shopping and subscriptions can protect your privacy by preventing companies from linking your activity across websites.

9 Keys to an Effective Website

Web Development