Today, nearly every consumer does online research before making a purchasing decision. That means that if you own a business, you need a website. And we don’t mean any old website. You need a GOOD website. A website that connects with your audience and makes them feel like they are part of your brand story.
But what are the characteristics of a successful website? In this article, we’ll dive deep into the components of a successful website and some user experience tips you can use to make sure your website stands out in the crowd!
Common Themes of Successful Websites
By 2024, mobile commerce is expected to account for 40% of all US eCommerce sales. And most of those sales will happen through ads that lead to the website. A quality website gives you a real chance to win customers, make new sales, and grow.
A great place to start is to analyze the common themes of successful websites. It’s the best way to learn what good websites do well and what to avoid to ensure your website can compete.
So, let’s look at some themes shared by first-rate websites.
- Successful Websites Always Include The “Must-Have” Pages
Did you know that more than 27% of small businesses don’t have a website at all? Limiting your audience to only one page means they are more likely to spend less time interacting with your brand, especially if the one page requires them to scroll endlessly.
Great websites, on the other hand, always include the standard, must-have pages like:
- Homepage
- About Us page
- Services and/or Product pages
- Contact page
Beyond these pages, most great websites will also include the following pages:
- Testimonial page
- FAQ page
- Blog page
Spreading your content out over a handful of unique pages will produce a better user experience for your audience as they are less likely to feel overwhelmed by multiple topics living on a singular page.
And if you’re wondering— having more than the must-have pages is okay. In fact, it’s advantageous for SEO! Just make sure each additional page is purposeful, on-brand, and represents the specific keywords you’re targeting.
When selecting which pages to have for your website, it’s important to keep in mind the questions a user might have along their journey interacting with your organization. Think about how the pages you include will help them answer questions they may have and how it will serve as their map to engaging with the value you offer.
If you want to know how many more pages to have and what to include, it’s worth consulting with a digital marketing agency for a custom recommendation based on your business goals.
- Successful Websites Look Great
“Professional quality”—the two words that summarize this entire section.
Every brand is going to have a different vibe, but all great websites present their brand—their vibe—their look—their feel— you name it—professionally. They pay attention to the quality of their site, and they make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing because:
- It takes 0.05 seconds for visitors to form an opinion of your website
- 94% of people say web design is the reason they mistrust a website
- 60% of shoppers say website usability is important to them
However, aesthetically pleasing doesn’t necessarily mean trendy. Depending on your unique goals, it may or may not be in your best interest to incorporate design trends. But it is always in your best interest to have a site that’s well laid out, professional, and clean. This is especially true given that 85% of small businesses are guilty of crowding their website with too many on-page elements.
If you’re interested in what’s trending, some of this year’s top web design trends include:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Voice Assistants & Search
- Stunning Visuals
- Vibrant Gradients
- Moving or Oversized Typography
In addition to looking great, users also want websites to function properly without delays. In fact, 47% of users won’t wait longer than 2 seconds for a website to load.
That’s why it’s so important to place just as much focus on website functionality as you do website design. If images take too long to load, it could make the difference between establishing a new customer and losing out on a sale.
- Successful Websites Promote Their Social Media Presence
Great websites promote their business’s social media profiles by featuring social media share icons.
Each social media icon can be custom designed to match your brand colors and typography. Custom designing your icons is a great way to enhance the look and feel of your website.
- Successful Websites Cover Their Bases
Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the importance of a privacy statement. Even though few people will visit your site to read your privacy policy, great websites have one in place to cover their bases.
You’ll also want to comply with other rules and regulations that govern what you need to include on your website, and you’ll want to include any content that protects you or your business.
(We recommend you link to these pages in the footer of your website instead of listing each as a tab on your main navigation menu.)
How to Define Your Website’s Success
Now that you know what all great websites have in common, it’s time to break down what each page should feature. In this post, we focus on what the must-have pages need to include to be successful.
Use this section of the post as a checklist when creating your website to ensure your site has what it needs to succeed.
Home Page
Your homepage is where people land (usually) when they come to your site.
As one of your most trafficked sites, it needs to stand out. It needs to have the information people want and need to see to get them to click, convert, or engage. That information includes:
- A heading
- A subheading
- Primary and secondary calls to action
- Images and/or videos
- A summary of what you do and offer (high-level summary of key benefits and features)
- Social proof (e.g., small testimonial or picture)
- Navigation menu (should be easy to find at the top of the page)
- An enticing offer
In other words, your home page should quickly explain who you are, what you do, what you offer, where to find what you offer, how to contact you, and why prospects should buy/download/call/email, etc.
In general, your homepage is a summary of your entire site and your overall brand character. It’s who you are, what you want to achieve, and the value you offer.
About Page
Your About page may receive the most traffic, so make it good! People expect about pages to include variations of the following:
- Company History
- Team Bios
- Your Company USP—Why You’re Different
- Your Company Philosophy
- Client List (if it’s impressive)
- Testimonials
- Press
You’ll use your About page to give an overview of your company’s history to help visitors get to know your brand and employees. If done right, an about page will build trust and authority—two commodities you’ll need if you hope to convert prospects.
Services And Capabilities Pages
86% of people want to see available products and services listed on the home page and on their own dedicated page. On these pages, your goal is to educate visitors about what you offer, anticipate and answer their questions, and explain the benefits and features of your services and products.
These pages are easier to navigate when each service or product has its own page or space. Use bullets, display boxes, and other icons to increase the scanability of these pages, as most readers will skim through your site.
If your company is a full-service company, you’ll want to make that clear using a capabilities page. A capabilities page is where you showcase your expertise across multiple functions/platforms/processes etc.
Contact Page
44% of website visitors will leave a company’s website if there’s no contact information.
Although you can include a general contact form, be sure to also include your business’s phone number, email address, and street address; otherwise, some users may see this as deceptive and may be less inclined to trust your business.
You may also want to include additional contact information, such as your business hours and other ways to contact you, like linking your social media pages.
Finally, weave contact information throughout your website. Include your full contact information in your website’s footer and your phone number at the very top of every page above your navigation bar.
Blog
Around 61% of online consumers have made at least one purchase based on a blog post recommendation. So it’s always wise to include a blog page on your website and update it as frequently as possible.
Be sure you develop a digital marketing strategy with a cadence that works best for your team, as well as an established list of SEO keywords you want the blogs to focus on. Not only will this help increase searchability and bring more traffic to your website, but you’ll also establish your brand as a thought leader who shares relevant and timely content their audience can actually use and benefit from.
Define your Keys to Success from the Beginning
Now you know what it takes to create a first-rate, successful website! If designing websites isn’t your thing, it’s worth speaking with professionals to see what’s best for your business.
A digital marketing agency can perform a UX audit of your current website to find areas of improvement or strategize a website build that helps you meet and exceed your goals.
With almost everyone going online to buy, research, and plan, you can’t afford not to have a top-notch website!
