Five Traits of a Successful Website

Building a website for your company can be an immensely daunting task. What information should you provide? How do you organize that information? What colors should you use? Where do the visuals go? Do you even have visuals you can legally use? How do you convey that you are competent, trustworthy and hip? What about the actual content? How are you going to host the thing? And have you thought about coding? Yes, we went there.

These are all questions you may be asking yourself, and you have not even begun to build the dang thing! The truth is, at Momenta, we believe website design should be left to professionals. Think about it this way: With most assets in hand, it takes a pro hours of work per individual page. Overall, it can take a pro about 80 to 100 hours of work to put together a stellar website. Let that sink in for a moment. Now, think (and be honest with yourself): How long would it take you?

That said, we have attempted to make this task a little less intimidating. Below you will find five traits of effective websites. So, take a deep breath and have a read. It will be ok. We promise.

First and foremost, declare the basics // While this may seem like an obvious step to take, it is oft forgotten. If people do not understand what you can do for them, they will be unlike to reach out to you. Be sure to convey who you are, what you do, and why this is valuable to your audience.

Provide easy to find contact information // Now that you have explained to potential customers who you are, what you do and why you are valuable to them, they must be able to easily contact you. If potential clients cannot easily do this, they may move on to the next, more accessible option.

As different customers have different preferences, we recommend that you include various ways for people to reach out to you. On the Momenta website, we have included a contact form, an email address and a phone number. We have also included our social media for those who prefer to be in touch through alternate platforms. You cannot please everybody, but you can aim to accommodate most, especially when it comes to potential clients.

Feature solid, eye-catching visuals // We cannot say this enough, so allow us to say it again. People love attractive photography and design elements. Also, visuals, much like words, can tell a story. In fact, visuals may be able to tell it better. There is a universal quality to storytelling visuals that words simply cannot provide. Photographs can bring a page to life and break up text into sizable bites while videos can convey useful information in a more memorable and digestible way.

To learn more about what visuals you can legally use and building your company’s stock image archive, read our post about How to Find the Best Photography Solution for Your Company.

Cater to your customers’ need for speed // Back in the day people waited an average of eight seconds for a website to lead. Research has shown that these days they may wait three seconds. This is why it is essential for your pages to be quick, not clunky. Make sure your visuals are sized appropriately for web use and simplify your code to optimize load times.

Keep it simple // Do not be afraid of white space. In fact, it is your friend. By white space, we mean the “empty” space on the page. Resist the urge to fill it with something. White space allows readers a chance to take in the information without clutter. It gives their brain a rest from information overload. If a page features immense amounts of information or visuals, viewers will not know where to look and are likely to leave the page overwhelmed.

Decide what is most important for your organization to convey, and do so simply, elegantly. Furthermore, remember Simon’s Law: Hierarchical structures reduce complexity. Visual hierarchy is important as it makes clear what information is most important on any given page.

Would you like a free quote on your website overhaul? Do you simply want to ask a few questions before you jump right in? Would you like to know how much to budget for this type of project?  We welcome your inquiries and encourage you to reach out to us. You may call, email, or complete our contact form to begin a conversation on how Momenta Creative can help your organization’s website shine.