Five Components for “Best in Class” Web Design

Websites are a critical component forany business that strives to succeed in today’s financial landscape. But justhaving a website is not enough, you need to invest knowledge and expertise intothe site design for the most efficient and effective online presence possible.Every website has the potential to reach its target market and maximize thereturn on investment, but not all succeed. It is the sites that areconsistently using five core design components that experience true onlinesuccess.

The first component to a well-designedwebsite is the look and feel, or presentation, of the site. It is the visitor’sfirst impression of your site, brand, and company as a whole. Illustrations,graphic design and photography always enhances a site’s look and feel, but notthe expense for any of the other components. Visual elements should always actan appropriate enhancement of written content and functionality. Designconsistency is also essential to providing the user with confidence and freedomto find information on your site.

In recent years, website usability hasbecome increasingly important for delivering a quality experience online.Website usability is the ease at which a visitor can use the site. It startswith good site architecture, or structure, for quick navigation and links toeasily accessible content. It should also be a priority to stay current withthe latest web standards and accessibility standards, such as using CSS, HTML,XHTML, JavaScript, or PHP to your advantage.

Effective content writing is one ofthe most important aspects of the overall design. Your company’s valueproposition, and product or service should be the ‘star’ of the homepage. Thetext content, or site information, needs to be fresh, informational, andrelevant to your target market. Most visitors will only scan content, ratherthan read as meticulously as you do, so extra attention must be invested tooptimize its scan-ability.

Your website can be the epitome ofdesign, but it won’t be appreciated if no one sees it. A website will fail ifit doesn’t have quality traffic. Quality traffic comes from three differentsources. People who come directly in their browser, through a search engine, ora link from a different website.

The most important goal of a websiteis to create results for your business. For most companies, this means generating leads and prospects andconverting them into sales and clients. If your site’s presentation, usabilityand content are professional and you are getting quality traffic, you stand agreat chance of winning business and increasing your conversion rates.

Being found on the internet is adifficult, but rewarding achievement. Once you are found, it is critical that awell designed website awaits the visitor that performs well via presentation,usability, and quality content. Only then can you ensure quality traffic andincreased conversions. However, not all businesses have the internal capacityor resources to invest in these five design components. Glide Design is an Austin web design companythat focuses on the five components of “best in class” design. They specializein custom web site and logo design and deliver high quality solutions withcreativity ingenuity, and tenacity. They build relationships first, and websites second.