A website is a way to organize and present information so that visitors can easily understand the information and find the parts that interest them.
Good Websites
- Make it as easy as possible for visitors to understand and to get what they want.
- Appeal to the people most likely to use them.
- Let visitors immediately know what the site or current page is about.
- Start with general information and let visitors move to specific information
Bad Websites
- Are hard to navigate
- Load slowly
- Aren’t mobile friendly
- Expect people to read a lot of text up front
- Have problems with legibility
Website Uses
Websites have many uses. Some uses are very obvious, like selling something or sharing thoughts. Other uses are less obvious, like getting people to trust you. Below are some of the most common uses of a website.
Education
Websites can make it faster and easier than books to find things you want to know. You can often search a website for a certain topic. Websites can also have media, like images, sound, and video that add a lot to what you can learn. And websites can link to others giving the user more options for learning.
Identity
Websites are often used to give people a sense of the character of people or their businesses. Portfolio sites give others a sense of someones body of work while commercial sites are used to communicate the feeling of a brand.
Trust
An important use of websites is to let visitor know that a person or business can be trusted. Sharing qualifications, experience, endorsements, and reviews can be powerful ways to do this.
Interaction
Many websites want to encourage communication to give people a sense of community or to create a relationship with those interested in their work, products, or services.
Attention
Websites can be powerful tools to market ideas, products, or services. The history of visual and interactive marketing is utilized to capture and direct people’s attention.
Action
Websites are often used to encourage or promote different kids of actions. Some want you to buy a product. Others want you to attend an event. Still others may want you to engage politically.