Let’s Talk Websites ….

Let’s start simple! Websites can have many functions and can be used in various fashions such as personal, commercial for a company, government and even non-profit. They are typically designed around a particular topic or purpose. Website design is a collaborative effort and the main goal is to produce a finished product that will effectively communicate a specific message and create productive interactions with the intended target audience.

Why should you have a website?

Well, to have a better understanding, let’s break down some of the key concepts and elements …

1. Adapt, evolve or become extinct …
   You honestly cannot afford to overlook the benefits of having your business online. If you go against the grain and decide not to create one for your business, you are giving the upper hand to your competitors who do have an online presence.
   
   
2. Fundamentals or bare essentials …
   Your website design must have considerations around many factors such as compliance with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Factors such as text equivalent for every image, forms with descriptive tags, not using bright colours (especially red) for main text areas, not using navigation buttons with text as the image and sufficient anchor text, title and heading on complex pages. As business owners, we need to do our part in making sure our website is accessible to everyone. It’s the right thing to do.
   
   
3. Responsive compatibility …
   When developing your website, it is very important that the end user employs a wide variety of browsers (e.g. IE, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.) and devices (e.g. smartphone, iPad, tablet, smartTV, etc.). You should highly consider using a website theme that is responsive to all devices so that no matter how the user is viewing your information it is clear and concise. They don’t have to scroll right-left-up-down to find what they are looking for. Chances are if they have to do that, they will just become frustrated and look somewhere else.
   
   
4. A picture is worth a thousand words …
   Your company’s brand should be placed aesthetically throughout your web pages. This will provide a seamless connection to all your other digital presences (aka. social media accounts, blog, etc.) It will also help your users know that they are in “your house” no matter which platform they are viewing your company information through. When done properly, your branding will help user remember you. Still unsure on the branding end of things …? Feel free to refer to a recent post of mine called: “What Does Branding Even Mean?”. This should help clear things up.
   
   
5. Awesomeness beyond the bells and whistles …
   The most important element of any website out there is the content. Yes, you do need a catchy domain name, an eye-popping logo, fun colours, good/clear font choices and amazing graphics but without good content you site will be lacking. Keep these tips in mind …
   
   – Use relevant useful content and make regular updates
   – Showcase variety such as images, infographics, text, hyperlinks, videos, etc.
   – Communicate in the language of your intended target audience
   – Proper usages of spelling and grammar (cannot stress this one enough)
   
   
6. Prevent being lost in translation …
   This is equally as important as going beyond those bells and whistles! Your website should have ease of use when it comes down to navigation. Don’t make your users hunt for the information. Make it clear and keep things consistent. Another huge important consideration is to make sure you do not have any broken links. For you WordPress lovers, a great way to avoid this is install the Broken Link Checker Tried, tested and TRUE! 🙂

Now granted there are many other topics to consider such as SEO elements, site security, graphic design and branding, social media implementation, Ecommerce, blog platforms, calendars, content management, newsletters and the software itself but I wanted to narrow things down to the TOP 6 most important points for those of you just starting out. The guide I’ve shared with you here is not exhaustive but a good start to getting your website online.