Today I’m starting a series of blog posts on the keys to truly successful websites. Whether you’re doing your own site or having a professional web designer do it for you, these insights should help you make smarter decisions.
Keep Web Design and Navigation Simple
The most basic, most important key to an effective website is to make it easy for site visitors to understand 3 things:
- what you do;
- who you do it for; and
- why they should have YOU do it.
People who can’t figure that out – quickly! – move on to the next website.
This means you don’t need expensive, high-end graphics. You don’t need animation. You don’t need for every page to appear in the navigation.
The website template pictured to the right looks cool, doesn’t it?
But look how complicated it is! There are navigation links in those circles on the left and above the top blue area. Some of the icons (to the right of the map image) are navigation links too.
Then that little email icon is hanging way outside the main part of the site, on the lower left… why is that?
You’ll get a lot more business from your website if you and/or your web designer focus on making it as easy as possible for website visitors to get the information they came for.