50+ Key Points for Building a Website

For quick reference purposes, here is a list of helpful things to consider when building a website.

 

Domain Names

- Should never be disclosed until secured through a registrar

- Correlate with the name of the individual or entity to which a site’s devoted

- The fewer characters used, the better for marketing purposes

- Afford professional email address personalization

-Keep domains unique, short and memorable

 

Logos

- Are simplistic designs by today’s standards

- Helps being recognized above competitors

- May include concept graphics or be implemented as text only

- Done well, are effective even without taglines

- Should make a lasting impression!

 

Color Scheme

- Choose up to 3 colors that work well with your logo, theme, etc

- As needed, use different shades of those same colors for tasteful variation 

- Maximize your aesthetic influence to captivate your audience and drive sales

- Avoid extremely vibrant/dark colors, poor choices may cause visitors to lose interest

- Keep colors consistent and pleasing to the eye throughout the site

 

Background

- Use neutral colors and/or subtle patterns 

- While matching the color scheme, be sure not to distract from the content

- Tiled images are a bust with the exception of seamless patterns

- Use an image, high-quality images can captivate the audience

- Keep it consistent with the general styling of your design

 

Layout

- Create well-balanced pages with highly visible navigation

- A clear flow that guides the visitor

- All pages should be “properly centered” and the “same width” throughout

- Consistent content alignment prevents jumpy page shifts during navigation

- Limit page widths to common screen resolutions - no horizontal scrolling!

 

Headers 

- Likely to convey the overall quality of your site

- Typically consist of wide images by today’s standard

- May alternatively include other eye-catching graphics

- Include phone numbers, business hours, and/or location for convenience

- Are a pinnacle from which to place your logo on display

 

Content (in general)

- Focus: Minimalist design by today’s standard

- Avoid lengthy pages to appease the short attention spans

- As needed, compress and/or resize images to prevent slow page loads

- Text color should contrast with its background to maximize visibility 

- Limit off-topic content and advertisements to sidebars and footers

- Minimize the need to navigate for higher customer conversion

 

Content (specific to index page)

- The index or HOme page should be captivating 

- Try to grab their attention as soon as your homepage has loaded!

- Pictures are worth a thousand words, especially when added to image sliders

- Challenge: Clarify your product or service onscreen (before having to scroll)

- Written content focus: What makes you stand out from the crowd?

 

Call to Action

- Easily implemented with buttons

- The “X” Factor in customer conversions

- To be notably displayed on your homepage, and as otherwise necessary

- Encourage visitors to shop, download, subscribe, contact, etc

- Focus: What should be your visitor’s next action?

 

Connectivity

- Use blogs to provide important updates

- Guestbooks enable visitors to post positive feedback

- Contact buttons and forms provide a quick messaging option

- Add a “Subscribe” option for your newsletter or video channel

- Integrate social media platforms using icons

 

Building Trust

- Use reputable payment integrations and eCommerce systems only

- Provide information about yourself, your organization, mission, and/or locale

- Present your credentials, experience, networks and/or trade associations, etc

- Publish comments and testimonials from your satisfied customers

- Got VIP’s? Sometimes (especially locally) it’s about “who” you know! 

 

SEO

- A critical element to your success online!

- Keeping pages organized and uncluttered with extras is a necessity

- Use (actual) page names and inviting descriptions under “Page Settings”

- 250+ word minimum on the homepage, 100+ word minimum per page thereafter

- Ensure that written content is relevant to each page to boost keyword density

- Build online credibility and organic SEO with quality relevant content

- And tricking the search engines? Don’t even think about it!