What Makes a Good Web Site?
Putting together a website is like a puzzle - so many pieces! And each piece is important to communicate to your audience about what you do and how well you do it.
I’ll start with a general checklist, organized by category, of the basic elements that make up a good website for artists and small businesses or non-profits.
Not sure what it all means? I’ll go into detailed explanations for each category in separate upcoming blog posts. (I have my work cut out for me!)
Bonus! Check out my personal pet peeves at the end (webmaster nerd alert.)
Design and Layout
Clear and easy to read logo/title
Navigation - clear, concise
Sufficient white space
Color palette aligned with brand
Fonts and text easy to read, aligned with brand
Copy
Well organized, concise, no more than a few paragraphs per page
Call to Action - what to do
Tag line - quick description of what the business/organization/site is about
Well written, no typos or misspellings
Fresh and interesting
Visual Elements
Appropriate size - large images are preferred
Quality (clear, focused)
Personalized imagery (not too obvious stock photography)
Legal
No use of non-licensed copyrighted material
Privacy Policy (especially if collecting emails)
Terms & Conditions (optional but recommended)
Cookies acknowledgement (optional but recommended especially if any visitors from EU)
Technical
Responsive (works well on mobile)
Fast load time
Easy to Update
Business/E-Commerce (not all will apply to all websites)
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Easy and intuitive scheduling for appointments
Contact information on the home page
Great product photos, descriptions and pricing
Product and/or business reviews and/or testimonials
Seamless payment system
My Personal Pet Peeves
Email Subscription pop-ups (especially the ones that almost force you to sign up)
Default favicon and error pages (just boring)
Home Button (doesn’t everyone know to use the logo?)
Last Blog Post over 3 months old (blog or don’t blog, there is no try)
White text on black backgrounds (so hard to read)
Excessive use of all CAPS (shouting hurts my ears)