In a world where every dollar has to count, people often ask us why we build websites and what makes our sites work well.  The answer is simple; a great website relies on great design, solid content and rich functionality.  It may sound simple, but just pause to think for a while about what actually has to go into your website to meet the needs of both your business and your customer.

Starting with web design - we've all be on websites that make you cringe.  You know the ones, lots of flashing content, buttons and icons all over the page, all clamouring for your attention and confusing you as a visitor.  Having a website where the navigation is obvious and where your branding isn't confused by the content is key. At Impact, we always start by structuring a website and putting an architecture together that will help our team (designers and programmers) as well as you the customer, understand what we are building and what the main focus needs to be.  We spend time analysing your customer base, looking at your marketing strategy and making an outline of what your website needs to deliver. The design aspect is uber-important.  If your website design is good, it will make you stand out above the competition.  Not too long ago, people would look for comapnies based on their listing in the phone book, or perhaps on a recommendation.  Now though, in a digital age, we simply jump onto Google and look up the company.  What if your website looks bad compared to the competition - who do you think will win the business?

Clean navigation is also an important factor in every website.  A website should be informative, and answer questions.  It shouldn't confuse your visitor or leave them looking for a way back in - it should be easy to navigate and the main sections should be easy to find.  There are so many ways to achieve this, whether you are using a menu system located in an obvious place on the web pages, a dropdown CSS menu where the menu items fall below each section heading, or as graphic icons on the page - the 'call to action' button.  Your visitor always needs to be able to get back to where they just were.  Don't let them navigate from page to page and then find they can't get back again!

Your content is most important.  When we talk about content, we're not just thinking about the text on a web page, it's more complicated than that: your content is what your customers see and it affects every aspect of what your website delivers.  The text on the page, the images you use, any data tables or links, your dynamic content and social media integration - how are all of these factors presented to your customer? You need a consistent style, a 'voice' that your website uses and everything you serve up, and I mean everything, has to be totally professional.  Think of it this way, if you are a realtor and your business is selling houses, how many houses would you sell if your website looked badly designed, dated or simply had poor quality 'I just snapped this on my cell phone' images?  Not too many I should think.  Every aspect of your website content is part of your online brochure, your 'persona' and a reflection of you as a company.  Therefore, it has to look the very best that it can be.

And what of functionality? Well there are many schools of thought here - we all love websites that ofer oodles of functionality; we can interact, we can play, we can design, we can interpret - they are so much fun.  But where do you draw the line between functionality and purpose?  A website with too many dynamic components will perhaps confuse the visitor or leave them playing with the website in places that aren't going to make you money! Your website should offer tools and functionality IF that will help your customer to move to the next stage in their browsing experience.  If you are a paint shop, then a tool that allows for colour selection or product selection may be useful.  If you are an accommodation provider, why not have an interactive booking calendar? Your website needs to have functionality that will 'answer the needs of your customer' and enhance their browsing experience.

So in essence, a great website is a cumulation of many factors.  If you have an existing website, why not start the process by looking at it in the eyes of your customer.  How easy is it to find content?  Is it easy to navigate?  Is it logical and does the content make sense?  Do your documents open 'within your site' and not redirect the customer to someone else's website? Great design, dynamic tools and functionality and professional-looking content will get you noticed. Best of all, many of the things that make a website work well can be done by the business owner, you don't need specialist tools, just common sense; and when you hit a wall and need help, you know who to ask!

Andy Chapman-Coombs, VP + General Manager
Impact Visual Communciations