Northern Lights Technology, Articles -- What is a Good Web Site

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What is a Good Web Site?

It seems like a simple enough question, but even many Internet "experts" will struggle with the answer. Do high-profile graphics and multimedia make a good web site? If so, then why do the Web's most profitable sites, such as Yahoo, utilize low bandwidth text designs? In reality, there is no definitive answer as to what makes a good Web site because each site contains a unique set of circumstances that must be considered. The issue is farther clouded by personal perceptions and values. So rather than attempt a definitive answer, here is a list of the common attributes successful Web sites share:

1) Content is the most important thing on any Web Site. Period. Everything else takes second billing. Think about how you use the Internet in your personal life and you will find that your online time is dominated by content-rich sites.

So what is good content? Good content does not mean mission statements, personal biographies, or irrelevant links (no one really cares about these except you). Good content solves your customer's problems, and it solves them now! Good content should be useful, free, and unique. It should answer questions your customers have before, during, and after the purchase of your products. It should create excitement about your products, and help customers get the most out of them. Here are some examples of good content:

FAQs and knowledge bases that answer common questions and help customers troubleshoot problems without making a phone call. Microsoft.com is a good example, with nearly 100,000 pages on their website dedicated to their product knowledge base.
Useful product information, including pictures, vital stats, price, availability, and order information.
If you're a manufacturer, it is always a good idea to offer manuals online. Similarly, if you're required to provide regulatory documents for your products (such as MSDS or PSDS sheets), offer them online. 3M.com offers excellent product information in both of these categories.
Articles, links, and news that are relevant to what you're selling.
Anything free is always a big draw, whether it's free samples, downloads, coupons, or information.

2) A clean, sharp, professional appearance is very important. The site's appearance says volumes about your business. If your site appears to be made by an amateur, your credibility will suffer, and your Web site may actually hurt your business. Now this doesn't mean you need to have gaudy graphics, animation's, and multimedia presentations - excess is just as bad as not having enough. Here are some of the things you need to watch out for:

Professional quality logo.
Clean, crisp, professional graphics are key. Jagged edges on graphics are a sure sign that an amateur created your site. Most graphics should have smooth, blended edges (called anti-aliased) because they give the illusion of higher resolution. Also, clip-art should be avoided at all costs. While easy to use, clip-art is another dead give away that your site was create by an amateur.
The fonts used on your site should be readable and available to everyone. Most computers come with Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Veranda, and Courier, so the balance of you site should be in these fonts. While fancy script fonts are fun to use, they are very hard to read and should be used sparingly.
Colors schemes are also very important. Without going into the psychology of color schemes, simply keep in mind that your color scheme should be consistent with the theme of your site. Also be sure that there is enough contrast between the background and text colors so your pages are readable.
Navigation buttons and hyperlinks should be easy to distinguish from normal graphics. Image maps are also very popular, but you must make sure that the user knows where the links in the picture are located.

3) Logical site layout, consistency, and ease of navigation areas that even professional designers sometimes overlook. Confusing graphical navigation systems that frustrate the user should be avoided. Good Web sites are organized so the user can anticipate where to find information. The site design should be consistent, with the logo, navigation, and heading in the same location on each page. Your site should also be easy and quick to use. It should take no more than three mouse clicks to reach any information on your site from the home page.

4) A responsive experience is the most neglected area in the Web design today. As many as 25% of the Web sites published today make you download special adapters to just to view them. Many others make you wait while excessive graphics and multimedia presentations are downloaded. Studies have shown that Internet users start to become impatient after waiting 15 seconds, and over half will leave after 30 seconds. If you want to keep people on you site, it should download quickly and require no special software.

The Solution
At Northern Lights Technology, our Internet solutions focus on the customer. We'll work with you to redesign your business so you can succeed on the Internet, then we'll build you a Web presence to fulfill your needs. We utilize the latest business, programming, and Internet technologies to produce high-quality Web sites that get results. We also utilize advanced marketing techniques to ensure your Web site gets noticed. So if you want to succeed where others have failed, let us solve your Internet problems today.