What makes a good website: 5 things potential customers look for

In today’s internet-driven world, your website acts as your business’s virtual storefront. It’s the primary point of contact for potential customers, offering them a glimpse into what your business does, what it stands for, and what customers think about your brand. This means your website shouldn't only create a great first impression but also instill trust and credibility, which are both crucial elements for converting visitors into customers.

So, what makes a good website?

With so many options available to your prospects at any given time, how do you set your website apart from the sea of mediocrity out there? Here are some key website features you need to focus on:
 

Clear and easy navigation

Would you buy from a store where you have to ask for help to find every item you need, and the salesperson doesn't even give you clear instructions? Similarly, your customers won't persist until they find what they need on your website.

With today's customers' fleeting attention spans, intuitive website navigation that ensures visitors find what they need is the primary component of a good website. This improves user engagement and encourages your website visitors to explore your website further.

Start by simplifying your navigation menu, keeping it organized, and maintaining consistent placement and webpage layout throughout your website.

Relevant content 

Content that resonates with your target audience and addresses their needs, interests, and pain points not only captures your visitors' interest but also improves your credibility as a business. Relevant content improves your website's search engine ranking and drives more organic traffic to your website, improving lead quality and quantity.

To do this, you need to first understand your target audience's demographics, interests, and pain points. Once you have a clear understanding of your audience, tailor your content to address their needs and help solve their problems. Use language and messaging that your audience understands.

Your job doesn't end with just creating good content. Keep your content always relevant by updating it regularly.

A clear call-to-action (CTA)

What good is a beautifully crafted website with relevant content if your prospects don't know what to do next in their buyer journey?

A clear call-to-action (CTA) is paramount for guiding them to take the next step in their journey, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a demo, or contacting your business.

To create an effective CTA, start by clearly defining the desired action you want visitors to take. Use concise and compelling language that communicates the value proposition. Make the CTA stand out by using contrasting colors and larger fonts, and place it strategically, ensuring it's prominent and easily accessible.

Web security

Security is an essential website feature for today's customers, especially if you’re handling personal information or payment details of any kind. It's important that you not only prevent data breaches and cyberattacks but also give your visitors the confidence to continue exploring your website by proactively assuring them that their personal information is safe.

To ensure website security, it's necessary to implement robust security measures such as using HTTPS encryption, multi-factor authentication, SSL certificates, performing website security audits, and secure hosting.

Here are five major website components prospects look for

So far, we've seen the key features of a good website. These ensure a good user experience and encourage your visitors to continue exploring your website. However, to convert visitors into customers, you should ensure your website has all the information they're looking for. Here's a list of five essential website components to get you started in the right direction.

1. What your business offers

Once a visitor lands on your website, you have 7 seconds1 to capture their attention before they decide to leave your website. That's the time frame you have to tell them what your business offers, how it can address their needs, what sets your business apart from your competitors, and why they should choose you over your competitors.

With a clear and compelling value proposition, explain on your homepage and key landing pages how your product or service solves your prospective customers' problems or improves their lives. If your business caters to multiple target segments, customize your messaging to resonate with each segment and address their unique concerns.

2. Product or service features along with pricing information

Once customers get an outline of what your business offers and why they should consider you over your competitors, they look for detailed information about your products or services. Clearly communicate important product or service features along with how they benefit your customers. Include detailed images of your product, so customers get a first-hand view of the product and a comprehensive understanding of what your product or service entails.

Pair this with transparent pricing information to show prospects that you're honest and upfront about the cost of your offerings. This builds trust and credibility in their minds, and empowers them to evaluate whether your offerings and pricing align with their needs and budget constraints, ultimately increasing the chance of conversion.

3. Contact information and live chat

Another important website component customers look for is how to reach you if they have questions or issues. Include a contact page with phone numbers, email addresses, and a contact form. Adding live chat on your website enables real-time interaction with your sales and support team, offering immediate assistance and resolving queries efficiently. This proactive approach to customer support tells your prospects that you care about your customers and can lead to increased conversions.

4. Customer testimonials or success stories

Customers often look for social proof before making a purchase. Include reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers to build trust. Real-life examples of satisfied customers reassure your prospects about your brand, alleviating any doubts or concerns they may have. Customer testimonials also help potential customers understand how your products or services can address their specific needs or challenges. You can also add third-party reviews and ratings for added credibility.

5. FAQs and help section

The last website component in the list is an FAQ and help section that provides quick and easy access to the answers your prospects are looking for. By addressing common questions and providing helpful guidance upfront, you can alleviate any uncertainties prospects may have, ultimately encouraging them to go through with the purchase. This also reduces the need for them to contact support, saving time for both parties. In addition to an FAQ section and help page, you can also list your most important FAQs in a live chat knowledge base so prospects can access them easily from any page they're on, or add a knowledge base chatbot that parses through your knowledge base and gives prospects the exact answers to their questions.

An FAQ section on your page not only helps prospects, it can also help you rank higher on search engines. Google prioritizes authoritative and high-quality content, and it considers FAQ sections an indicator of that. Ensure that your FAQs are genuinely helpful and informative; otherwise, they may be interpreted as fluff, resulting in a lower ranking.

Key principles of user experience (UX) design for websites

Now that we've understood the essential website components that make a good website, let's also dive into how we can design a user experience (UX) that leads to a positive, intuitive, and efficient interaction between users and the website. Peter Morville's UX honeycomb framework outlines seven key facets that help you achieve this and can serve as a basic checklist for your UX audit. These facets are:

Useful

Does your website help the user? The website should help solve a problem and get the user to their end goal.

Usable

Is your website easy to use? The design should flow naturally, feel familiar to your users, and take them from one action to the next intuitively.

Desirable 

How visually appealing is the site? The design should evoke positive emotions and create a connection with the user.

Findable

Can users find the website? Users should be able to find what they are looking for quickly. This also involves making sure the website has good SEO. ‍

Accessible 

Can everybody use your website, including those with disabilities? It should also be accessible across devices, so mobile-first design and ensuring mobile responsiveness is a must.

Credible  

Does your website feel secure, trustworthy, and legitimate? Customers need to know their personal information is safe and the website information is accurate.‍

Valuable 

Does your website serve its purpose? It should be worth their time, and the user should get more out of the website than the time and effort spent navigating it.

Essential elements of a website—summing up

In this blog, we've learned the importance of clear and compelling messaging, user-friendly navigation, accessible contact information and real-time support, customer testimonials and success stories, FAQs and help sections, and strategic calls-to-action. Through careful implementation of all these essential website features into your website design and content strategy, you can create a user-friendly, engaging website that resonates with your target audience and drives conversions and revenue for your business.

References
[1] "The 7-Second Rule of Websites  " Gumas, https://gumas.com/the-7-second-rule-of-websites/