What makes a good website?

If you asked 100 persons to list 10 attributes of a good website you will get varied responses where some attributes will be more popular than others.

There is no one correct way to answer this question and you will find yourself researching and looking at many answers to shape your own thinking. I want to answer this question for you from my perspective as a tech blogger and web developer in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.

Firstly, a website should be working for all visitors. One way to measure this is by asking for feedback. A website should make it easy for visitors to message you and give feedback. You should have multiple contact options and let visitors know that if they don't get a response within 24 hours (for example) to try one of the other contact options. Always respond to and acknowledge messages. Messages should be part of a workflow where they are escalated to the top if left unanswered.

A good website loads quickly. In the blink of an eye so to speak. It will cater for an average internet connection and mobile users with lower bandwidths. Website speed is related to search engine optimisation and Google uses website speed in their rankings. A website load time of two seconds or less is good by todays standards. There are several tools available for grading website speed and suggesting fixes. There are many articles written on the topic.

Website and content should be easy to find via search engines and social media searches. Over the years, most of my blog traffic comes from search engine traffic. Stay away from black hat SEO techniques like keyword stuffing. Keep your Google My Business listing updated and correct as this is one of the first things a user might see when searching.

Website security is important for users. Users are looking out for encryption, privacy policies, cookies warning, two factor authentication and proper account management. Users want to know that data is securely stored and backed up. Users want control of their data.

An important attribute of a good website is good design. There are persons whose dedicated job function is web design including user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. A website should feel good, look good, be functional and be practical. Pay attention to modern design principles and best practices. Websites should be mobile first and mobile friendly and responsive.

In summary, a good website should be fast, secure, user friendly, search engine friendly and easy to contact. What else would you add to this list? Share with us in the comments below.

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