There are almost 2 billion websites for the world to consume. So how do you make your’s good? What defines a good website? If I have a good website, how do I optimize the performance of my website?
Building and sustaining a website is a daunting task. To make it a little more manageable, we’ll break down some elements of good sites to make sure yours stands up to competitors and helps provide your audience with the information, entertainment, and overall dependability they need.

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a major buzz word in the web-based industry. Simply put, you want to have as many keywords in your content as possible to generate more hits towards your website when people are using a search engine such as Bing or Google, to meet their needs. Holistic SEO is the way to go if you truly want a good website that will impress your consumers and your bottom line.

Essentially, holistic SEO is the process of ensuring that you put the love and care into your entire website that naturally flows with keywords and content. For example, you can have all the top keywords embedded in your content, but if your website is poorly formatted with sub-par writing quality, then who is going to return to your website? However, if you take the time to produce a website with technically sound SEO wrapped into high-quality content, secure data systems, and overall satisfying user experience, then you’ll increase the likelihood of other websites creating hyperlinks that will send users to your site. With an overall holistic approach to your SEO, you’ll see your website improve its rank, delight consumers, and improve your productivity.

Seven Elements that Make a Good Website

Now that we’ve established the importance of holistic SEO and being committed to providing quality content, we’ll need to breakdown seven elements to focus on when producing that Primo content. It’s important to reiterate that you must keep knowledgeable of the buzz-worthy keywords that relate to your niche. However, the overall quality and professionalism of your website are essential for producing a good website for you and your audience. You have great ideas, and the people will benefit from the information, products, and services you provide. So let’s dive into the elements that will allow you to maximize the impact your website can have.

Element One: A Website with a Clear Purpose that will Satisfy Users

The “why” is always a great place to start with any project, especially when it comes to building a website. Why do you want to build this website?

Is it to sell a product? Well then, what specific product(s) are you selling and to whom?
Is it designed to entertain? Okay, so what topics are you going to entertain the masses with, and who are you entertaining?

You need a clear purpose for your website and a plan to execute that purpose for an intended audience. This is an essential starting point. If you build a website before asking these questions, you’ll be destined to have to start from scratch in short order. Building a website about something you are passionate about does not mean people will start clicking.

So think about the “why”? And answer that question honestly. For example, I want to build a website to sell T-Shirts that I make. Okay, now what specific niche do I want to sell T-Shirts too? A specific band. From there, you have a defined audience that you can target. You now need to learn everything you can about that intended audience. If they love to follow the band on the road, great, produce content about their tours. Are there specific songs and quotes that look great on t-shirts? Great, generate quality shirts, and a professional web store for that audience.

Think about the websites you like to visit. Why do you visit them? What is their goal? What do you like as an audience about that goal?

Understanding and uniting your website with the needs of your audience is of paramount importance. You need to know what they might search for and seamlessly incorporate those words into your content. Be strategic about how you can allure your audience from one website or search engine to yours. A good website can find out what their audience wants and turn that into something that they need.

Element Two: A Website that is Technically Sound

Have you ever clicked on a link from a search engine to a website that was slow loading? Did you stick around waiting for it to load? Probably not. The same goes for a clunky website that is difficult to navigate and loaded with errors. Building a fast, stable, and technically sound website will help keep your users there and keep them coming back for more.

Make sure that you have done your research and are using a hosting company that is highly qualified with satisfactory ratings. Many hosting websites have great technical service teams that you can chat with or call if you have any issues or questions when building or modifying your website.

A website with smooth and technical SEO that has the right content management system will provide you the best chance at a good website.

Element Three: Effective Design and Primo User Experience

An aesthetically pleasing website is usually a good website, as long as you know your audience. The look of your website is going to be the first experience your audience has with your creation. Think again about your favorite sites that you frequent or enjoy. What is effective about their design? What elements of their design can your incorporate into your website? Color scheme matters, too. Be sure to do your research on colors and make sure your text and buttons are easy to see.

Another element of website design that impacts user experience is the clarity of your site. Is the goal of your website effectively portrayed? Does each page stand alone to meet the specific needs of your audience? If the goals of your website are accessible to the user, then you are on the right path towards providing your audience a great user experience.

Additionally, be sure that there a good flow and feel to your website. Your pages should flow for readers, and there should be no frustrating elements for the user. Some of the most common frustrations include buttons that can’t be seen and text that is too difficult to read.

Element Four: Enticing, User-Centered Content

It all comes back to your audience and keeping them engaged and entertained. Again, you must stay up-to-date with all the latest happenings and trends your audience is engaging in. Be at the forefront of generating content that will keep them coming back for more. Visiting your website should serve a purpose for your audience that is either entertaining, informative, or productive.

What does the audience need? Find those answers and provide that to them in clear and understandable ways. Be clever, and find unique ways to stay ahead of the curve and make your website a must-visit for your audience.

Element Five: Mobile-Friendly!

You are doomed if your website is not mobile-friendly. That’s not hyperbole. It’s 2020, so you need 20/20 vision when it comes to your site. See the website as a desktop and see the website mobile-based. How do all the elements flow? Is it clunky or user-friendly?

Luckily, if you have the right hosting site, they can help you if you feel your website isn’t mobile-friendly. Usually, all you need to do is reduce the clutter and keep your design clear. Again, go back to the goal of your website. If you can find the best way for your audience to achieve that goal from a mobile device, then you’ve got yourself a good website.

Element Six: Structure Data for Search Engines

Just like your website, search engines, like Google, want to be effective for their consumers. For search engines to be effective, they have created an algorithm that can “read” websites to figure out exactly what a page is all about. Once they have this information, the search engine can determine if that page best meets the needs of the search. But what if there was a way to help provide these search engines with more effective information to enhance your website’s performance? Well, there is.

You can provide structured data on websites like https://schema.org/, which will enable you to provide search engines with the exact purpose of your website and pages.

If you’ve ever seen websites appear on a Google search that includes little blips of content like a recipe or FAQ dropdown, then you can be sure that those websites provided structured data for Google. Essentially, you’re providing data that is easily digestible for search engines that can then be purveyed to the user. These elements will grab the user’s attention and help improve the likelihood that they will check-out your website.

Element Seven: A Website you can Trust

We’ve all seen the little green lock icon and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that this a secure website. The internet is a vast and wild world, so a good website must provide users with trust. Safe and secure sites are more likely to be trusted and returned to. Search engines also take this into account, as they strive to provide searchers with the best results. They will go with what is proven to be trustworthy.
This also goes back to the content you provide.

Your website should also be secure, and structures must be put in place to protect yourself from hackers. If you have people providing their personal information, you better make sure you honor that by using up-to-date software that will protect it from any possible attacks. Prevention and protection will help your website prosper.

The Good Website

So there you have it–seven elements that will help you develop a good website. But don’t stop there. Be on the cutting edge and remain a life-long learner when it comes to building a good website. Think about what it takes to make a great website. What we have laid out for you today are the foundational pieces that are essential to making sure your website will be good from top to bottom. However, we have only just laid out the basics.

Remember to ensure that you have a clear goal, that your content is quality and that your website fits the needs of your audience.

Don’t forget that goals can change and develop, quality content in 2020 can be stale and underwhelming in 2021, and the audience’s needs can change over time. You must always be looking to innovate and stay on the cutting edge when it comes to your website. It’s always good advice to reflect on your favorite popular websites and think about how they have evolved over time. Has their formatting changed? Have they grown in their objectives and goals? What have they done to enhance your experience as a consumer?
Building and maintaining a website should be a fun and worthwhile experience. If you put your passion into it and stay guided by these elements, you should yield positive results. Best of luck on your website building adventures!