Statistics rank Canadians as the twentieth highest Internet users globally, with an estimated 26 million users.

Many people who access the Internet on a regular basis claim that they can differentiate between a good and a bad website, at a glance. This is a troubling aspect for online businesses and company domains. The image conveyed by their website can make or break their brand, and attract or repel potential customers and clients. This underpins the value of quality web design among Canadian companies.

Most users judge the quality of a domain subjectively. Good webmasters are aware of this factor and do their job objectively to prevent any bias. Some of the essential qualities that determine the effectiveness of a website include the following nine factors.

Website Objectivity

What is the purpose of the site? Users should be able to answer this question immediately when they land on its homepage. Typically, the purpose of a website is either or all of the following functions:

•To promote/advertise a brand name online.

•To market or sell products and services to interested consumers.

•To provide relevant information regarding a company, its product line, features and benefits to users.

•To provide a platform for communicating and engaging directly with current and prospective clients.

Web designers usually incorporate these functions on a domain using pages. Thus, the homepage should directly communicate the websites purpose, or the entire domain becomes irrelevant no matter how good it may look.

Website Navigation

A good domain makes it simple for users to navigate through with the click of their mouse. Users should be able to find exactly what they are searching for without breaking a sweat. One of the ways in which webmasters organize information is through a web content management system. These software systems make it easier for website administrators to create, manipulate and edit online content, despite their limited programming knowhow. Thus, site administrators can arrange content coherently, according to their targeted audience.

Search Engine Optimization

An essential feature of good websites is search engine optimization (SEO). Users should be able to find the domain simply by typing keywords or

phrases that relate to the site. No matter how appealing a site may seem, it becomes defunct if users cannot locate it online easily. Many in-house IT specialists may not be familiar with SEO, or they may not have enough time or resources to do it properly. Some web design companies offer SEO services or may recommend good companies that do.

Page Load Time And Viewing

Online users are an impatient lot. Few people are patient enough to wait for several minutes for images to load or for video content to buffer. The worst kind of interference entails flash animated and popup ads, when viewing content. Such distractions could drive many users away from a domain. It is essential for web pages to load automatically and advertisements to remain at a minimal. Thus, webmasters should use flash animations, video clips and automatic music tracks only when necessary.

Quality And Professional Design

A company’s website is the first point of contact with potential online customers and clients. First impressions always count in business and influence users perception of a brand. Therefore, it is advisable to invest in the best possible website according to the type of business. The domain should inspire trust and confidence among users, while communicating the business’s objective and line of business effectively. Sometimes though, cost may be an issue especially among start-ups. Such businesses can take advantage of blogs and CMS systems available online. One of the most popular content management systems is word press, which offers amazing plug-ins, community forums and templates for users.

Web Content

The content posted on a website should be informative and relevant to its objective. The domain might have fancy bells and whistles but shallow content. The work of web design experts is to design the layout of the domain. A good SEO company can assist in creating relevant, optimized content that will ensure users respond positively to the intended message.

Overall, a good website can play a crucial role in genrating leads for a business. However, online users are quite finicky and tend to judge domains subjectively. Thus, ideal web design must take note of the above nine essentials of a domain, plus many others, to avoid common pitfalls that can hurt a company’s brand.

Have a business that needs a website facelift or a start-up website? Contact the friendly, professional staff at Calgary Web Design for a free quote today!