Veronica Hines

If a company wants to be noticed by its consumers it must have a website, it’s just as simple as that. However, not everyone is sure what should and shouldn’t be on their website. Even some web developers get confused about it. Sure, they know how to insert codes to build the site but they may not know what works with the visitors and the search engines. Sometimes companies overdo it, adding tacky designs and features while neglecting the basics. Here are some things that should and should not be included during web development in Stuart:

Things To Include In The Website

About Us: The site should clarify what it is about. The About Us page should include the company’s purpose, history, etc. Pictures of the organization and profiles of its employees increase the website’s credibility and search engine rankings.

Contact Details: All possible contact details should be included to make it convenient for the visitor to contact the company. A contact sheet and location on Google Maps can be very helpful. This should ideally be added at the top right corner or the bottom of the site.

Social Media Links: Social media links are also helpful, they not only give more platform for visitors to interact with the organization, but they also give the organization a brand personality that they can connect with. It’s also possible to include feeds from social media on the site.

User-friendly Interface: The website should be pleasing to look at and easy to navigate. Visitors should be able to visit any page in 2 clicks and simple themes that suit the tone of the site’s purpose should be used.

Sitemap: Sitemap is the overall map of all the pages of the website. It helps search engines crawl the site and visitors look for the page they want to visit making navigation easier.

Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are small hyperlinks, usually below the header, which tells the visitor which page they came from, for example, Home…> About Us. This makes it easier for visitors to navigate their way back to a page they visited.

Keywords and Meta Tags: Keywords and meta tags are important aspects of search engine optimization (SEO). Keywords make it easier for visitors to find the site in search results, preferably the first one, while meta description gives the visitors a preview of what the site is about based on which they judge whether to click it or not. However, overuse of keywords should be avoided.

Things To Exclude From The Website

Broken Links: A link error is just embarrassing and can result in loss of visitors. Links should be checked at regular intervals. It doesn’t have to be done manually, there are many software that check if the links are working.

Stock Images: Stock images are used by websites because they are cheap, sometimes even free, and of good quality. However, the problem with stock images is that every website and blog use them. It’s best to give the site a personal touch by including actual pictures of the organization and its people.

Outdated Info: Outdated information on the site confuses the visitors and decreases the site’s credibility. The content should be updated every time there is a change in the contact info, company policy or any other information on the site. Doing this also helps the site’s ranking as search engines think of the content as a fresh one.

Background Music: Most visitors will shut the website as soon as the music starts playing. No one expects music to start playing when they click on a link. Many might not have their earphones plugged in and might attract unwanted attention.

Pop-Ups: Pop-ups block the view of the site which annoys the visitors. It’s even more annoying when they accidentally click it and end up on another page.

These were only some do’s and don’ts that one should keep in mind during web development in Stuart. Of course, there are cases when what usually doesn’t work works out and vice versa but they are exceptions.