However, with over 1.95 billion existing websites, building a great site and standing out from the competition requires constant effort, practice, and time. For example, looking for a good website name on a domain name search can take a while if your desired name is already taken. Also, ranking your website in the top position of search results can’t be done overnight since you need to implement effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. This article will cover seven key elements of a high quality site. By the end, you will know what all the leading websites have in common and how to make your own website successful.
1. SEO-Friendly Domain Name
A domain name is one of the most important elements of a high quality website. It acts as a physical address of your site, helping you to build a solid online presence so visitors can easily find your business when looking for related topics. It can also drive more traffic to your site. For this reason, we recommend choosing an SEO-friendly domain name. Even though a custom domain name is not a direct ranking factor, making sure it’s click-worthy and credible is crucial. To create such a domain, consider its length, popular keywords in your industry, and the extension. Follow these practices to make this process easier:
Ensure the domain name availability. Hostinger’s domain checker allows you to choose and purchase a domain name without hassle. It offers fast and affordable domain registration with reliable 24/7 customer support.Come up with several alternatives. If your preferred domain name is already taken, you will have other options.Keep the name concise. Simple domain names are easier to remember, increasing your brand recognition.Don’t use hyphens and repeated letters. Domain names like popular-clothing-store or freeecommercestore make your website look unprofessional and difficult to remember.
2. Clear Site Navigation
Site navigation refers to the overall site’s navigability and structure. It is an essential element of a web design that makes all the web pages reachable. Clear site navigation also benefits the site’s user experience and SEO. Good website navigation means your visitors can easily find information on your site. For example, Pathofex’s top navigation bar includes various menus, such as technology, game guides, business and finance, and social media, enabling users to navigate from one topic to another with ease. Furthermore, there is a search bar that allows visitors to jump to any topic they like. As for SEO, clear website navigation helps search engines understand your site structure. Therefore, search engine crawlers can effectively find relevant content and convert it to the search index, ranking your web pages higher in search results.
3. Mobile-Optimized Web Design
The number of mobile internet users keeps increasing and is estimated to reach 5.5 million by 2025. As a result, it is important to ensure that your website is mobile optimized: mobile-friendly and mobile-responsive. Mobile-friendly refers to the ability of a web page to adapt to the screen of mobile devices and desktops automatically. Meanwhile, mobile-responsive means that the mobile site version provides the same experiences as its desktop version. For example, the buttons and links are clickable using touch gestures. If you create a website using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, just use one of the responsive WordPress themes – you don’t need to add code to make the site responsive and mobile-friendly.
4. Page Speed
Having a web page with a fast loading speed is important, as it significantly impacts user experience, conversion rate, and SEO. Moreover, page speed plays an important role in making your website credible. If the overall page speed is slow despite having great site design and content, it can increase the site bounce rate, lowering web pages’ position in search engines. Page speed refers to a web page’s time to load the content. Note that the time is calculated in various ways, such as:
Time to First Byte (TTFB) – measures the time when a web browser establishes a connection to the web server and downloads the web page’s content.Time to Interactive (TTI) – allows website owners to evaluate the web page’s interactivity. A TTI of less than 4 seconds is recommended to ensure a positive user experience.First Contentful Paint (FCP) – is the time a web browser takes to render the first element of a web page, such as texts and images.
To increase your page speed, implement several practices like optimizing images, using a reliable content distribution network (CDN), and investing in a good web hosting service.
5. High Quality Content
Publishing high quality content is an important part of an effective website. That being said, creating engaging and SEO-friendly content that ranks on the first page of search results can be daunting. Consider the following practices to help you create quality content:
Write for Your Readers
Keep in mind that you write content for your target audience, not yourself. If you have a blog section on your business website, write content that can entice visitors to learn more about your products or services. Most importantly, include how your customers can benefit from them.
Consider the Search Intent
It is important to think about the search intent when making your content. If the content fits users’ needs, they will stay to explore your site content. You can conduct keyword research to ensure your content matches the search intent.
Update Your Content
Publishing new content is important, but old content also needs refreshment, such as updating references and keywords. Updating content can also boost its ranking in search results if it is underperforming.
6. Security
A responsive and well-designed website with enticing content might be enough to drive traffic. Still, website security is what makes your visitors feel secure when accessing your site. For example, having robust security on eCommerce websites is essential to ensure the users’ online data and privacy. Moreover, having good security awareness is also important to minimize data breaches. For starters, implement the following website security practices:
Install an SSL Certificate
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encrypts the communication between a web server and the users. Most web hosting providers already include a free SSL certificate on their plans, so you don’t need to purchase a third-party SSL certificate.
Regularly Back Up Your Data
Data backup refers to data duplication to alternative locations, such as physical or cloud storage. Scheduling data backups helps you secure the data if you experience a data breach or physical server malfunction.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security feature that provides an extra layer of protection. 2FA works by asking users for a one-time passcode (OTP) generated by an authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator and Authy.
7. Social Media Integration
Integrating social media links or icons gives website visitors more ways to share and engage with your content. This can also help increase your online presence and brand awareness while increasing the chances of generating new potential customers. Consider using a social media login feature that allows users to log in to your website using one of their social media accounts, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This social media integration feature might come in handy for specific websites, such as business sites. For example, when customers like your product and want to recommend it to their friends and colleagues, they can instantly share it using this feature.
Conclusion
A high quality website offers various benefits for its owners and users. Visitors can enjoy the web content and design as they explore. Meanwhile, it helps website owners drive more traffic, increase brand awareness, and improve the chances of ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). However, building such a successful website requires much effort, patience, and time. Here is a recap of the seven essential elements you should take into account when building a great website:
SEO-friendly domain nameClear site navigationMobile-optimized web designPage speedHigh-quality contentSecuritySocial media integration
Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the vital elements of building a successful website. We wish you good luck on your online journey to creating your dream website.
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