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No matter what industry you work in, service you provide or cause you support, you only get one chance to make a first impression. That’s why your website should always include some essential elements. We’ve broken down these non-negotiables into a simple list to help you, and your website, remain focused when it comes to your goals.

Make sure your website checks all of the boxes below so that there’s no question as to whether or not your online presence measures up to your competition, effectively communicates your message and brand, and also resonates with your market.

Modern Design

Your site should be user-friendly, responsive, easy to navigate and possess eye-catching photography and graphic elements. The attention span of site visitors is extremely short. You have a small amount of time to catch their attention and give them what they have been searching for. Creating a clean and simple design that’s easy to navigate and give them the answers they need will produce more leads for your business. Plain and simple.

The Header

The header is the very top portion of your website. This is where your logo and navigation live, which are two of the first things people will see when they land on your site. This is one of the most valuable sections of your entire website, especially since it takes top real estate on every one of your webpages. Visitors should be able to recognize your brand right away, and the header is one of the most important tools to make sure that happens.

Must-Haves:

-company logo

-navigation

-CTA/Conversion Tactic

-Phone Number/Contact

Navigation

Without diving too deep into navigation design, it’ll help to understand the hierarchy of website pages. The pages listed in the navigation should be your Top-Level pages. These are the important ones like Products and Services and usually have related subpages. This area should essentially immediately explain what your business offers. There are different types of navigations, strategy for placement, and so on. All of those elements are where a web designer and developer would come into play.

Compelling Content

The copy on your website should provide the relevant information that teaches and informs, while also giving visitors confidence in their decision with your company. Additionally, you’ll want to take SEO into account, or Search Engine Optimization. ON-page optimization is key, so be sure to include title tags, meta descriptions, alt text, keyword density checks, relevant content, and the list goes on. Without this section becoming too overwhelming, just remember that “Content is King” is still a real thing. But irrelevant or uninteresting content doesn’t do your website visitors, or your business any good.

Call to Action

Creating a call-to-action by using a button or link helps to guide your site visitor toward your end goal. Depending on your ideal conversion, your action item could encourage a visitor to make a call, click a link, sign up for your email marketing list, start a free trial, or anything else that encourages user engagement. It is important to not overwhelm the visitor, although you should have more than one opportunity to create conversions with a few well-placed call-to-action opportunities.

Contact Information

Making sure your phone, address and email information is accurate and functioning properly is crucial to building trust with your business and making a great first impression. Your contact info can be placed in a few places throughout the site. For example, your header can contain your phone number, your footer can contain your address and phone number, and your site should always have its own Contact page, visible in your main navigation. If someone cannot reach out to your business easily, they’ve likely moved on to the next business that can help them quickly and efficiently.

The purpose of your website is for potential clients to easily find you, learn more about what your offer, build trust, and ultimately convert. If your website is not doing these things, then the bottom line, you’re missing an opportunity.

So, how does your site measure up?

If you notice your website may be lacking in a few areas, or needs a total overhaul, reach out to us and let’s talk about how together, we can make your website as impactful as it should be.

Check out our full list of website design, development capabilities, and past projects here