Features of Great Websites A well planned and designed website will contain the following features: • Meets your specific goals • Contains focused content that appeals to the target audience • Presents content that encourages visitor contact • Contains content that improves search engine visibility • Easy to read, use, navigate, locate information, and print • Integrates visual design theme appropriate for the target audience • Designed with download speed in mind • Allows for future expansions and additions to the website Ease of Use and Navigation The organization and layout of your website should be apparent to the visitor. Its navigation system should be simple, easy to follow, and consistent. All website navigation must answer: • Where am I now? • Where have I been? • Where can I go next? • Where%26apos;s the Home Page? Content is the Key to a Good Website Here are some thoughts about Web content. • Does your content solve your customers%26apos; problems or does it create problems? • Does your content match your audience%26apos;s expectations? • Have you determined the purpose of your site? • Do you know your target audience? • Is the content technically correct? • Does your customer need to know the content you%26apos;re presenting? • Is the content current and updated frequently? • Can people easily find the content they%26apos;re looking for? Ask yourself: %26quot;What content do I have that would cause anybody in their right mind to visit my site a second, third, or fourth time?%26quot; This is extremely important. The best content is the content people want to see over and over and over again. Visual Design Theme The visual design theme should be used on each page of the website to attain unity and should be appropriate for your target audience. Download Speed Keep download speed in mind when developing formatting, layout, and images. Standards should be based on a 28.8 Kbps modem speed for download time. Ideally a page should download in 30 seconds or less using a 28.8 Kbps modem. Pages should not exceed 60 seconds in download time using a 28.8 Kbps modem.
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