What Makes a Good Website?

By T.J. Miller, Chief Marketing Officer, Franklin Marketing

Are you considering a new website and wondering, what makes a good website?

Google “what makes a good website” and you’ll get more than 7.7 billion links. In the ever-transforming digital world we live in, a good website is less about tony trends and flashy fads, and more about understanding why it matters for your business.

Sure, a good website has great design and functionality, but a better website?

Better requires creating a user-centric — customer-centric — engagement instrument that goes beyond these fundamentals. The key? Earnestly work through the question, "Why does your business need a website?"

From knowing your users — your connected community, including your past, present, and potential customers — to balancing design and functionality, embracing dynamic content, and strategically fitting into the digital landscape … let’s look at some milestones on your way to a better website.

A Simple Truth

Maybe your business does not need a website. Maybe it does.

Your Google search, “What makes a good website?” led you to almost more results than humans on this planet, but let's shift the focus to a better question that will help lead you to a better website: "Why does your business need a website?"

Do your clients find you through online searches like "near me"? Do they check online reviews or seek information before reaching out? If your customers expect to Google you and schedule appointments, learn about your services, leave or read reviews, and contact you — having an online presence — Google Business Profile, social media engagement, a website, and more — becomes crucial. If some of this is true for your community, it would seem you should have a website with functionality to accommodate these user wants.

A website is not just a static online advertisement. It's where your users interact with your brand. Your website is more than a digital billboard. It's a destination for your community.

The crux lies in understanding your connected community. Yes, in that community is your market — your potential, present and past customers. In that community are also advocates, stakeholders, peers, locals, supportive entrepreneurs, business resources and more.

The simple truth is this: A good website looks great and functions well — a better website enables your connected community to fulfill their wants and spread advocacy. To understand why you need a website, understand why your community visits your website.

Cotton-Eye Joe Is On To Something

Marketing is a stereotyped and misunderstood function of business. Usually, when someone says marketing, we hear “advertising” and associate things like social media and websites. Ending in “-ing” as a verb — something businesses do—marketing might be better understood by understanding the noun “market.” The market is simply and synonymously “customer.” Do you think of customer-ing differently than marketing? Marketing is not about tricking people or manipulating them. Marketing is about inspiring people and being influential. Is your website inspiring? Does it influence your community or your customers?

Understanding your connected community and your customer involves a thoughtful exploration of their motivations, wants and behaviors. Why would someone come to your site? How would they get there? What did they want to accomplish? What did they do? Like Cotton-eye Joe’s ponderings, ask, “Where did you come from? Where did you go?”.

Helpful data to answer these questions more objectively might come from analytics, social media insights, customer interviews, surveys and more. By adopting a holistic view of your community, you can anticipate needs, tailor experiences, and create a website that not only attracts but truly resonates with your community. Asking every customer, questions like, “How did you hear about us, what brings you here, how are we doing" etc. is not a technical or website development skill you need to learn or pay for — it’s an entrepreneurial one … and it’s free.

This type of intentional awareness ensures every digital touchpoint is an opportunity for engagement and connection.

Blending Design and Functionality

Marketing is a combination of art and science. For websites, the interplay between design and functionality is where good meets better. Aesthetics draw users in, while usability keeps them engaged. Your website needs to strike the perfect balance between visually appealing elements and a seamless user interface.

Don’t misunderstand “visually appealing.” Look at the most popular website on the planet, google.com. No fancy pictures. No video. No hero section. Just a logo, and a search field at the forefront. It is simple in design, which makes it visually appealing. That leads to our ability to seamlessly use the Google interface to search.

Compare that with apple.com. Big pictures. Lots of pictures. Motion. Color.

There are not necessarily hard rules — rights and wrongs —in what makes a good website. apple.com would not make a good google.com — it would distract from the users’ want to quickly search. Equally so, google.com would not make a good apple.com because users want to see creative new products and understand how the new features will help enable their creativity and improve their quality of life.

What is more accurate is to say, that aligning the design and functionality of your site with your community’s wants and your business goals creates a better website experience. By prioritizing user needs, preferences and expectations, businesses can craft digital experiences that not only draw visitors in but also convert them into loyal advocates.

Humans, psychology and sociology have a genuine interest in the wants, needs, and desires of people and communities — this is the heart of marketing.

Dynamic Content Equals Relevance

In the digital marathon, standing still is a recipe for obscurity. A static website risks becoming a relic. Search engines will think your site is old and stale. Users will wonder if you’re still a thriving business.

Dynamic content — personalized and ever-evolving — ensures a website remains relevant, engaging, and responsive to your community’s wants and needs. It's this adaptability that keeps your website fresh and interesting, encouraging users to return, engage and convert. It's not about creating a digital Mona Lisa to hang on museum walls, but nurturing a dynamic presence that continuously adds relevant value and interest.

Freelancers, Agencies, and DIY

Considering how to approach a website design project is multifaceted. Just as we discussed what makes a good website, there is not a black-and-white answer. The decision between freelancers, agencies, or the bold do-it-yourself approach brings distinct advantages and challenges.

■ Freelancers — Personal Touch with Limitations: Known for flexibility and a personalized touch, freelancers offer a hands-on, customizable approach to web design. Their specialized skills bring depth, but limitations in bandwidth and resources may impact project timelines and service breadth. A freelancer will be cheaper than an agency, but their capabilities are likely more limited.

■ Agencies — Comprehensive Capabilities with Considerations: Agencies, with their team-based approach, bring a diverse skill set to the table. Handling everything from strategy to implementation, they provide a holistic view of online marketing. However, higher costs and potential communication gaps with the project team may be considerations.

■ DIY — Autonomy with Learning Curves: Venturing into the DIY realm promises hands-on customization and cost-effectiveness. You become the project manager, designer, and doer-of-all for your project, adapting at your own pace. Yet, the learning curve, limited expertise, and resource constraints could pose challenges.

Choosing the right path hinges on project complexity, your budget, your timeline, and your desired outcome. It's a balance between personalized service, comprehensive capabilities, and cost-effectiveness.

What makes a better website?

Websites are a standard for businesses in the digital world in which we live. This business expectation has resulted in more flash and less "why." Websites should look good — and, at times, they should be fun and engaging. However, that is not the purpose of a website. Why do you need or want a website? As in all things marketing, replace "you" with "your community, your customer" and your website's why becomes more clear.