What Makes a Good Website

Components of a Successful Website

What does a successful website look like? We're not talking about the design or layout, but rather the structure. What sort of components do "good" websites share?

We separate these components into the Visible and the Invisible. In other words, what the casual visitor sees, and what is going on behind the scenes, or under the hood.

Visible - The tip of the Iceberg

Just like an iceberg, what you see when you go to a website can be a fraction of what is actually there. The design and the messaging are simply end products of a more comprehensive strategy.

Invisible - The 95% beneath the surface

It all starts with objectives. From this comes a strategy; key to a good website. You've probably heard the old saying that an hour of planning is worth 10 of doing.This holds true for web design. Without a solid, in-depth understanding of what you're trying to accomplish and how best it needs to happen, you'll spin your wheels. You will eventually create a plan for your website; it's simply a question of whether you do it up front, efficiently and in one chunk, or if you do it piecemeal throughout your project, putting out fires as you go.

The rest of the 'invisible' includes:

• Architecture
• Technology Choices
• SEO Planning
• Graphic Design
• Programming
• Content Production
• Marketing and Promotion
• Maintenance Strategy

So hopefully the iceberg analogy is becoming a little clearer. By focusing the majority of your energy on the 'bulk', you'll end up with a successful website.