Thinking about making your blog or website a success? Here is a list of 8 crucial factors that can make your website popular:
- Quality Content: The most important aspect of any website is the content that it delivers. It serves as an identity for your website. It thus becomes mandatory to think twice before publishing any content — rich, original and unique. Well-written and easy to absorb content wins appreciation and also expands the customer base.
- Layout: The website is not only about the content but it also about the arrangement of elements like advertisements, feeds, navigation efficacy, communication panel and so. The layout of the web-pages should be such, that it harmonizes all the elements in an organized, well-managed and clutter-free manner.
- Look & Feel: The design of a web-site is of utmost importance. It should be simple, professional, appealing and pleasing. It should go with your theme (subjective content). Avoid using too many graphics (images and Flash); it may distract your customers and keep them away from the content. Try to keep the design basic and what your visitors would prefer.
- Easy Navigation: Website navigation serves as the pathway for people to navigate through the web-pages of the site. It should thus be simple, easy to use and intuitive. Besides using internal linking between the pages, consider offering sitemap and search bar for easy accessibility. Carefully design the primary navigation — for important links and secondary navigation — for pages like “about us”, “contact”, etc. Don’t overlook the matters like positioning of navigation bar, link titles, number of links per page etc.
- Regular Updates: The website which offers fresh and updated content is most likely to win the appreciation of the audience and search engines. It entices the customers to visit the website regularly, thus, making it a part of their daily web-routine.
- SEO Optimization: Most of the customers are directed to a particular web-site by means of search engines and user search-words. Therefore, consider using SEO tools to make your website qualify for search results — draft keyword specific content & pay extra care to the page titles. Avoid using too much of CSS and Javascript; to reduce page-loading time. Reducing page-load time has not only come to affect your Google Search ranking now but it also raises your incoming traffic exponentially.
- Encourage Communication: Make provisions for establishing communication with your customer base and gather the comments and feedback. Live up to their expectations and offer them help as and when required. An element of interaction helps build a community around your blog.
- Focused Customer Base: Know your target very well and deliver content or provide services which are beneficial to your customers. Present yourself appropriately and thereafter, welcome the suggestions from your customers while maintaining the integrity of your own work.
