The Top 5 Requirements of Web Site Success

Posted on 14. Apr, 2009 by Pete Hollier in Search Marketing, Search Optimization

Top 5 Requirements to Web Site Success

There are a number of elements which work together to create a successful business web site. Deciding which Web Site elements are the most important to overall web site success isn’t easy to determine due to the numerous tasks and elements required to make a web site a success.

Ultimately web site success is based on all the tasks and elements working together to create a web site that can be found, interacts and enhances the visitor experience and achieves the goals and objectives of both the business and the web site visitor.

Although as I have mentioned, it is the combination of numerous tasks and elements which determine the success of the web site. I have provided what I consider to be the Top 5 Web Site tasks and elements which are absolutely necessary to build a successful online presence for your business.

Number 1 – Professional / Usability Web Design

A professionally designed web site is one of the most important factors in perceived credibility and ultimately web site success. First impressions are important, according to research completed by G. Lindgaard published in Behavior and Information Technology a web site has a mere 50 milliseconds to make a favorable impression amongst web site users.

The characteristics of Professional Web Design include:

• Professionally designed logo
• Layout which conforms to accepted usability standards
• Intuitive navigation
• Persuasive and relevant content
• Appropriately designed and utilized graphics

Number 2 – Keyword Research

Keywords are the foundation of all Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing initiatives you are likely to implement. Without a good foundation of Keyword Research it is very likely the well designed business web site you have developed is unlikely to generate traffic or profits.

Keywords are the building blocks of the relevant high quality content required to inform web site visitors and Search Engines of the services and products your business provides. To succeed in the development of your content, a clear understanding of required keywords is imperative.

The principles of Keyword Research:

• Determine keywords used by potential customers to find the products and services you supply
• Competitive research into keywords and phrases used by your primary competitors
• Ascertain the competitiveness of specific keywords and phrases. How many web sites are attempting to rank for your selected keywords
• Research 3 to 4 word keyword phrases for highly targeted traffic and improved likelihood of ranking well in Search Engine results.

Number 3 – Content

“Content is King” I have said it before and I am sure to say it again. Without great, relevant and fresh content your web site is sure to falter. Content is the primary reason your visitors come to your site and your primary tool for getting your business’s message to your customers. It must be up to date, informative and relevant.

Other reasons “Content is King” include:

• High quality content encourages links from other web sites
• Search Engines look favorably on fresh relevant content
• Provides Search Engines the information required to properly index your web pages for relevancy
• Offers numerous opportunities for the integration of keywords and keyword phrases

Number 4 – Inbound Links

A professionally designed web site, with the right keywords, integrated into great content is a start in the right direction. However, without good high quality inbound links your web site is unlikely to do well in Search Engine Results Pages.

Search Engines use inbound links to determine the importance of a web site. The more high quality and relevant inbound links to your site the better it will rank in the Search Engine Results Pages.

Inbound link considerations:

• Obtain links from relevant web sites
• Use topic specific and local directories
• Ensure keywords are included in Link Anchor text
• Obtain links to pages other than just the home page

Number 5 – The Seo Plan

With all the various tasks required to launch a successful web site and Search Engine Optimization program, planning is crucial.

Developing a Strategic Plan will assist you to prioritize, budget and schedule both the required tasks and the staff and consultants required at the specified stages of the web development, and future Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing programs.

SEO Planning Principles include:

• Define goals and objectives
• Determine potential costs and budgets
• Prioritize web pages for optimization
• Create plan for monitoring performance / budget and to determine if goals and objectives are achieved

Developing a great web site and ensuring it is beneficial to your business and customers requires many more tasks and elements than are included in this list. But without these key items your web site will achieve little or no ROI for your business and will not be found by Search Engines and Internet users.

Obviously my prioritization of these tasks is my opinion. What is your opinion, and what do you see as the most important aspects of Web Design and SEO to ensure your web site is a business success?

Written by: pete@seowizardry.ca a Search Engine Optimisation Consultant

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If you would like to use this article on your web site please contact pete@seowizardry.ca for an html version. All I request is you provide Seo Wizardry with a reference to this article and provide a link back to www.seowizardry.ca