A-Z of what makes a good website

January 27, 2025

A - Accessibility

A good website ensures equal access to everyone, including users with disabilities.

Examples:

Add alt text for images to describe their content for screen readers.
Provide keyboard navigation for users who can’t use a mouse.
Use colour contrast tools to ensure readability for users with visual impairments.

Actionable Tip: Use tools like WAVE or the Lighthouse Accessibility Checker to test your site for compliance with WCAG standards.

B - Branding

Your website serves as the digital face of your brand, making it crucial to consistently reflect your brand’s personality and values. This consistency helps in building trust and recognition among your audience, ensuring that every interaction with your site reinforces your brand identity.

Examples:

Use your brand’s colours, fonts, and logo consistently across the site.
Write in a tone that matches your brand (e.g., professional, casual, quirky).

Actionable Tip: Create a brand style guide and refer to it when designing or writing content for your website.

C - Calls to Action (CTAs)

Strategically placed CTAs guide users to take desired actions like signing up, purchasing, or contacting you.

Examples:

“Start Your Free Trial” for SaaS websites.
“Download the Guide” for lead generation.

Actionable Tip: Make CTAs stand out with contrasting colours and action-oriented language, like “Get Started” or “Claim Your Free Audit.”

D - Design

A well-designed website is visually appealing and user-friendly because it combines aesthetics with functionality, ensuring that users can navigate easily while enjoying a pleasant visual experience. This balance is crucial as it helps retain visitors and encourages them to explore more of the site, ultimately leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Examples:

Minimalist design: Apple’s website focuses on clean, simple visuals.
Use of whitespace: Sites like Dropbox make their content easy to read by avoiding clutter.

Actionable Tip: Use the rule of thirds for balanced layouts and ensure your design aligns with user expectations.

E - Engagement

Interactive elements keep users on your site longer and encourage participation.

Examples:

Quizzes: BuzzFeed’s quizzes drive massive engagement.
Interactive animations: Webflow’s showcase gallery highlights creative animations.

Actionable Tip: To add movement and interest, use tools like Typeform for interactive forms or Webflow’s animation tools.

F - Functionality

When website features fail to function as expected, it can lead to significant user frustration. Users rely on seamless interactions to accomplish tasks efficiently, and any disruption can cause annoyance and dissatisfaction. This frustration often stems from the expectation of a smooth experience, which, when unmet, can lead to a loss of trust in the website's reliability.

Examples:

Functional contact forms that send submissions instantly.
Smooth video playback on desktop and mobile devices.

Actionable Tip: Test your website regularly using manual testing and tools like BrowserStack to identify and fix issues.

G - Graphics

High-quality visuals can make your site stand out.

Examples:

E-commerce sites like ASOS use sharp product photos from multiple angles.
Websites like Airbnb use real photography to tell a story.

Actionable Tip: Optimize images using tools like TinyPNG to reduce file size without compromising quality.

H - Hosting

Reliable hosting ensures your site stays online and loads quickly.

Examples:

Webflow Hosting provides fast load speeds with built-in CDN and SSL.
Hosting with AWS ensures scalability during traffic spikes.

Actionable Tip: Choose hosting providers that offer 99.9% uptime guarantees and are geographically close to your audience.

I - Intuitive Navigation

Users should easily find what they’re looking for.

Examples:

Clear top navigation menus (e.g., Google’s navigation bar).
Search functionality like Amazon’s search box with predictive text.

Actionable Tip: Conduct a card sorting exercise with users to organize your navigation logically.

J - Journey Mapping

Guide users from landing pages to conversions with clear paths.

Examples:

An e-commerce site’s journey might be: Homepage → Category → Product → Checkout.
A service website could direct users: Homepage → Services → Contact Form.

Actionable Tip: Use tools like Hotjar to track user flows and optimize your paths to conversions.

K - Keywords

SEO-optimized content is crafted to improve a website's visibility on search engines, making it easier for potential visitors to find. This involves using relevant keywords strategically throughout the content, ensuring that the site is structured in a way that search engines can easily crawl and index, and optimizing elements like meta tags, headers, and alt text. By aligning content with search engine algorithms, SEO optimization helps drive organic traffic and enhances the site's ranking in search results.

Examples:

Use “Webflow agency” as a keyword if targeting businesses looking for Webflow experts.
Add long-tail keywords like “best website hosting for small businesses.”

Actionable Tip: Use Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to research keywords and optimize titles, meta descriptions, and alt tags.

L - Load Speed

Fast-loading websites reduce bounce rates.

Examples:

Google loads in under a second, even with billions of users.
Shopify stores prioritize fast load times to retain users.

Actionable Tip: Use tools like PageSpeed Insights to analyze and improve your site’s speed by compressing images, minifying code, and enabling caching.

M - Mobile Optimization

Your site should look and function flawlessly on mobile devices.

Examples:

Responsive layouts like those seen on Netflix or Airbnb.
Mobile-friendly hamburger menus.

Actionable Tip: Test your site with mobile-first design principles and tools like Responsive Design Checker.

N - Nurturing Content

Compelling content is the backbone of user engagement, drawing visitors back to your site repeatedly. By offering insightful articles, tutorials, and resources, you establish your site as a valuable source of information, fostering loyalty and encouraging return visits.

Examples:

Blogs like HubSpot’s that offer industry tips and resources.
Tutorials like Canva’s Design School.

Actionable Tip: Plan a content calendar and focus on evergreen topics to consistently provide value.

O - Originality

Your website should be a unique reflection of your brand, not just another template. By infusing your site with distinctive design elements and personalized content, you create a memorable experience that resonates with your audience. This originality not only sets you apart from competitors but also strengthens your brand identity, making your site a true representation of who you are.

Examples:

Spotify’s unique scrolling animations.
Bold storytelling on Squarespace’s landing pages.

Actionable Tip: Explore creative features like custom animations and micro-interactions using Webflow.

P - Performance

Monitor and analyze your site’s performance to identify areas for improvement.

Examples:

Track bounce rates using Google Analytics.
Monitor uptime with services like Pingdom.

Actionable Tip: Review metrics like time on site, conversion rates, and page views per session regularly to identify trends.

Q - Quality Assurance

Ensure your site is error-free and always up-to-date.

Examples:

Fix broken links using tools like Screaming Frog.
Regularly update contact details and product information.

Actionable Tip: Schedule quarterly site audits to keep everything fresh and functional.

R - Responsiveness

Your site should adapt seamlessly to all screen sizes.

Examples:

Media queries in Webflow ensure responsive designs.
E-commerce product pages that scale perfectly on mobile.

Actionable Tip: Use Webflow’s responsive breakpoints to test and optimize your site on different devices.

S - SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Make it easy for search engines to find and rank your site.

Examples:

Use optimized H1 tags like “Best Webflow Agency for Businesses.”
Add descriptive alt tags for all images.

Actionable Tip: Create an SEO checklist to track meta descriptions, header tags, alt text, and internal links.

T - Trustworthiness

Build trust with users through transparency and credibility.

Examples:

SSL certificates (HTTPS).
Display reviews and testimonials like Trustpilot does.

Actionable Tip: Include trust badges on checkout pages, like “Secure Payment Guaranteed.”

U - User Experience (UX)

User experience (UX) is crucial in ensuring that visitors have a positive interaction with your website. It involves creating a seamless and intuitive journey that guides users effortlessly from one point to another, enhancing their overall satisfaction and engagement.

Examples:

Amazon’s intuitive shopping experience.
Clean designs on Canva that simplify navigation.

Actionable Tip: Conduct UX testing sessions with real users to identify pain points and improve functionality.

V - Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy is a fundamental aspect of user experience design, as it organizes content in a way that naturally guides the user's eye to the most important elements first. By strategically using size, color, and placement, designers can create a clear path for users to follow, enhancing comprehension and engagement. This approach not only improves the aesthetic appeal of a website but also ensures that users can quickly find the information they need, leading to a more satisfying and efficient browsing experience.

Examples:

Headlines are more significant than the body text.
Contrasting colours for CTAs, like Netflix’s red buttons on dark backgrounds.

Actionable Tip: Use contrast, size, and spacing to prioritize essential elements on each page.

W - Webflow Excellence

Webflow stands out as the premier web design tool due to its unique combination of design flexibility and powerful features. It allows designers to create visually stunning websites without writing a single line of code, thanks to its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. This empowers both beginners and experienced designers to bring their creative visions to life with ease. Additionally, Webflow's robust CMS capabilities enable seamless content management, making it ideal for dynamic websites. Its responsive design tools ensure that websites look great on any device, enhancing user experience and engagement.

Examples:

Custom scroll animations.
Seamless CMS integration for blogs or portfolios.

Actionable Tip: Explore Webflow University to master advanced features.

X - XML Sitemap

Ensure search engines can crawl your site effectively.

Examples:

Use Webflow’s automatic sitemap generator.
Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console.

Actionable Tip: Update your sitemap whenever you add or remove pages.

Y - Your Audience

Design your website with a deep understanding of your audience's needs and preferences.

Examples:

A fitness site might target mobile-first users with quick workouts.
A corporate site might prioritize straightforward navigation for busy professionals.