Content
Content is king. Content is why people visit a site, and without it, there's not much left. People are looking for a map, a gift for Uncle Earl, the news in Albuquerque, or the time of the harvest hayride. A web site that works provides all the information people need, when they need it.

This is rather obvious, but how many sites have you visited where you just can't find what you're looking for? You can't find the time the event starts or the phone number of your dentist. You can't find the details about the product you want to buy or what services a business offers. You're the victim of a site that sucks, and it's best to avoid their mistakes. When people can't find what they need, they go somewhere else. Without the proper content, your site is sunk.

Ask yourself if your site is providing all the information your customers need.

Usability
Content may be king, but not if people can't find it. "Relish simplicty," says usability guru Jakob Nielsen, "and focus on the users' goals rather than glitzy design." Nielsen make take his own advice to the extreme with a graphics-free site, but he has a point: Flashy sites are a waste if people can't find what they need.

If your site is hard to use, people won't stick around and your web site definitely doesn't work. Usability is about having menus that are easy to understand, navigation that's natural, and even a design that's readable and focuses attention on what's important.

Pop-up windows, flashing text, and animated banners can all distract and make your site harder to use. Colors that clash or blend into one another, text that's too small, or even designs that don't display properly in all browsers can make your site difficult if not impossible to use. If surfing your site is a source of frustration, it doesn't work.

Ask yourself if your site is organized, easy to navigate, and readable.

Those are the basics. You must have something to offer, and people must be able to get to it. There's all kinds of extras you can add -- and we'll get to those in future servings of Creative Juice -- but a good site starts with one that simply works.

Need a Web Site that Works?
We can do that. Personality™ offers complete web design services, and we'll do more than the basics. Contact us today to get started.