5 Essential Features Every Website Needs to Thrive

Having a website is a must for any business or individual looking to make a strong online presence. A well-designed website can make all the difference in attracting and retaining customers.

A website's navigation is crucial for user experience, and research shows that 77% of users say that a website's navigation is the most important factor in determining whether they'll stay on a site.

A website's loading speed is also vital, as a one-second delay in loading can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.

To thrive, a website needs to be mobile-friendly, with 61% of users saying that they are more likely to return to a website that has a mobile-friendly design.

Having a well-structured website is crucial for a good user experience. A clear navigation is essential to ensure visitors can easily find what they're looking for.

To achieve this, plan ahead when setting up your menu structure, being thoughtful and strategic about content and placement of your menu and sub-menu items. This will help minimize required clicking and make it easy for visitors to access important information with no more than three mouse clicks.

A descriptive navigation is also key, using clear, concise labeling that's both understandable for humans and search engine crawlers. This means avoiding clever wordplay and opting for straightforward language instead.

Your website's purpose is the foundation of its structure. It's where people should accomplish something, whether that's buying something, getting information, or interacting with your brand.

Your website should have a primary purpose, but it also serves a second purpose: allowing customers to interact with your brand. This means user experience is crucial, and it should align with the tone of your branding.

To measure your website's success, you need to define your goals. Are you trying to increase foot traffic to your store, boost brand awareness, drive sales, or improve customer connection? Whatever your goals, your website should help you achieve them.

A well-defined purpose will guide your website's structure and help you create a consistent user experience. This is essential for keeping customers engaged and coming back for more.

Site Functions are what make a website truly useful. Common site features include e-commerce, video, photo galleries, forms (e.g., signing up for a newsletter or creating an account), and blogs.

User experience elements like customer service and live chat are becoming increasingly common, with an estimated 85 percent of customer service being powered by chat bots by the end of 2020.

We've recently implemented live chat on our own site, as well as on two other websites we launched, and it's been a game-changer for customer support.

Decisions about which services or applications to integrate into your site will determine how complicated (or simple) your website will be.

Clear Navigation is crucial for a good user experience on your website. Your visitors shouldn't have to dig through poorly-organized content to find what they're looking for.

If your navigation is inadequate, overly complicated, or confusing, visitors are likely to leave and seek information elsewhere. This can lead to a high bounce rate and lost opportunities.

To make a good user experience with your website navigation, plan ahead when setting up your menu structure. Be thoughtful and strategic about the content and placement of your menu and sub-menu items.

Clear, concise labeling is best for your navigation, both for human visitors and search engine crawlers. Avoid clever wordplay and focus on getting your message across.

Minimize required clicking by making all your most important information accessible with no more than three mouse clicks. This will keep your visitors engaged and interested in your content.

A domain name is the address or URL used to reach your site, and it's a crucial part of your website structure.

There are several different components of a URL, including the top level domain (TLD), which is the last segment and always consists of a period and a word.

The most common TLDs are .org, .com, or .net, but you can also get TLDs by country, such as .us, .ca, or .jp, or even by industry, like .restaurant or .auto.

Industry-specific domains are becoming increasingly common and are more unique, making it easier to get the domain you're looking for.

Unfortunately, your preferred domain may already be taken, and you'll need to check its availability on sites like hover.com, godaddy.com, or namecheap.com.

If your domain name is taken but the website appears to be inactive, sites like whois.com can help you find the contact information for that domain name so you can reach out and attempt to purchase the inactive domain.

You can also use sites like domainr.com and namestation.com to identify available alternatives if you have none in mind.

Premium domain names, which are already owned but up for sale, can drive up the cost of the domain, so consider how much of your website budget you're willing to spend on the domain name itself.

To avoid losing your domain name, be sure to include automatic renewals at checkout, so it doesn't expire after a year and can be purchased by someone else.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates are extremely important to add to your site, even if you aren't doing e-commerce, as most web browsers will let the user know if your site is not secure and encourage them not to proceed to your site.

Three-fourths of all websites are built using content management systems (CMS), which support the management of digital content.

WordPress accounts for 60 percent of all CMS-built websites, but there are other common options like Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and Magento.

Choosing a platform depends on factors like cost, customization options, and level of control/ownership.

It's relatively easy to find developers familiar with these more common sites at a competitive cost.

Here are some popular website builders to consider:

Using a website builder can make it easy to build and maintain your website, especially if you're not tech-savvy.

Some website builders offer a cloud solution, while others are hosted on your own account, giving you more customization options.

A website's design and layout are crucial for user experience. A user-centric design focuses on making your website accessible and easy to use.

To achieve this, consider the following key elements: accessible content, consistency, whitespace, and adapting to user feedback. Accessible content uses simple language, short paragraphs, and bullet points to make your content scannable and digestible. Consistency is also important, as it makes your site look polished and builds trust with your audience.

Here are some key considerations for each element:

A mobile-friendly layout is also essential, as more than half of any website’s visitors today are using a mobile device. You can use either mobile themes or responsive themes to achieve this. While mobile themes are better than no mobile consideration, responsive themes are the industry standard and provide a consistent look across all devices.

Having a contact form on your website is a great way to make it easy for visitors to reach out to you. A contact form can be integrated directly into your website, making it a convenient option for users.

You don't want your inbox to overflow with spam messages, so it's essential to use a form that includes a captcha or honeypot feature to weed out spam bots.

To avoid being a spammer, clearly state your intention to add people who contact you to your email marketing list and give users a way to opt out.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when creating a contact form:

User-centric design is all about making your website a birthday present for your visitors. You want to think about what type of stuff they love, what they find useful, and what they already have, and make the experience as awesome as possible.

To make your website user-centric, focus on accessible content, such as using simple language, short paragraphs, and bullet points, to make sure your content is easy to understand. This makes your pages scannable and digestible.

Consistency is key, as it makes your site look polished, gets your message across, and builds trust with your audience. You want your website's visual aesthetics, such as color palette, typography, and imagery, to align with your brand identity.

Whitespace is also important, as it enhances readability, makes your website more accessible, and boosts the overall user experience. Leave plenty of breathing room around your content to avoid clutter.

To give your audience more of what they want, stay open to user feedback and test the website experience. This is an invaluable way to adapt and improve your website.

Here are the key elements of user-centric design:

A fast-loading website is crucial for keeping visitors engaged and search engines happy. If your website's load time is slow, people won't stick around to check it out.

Search engines like Google will push your website down the rankings if they realize your website's speed is lagging. This can have a significant impact on your website's visibility and traffic.

Optimizing your images and multimedia content is a great place to start. You can compress files or use appropriate formats to keep your media looking good without sacrificing quality or speed.

Changing your website's code and scripts can also make a big difference. Look at your site's HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to make sure it doesn't include anything unnecessary, such as comments, characters, and whitespace.

A content delivery network (CDN) can also help speed up your website. CDNs store copies of your website's files on different servers around the world, so visitors can access your site via a server that's close to them.

Regularly checking performance is essential to ensure your website is running smoothly. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights will help you monitor your site's speed and performance, and even provide tips to help your pages improve.

Here are some steps to improve your website's performance:

Having a secure website is crucial for protecting your visitors' data and maintaining a good reputation. Good support from your hosting company is also essential, as it can be a lifesaver when you're experiencing technical issues.

A good support team should be able to assist you promptly and accurately, and you should be able to contact them using various methods such as email, phone, or live chat. You can also check reviews on platforms like Trustpilot to gauge the reliability of the support team.

Some essential security measures include using an SSL certificate, which encrypts information exchanged between your site and visitors, and malware protection or cleanup services to prevent malicious code from infecting your site. You should also consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to speed up your site and prevent denial-of-service attacks.

Here are some additional security measures you may want to consider:

By prioritizing security and support, you can ensure a smooth and secure online experience for your visitors.

Having a secure website is crucial for protecting your visitors' sensitive information and building trust with your audience. You must have rock-solid website security measures in place to safeguard customer data.

Using an SSL encryption and HTTPS protocol is a must, as it guards the data transmitted between your site and the user. This can be seen as a padlock in the browser bar, indicating to visitors that the site is secure.

Regular software updates are essential to clear out bugs, patch vulnerabilities, and prevent potential threats. Keep your website's software, CMS, and plugins as up-to-date as possible to ensure security.

Strong user authentication methods, such as two-factor authentication (2FA), can prevent hacking by requiring users to verify their identity with passwords or codes. This protects accounts from unauthorized access.

Complying with data protection regulations, like GDPR and CCPA, will guide you on how to collect, store, and process user data. This is not just a legal requirement, but also a trust-building measure for your business.

Here are some additional security measures to consider:

Using an SSL certificate has several advantages, including encrypting information exchanged between the site and its visitors, making the site more trustworthy, and even improving search engine results.

Good support is essential for a smooth online experience. You may use the fastest and most powerful server, but it won't matter if your website is offline for some reason.

Checking the support team's communication methods, response time, and reliability is crucial before signing up. You can check testimonials or review platforms like Trustpilot to gauge their reliability.

A good support team will have your back, allowing you to focus on developing your site and expanding your business. You won't have to spend time trying to figure out how something works or how to change hosting settings.

Receiving a reply to your query after 24 hours won't be helpful if your website is not accessible. You need a support team that can assist you promptly and accurately.

Having a reliable support team is priceless, especially if any problems arise.

Choosing a website host is a crucial step in setting up your online presence. Consider factors like cost, customer service, and maintenance options when selecting a web host service provider.

There are several things to consider when choosing a web host, including cost, customer service, maintenance, and backups. While some hosting companies may be cheaper, they may sacrifice security and tech support, which can hurt your website and business in the long run.

A good hosting company will offer features like security, size and space, performance, and speed. You should also consider estimated traffic and whether the host will provide regular backups or if you'll need to create them manually.

Meld offers annual Website Hosting and Maintenance plans that ensure sites are up-to-date with the latest security patches and prevent new updates from conflicting with each other. This can give you peace of mind and save you time and money in the long run.

Regular backups are essential to prevent loss of information and ensure business continuity. You can either set up backups yourself or choose a hosting provider that offers this service.