What Makes a Good Website? Tips and Tricks
The process of making a good educational website usually takes somewhere between 3 months and a year. Sometimes, it can take even longer. This is because, in order to get it right, many different boxes need to be ticked by the designer. If not, the site will launch and be a clunky mess – and you don’t want that!
This begs the question: what makes a good website?
In the 2020s, there are endless factors that contribute to a good website. Some are simple, while others are a little more complicated.
if you don’t know where to start, this guide has got your back. Below are some tips and tricks that you can put into action, helping you to make a teacher website that is truly fit for purpose.
Ready? Grab your notepad and read ahead!
Display your products and services
Firstly, a good website must always display its products and services clearly and categorically. This is for the benefit of the website viewer, who will never be confused about where anything is. Although not exactly related to education, online casino websites are a great example of this – and you can emulate their structure on your site.
Usually, casinos have a huge array of games to play (dozens upon dozens in many cases, which would make finding and choosing games challenging for some people). Still, no matter how many games are on a single site, the site always displays them clearly and logically in categories on the homepage, making the platform user-friendly.
Take casino card games like video poker as an example; among the many variations of the card games in this category, a website visitor can find video poker easily in that category thanks to the logical and easy-to-navigate sitemap and page structure layout. That way, there’s no confusion when people search for games – which then entices people to sign up and make accounts. Plus, having your products and services on the homepage can also benefit users since they can immediately see what you offer – and that’s what many casino sites do, boosting user-friendliness.
So, as a teacher, you likely have a ton of different classes and resources to offer, much like a casino site or any other online platform or store would, for that matter. As such, you should try to use sites like these to inspire your website’s design, keeping it properly structured, logical, and helpfully categorized to enhance your platform’s user experience. Make sure that you discuss this with your web designer, as they will be able to put your products and services at the forefront of your website in categorical, logical order.
Mobile-friendliness
The world is currently living through the smartphone era, which is why it’s crucial to make your website mobile-friendly. After all, many of your students (and potential students) will be checking out your website using their iPhones and Androids. If your website is clunky and impossible to navigate on mobile, then they simply won’t use it!
To make a website mobile-friendly, it’s recommended you do the following:
- Avoid long blocks of text
- Don’t use pop-ups or ads
- Keep the website design minimalistic
- Avoid using Flash (which is now very dated)
- Make your website as fast as possible
- Only add new pages when necessary
Remember, it’s highly likely that students will visit your website to gain access to resources and other helpful tools, too. With a mobile-friendly site, this will be a breeze for them.
Image and video content
If you visit any modern website – such as Apple’s site – then you’ll see that there are no long amounts of text. Instead, it’s primarily image and video content that’s of high quality.
The reason for this is simple: people love visual content.
When you see a block of text or an interesting video, you’re much more likely to click the video, right? Of course, you are!
This is why image and video content should be at the forefront of your website. Mixed amongst this should be concise text that serves its purpose without distracting from the visuals. Don’t worry. It won’t take you long to find the right balance (especially if your web designer assists you with this).
The right fonts and colors
Generally, it’s best to stick with either one or two fonts throughout an entire website. Any more than this can lead to the aesthetic and general ‘feel’ of the website being damaged.
The same applies to colors. All good websites have a consistent color palate that consists of complementary colors, such as blue and purple or orange and red. If there are too many colors going on, then it will make it impossible to achieve a nice visual aesthetic, which is key in the modern age.
As a teaching website, it’s recommended you go with fonts and colors that convey professionalism. Super bright colors and big bold fonts aren’t typically used in the education sector, so try to avoid using these. Instead, go for minimalism and professionalism, such as pale blue or a deep forest green.
For further inspiration on this, it’s recommended that you take a look at other teacher websites to get a feel of which fonts and colors appeal to you and your style.
Guide summary
Thanks for reading this guide about what makes a good website.
Whether you’re building a teacher website (or another type of platform), make sure to incorporate each factor discussed above, from mobile-friendliness to excellent visual content!
Remember, it can take a while before a website is truly perfect; make sure to remain patient and keep making changes if you have to. Good luck.