How to determine a successful website

Every time I meet with new clients, the most difficult part to do is to justify the cost and quality of work. This is simply because clients don't know how to look at the difference between a good and bad design. I have to justify why my cost is a bit higher and assure them that they would be getting far better results that is worthy of their investment. Surely I’m not the only web developer my client is looking at and a lot of them, I’m sure, provides really cheap cost which is the primary subject for decision making.

And so I always ask myself what are these people looking for in a website? How do they determine between a good and bad design? Below are the top 3 characteristics that directly impact the users the moment they are on the site.

1. Visual Impact. Like what they say, websites only have less than 10 seconds to impress their users. Most of the clients don’t know what a good website is. They could be more attracted with nice looking websites even though it doesn't give them what they need. That is because around 80% of the communication appeals to only one sense - our eyes. Visual impact is indeed a really powerful factor that affects a user’s impression or emotion. Like to people we don't know, we always look at their personality first before going further.
   
   
2. User Experience. Users go to a website not by chance, but because they are the site's intended audience. They are looking for something in it which they hope they could find. If the website don't have it, then that's the end of their experience. And looking for content should not be very difficult. That is why in today's web development processes, there is what we call User Experience Design (UxD), which impact the user's perception of a website - how it is perceived, learned, and used. It plays a key role in the overall success of a website because it is specifically designed for them - the target audience.
   
   
3. Content. This is what it's all about - Content. It's the content that makes the site work, flow, and communicate well. What is a nice design if the content doesn't move with it? That is why it is important a designer should design the content, and not the box as Ben Hunt would say.
   

I hope you learned something in this article. Remember that users will always come back if you leave them the right impression.