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7 Basic Fundamentals for Creating a Great Website

7 Basic Fundamentals for Creating a Great Website

By Forward Web 15 May, 2016

 

Are you looking to build your first website? Today, there are many options which allows people to build/manage their own website but frankly, so much information can get overwhelming. To simplify this process, Forward Web has put together this guide, which provides 7 basic fundamentals for creating a great website!

 

Effective web design is judged by the users of the websites (not the website owners) therefore, it is important to consider the many factors that affect the usability of a website because it’s not just about how good your site looks, but functionality plays a major role.

 

Websites that are not designed properly will experience poor performance and have less than favorable Google Analytics metrics such as high bounce rates, low pages per visit, low time on your site and low conversations. What makes a website design ideal? Let’s take a look at the 7 basic fundamentals, which consists of making yous site not only aesthetically pleasing but is also easy to use, effective and engaging:

 

1st Basic Fundamental: Purpose

What is the purpose of your website? For example, is your website intended to provide information, some type of interaction or entertainment? Or perhaps your website is designed to transact with your business? A good web design always caters to the needs of the end user and each page of your website must have a clear purpose in order to fulfill your website user’s specific needs (in the most effective way possible).

 

2nd Basic Fundamental: Communication

One of the most important aspects of your website is effective communication. The internet was created to provide information and internet users want information quickly, therefore, it is imperative to communicate clearly (making sure your information is easy to read and comprehend). With this in mind, some effective tactics you can incorporate into your design includes: organization through the use of headlines and sub headlines, use bullet points instead of long run-on sentences, and being concise (keep it short and to the point).

 

3rd Basic Fundamental: Navigation

Navigation is essential to the success of your website because it determines how easily people can take action and move around your website. We recommend incorporating a logical page chain of command, using bread crumbs, designing clickable buttons, and following the “three click” rule (which means that users are able to find the information they are looking for within three clicks).

 

4th Basic Fundamental: Images

We’re sure you’ve heard the expression “a picture can speak a thousand words” and it could not be any truer when it comes to web development. Choosing the right images for your website is going to help with brand positioning and connecting with your target audience. Make sure to use high quality professional photos, and if you don’t have access to any of them, consider purchasing stock photos to improve the look and quality of your website. Another thing you could consider is using graphics, videos and infographics because these can be even more effective at communicating than the most well written piece of text.

 

5th Basic Fundamental: Typefaces

When considering fonts, Arial, Verdana and Sans Serif are generally easiest to read online. As far as sizes go, ideally, 16px is a font size that is easy to read. We also recommend sticking to a maximum of 3 typefaces in a maximum of 3 point sizes to keep your design streamlined.

 

 6th Basic Fundamental: Color Choices

You might not have considered this to be one of the basic fundamentals, but a carefully selected color palette can really go a long way to enhance the user’s experience. To create balance and harmony, using complimentary colors is key! Contrasting colors (for the text and background) makes it easier for the user to read the content. And while vibrant colors add life and can create emotion, they should be used sparingly (just a pop of color) such as for buttons and call to actions. Lastly, if you are aiming for a modern and uncluttered look, consider using white or negative space, it is very effective. Who knew colors could do so much for your site!

 

7th Basic Fundamental: Mobile Friendly 

If you do not already know, 80% of all web traffic now comes from mobile devices, thus, including a full mobile version of your self storage facility website is a necessity. Nowadays, it is very common for users to access websites from multiple devices with multiple screen sizes, and for that reason it is imperative to consider whether or not your website is mobile friendly. If your website is not currently mobile friendly, you can approach this matter in two ways: you can either re-develop your website in a responsive layout so that it can accommodate to different screen widths or you can build a separate website dedicated specifically to be optimized for mobile users. As you can see, this is a very important factor to consider!

Knowing and understanding the basic fundamentals of creating a great website is the first step and now, you can build your first website successfully using this guide, just follow these steps. If you are having a difficult time setting up your website, do not have the time or you would like help improving the website you or someone else developed, contact Forward Web and we will be happy to discuss your project and answer any questions you may have.

 

 

FORWARD WEB CORE

Meet our core team members.

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Fernando D. Alfaro

FOUNDER / LEAD DEV

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Fernando D. Alfaro

FOUNDER / LEAD DEV

Husband, Brother, Son, Friend, father to our son Amadeus and various fur-babies, oh and business owner/entrepreneur.

What I love most about what we do here at Forward Web is the problem solving component. The internet is always changing and everything can always be improved (which keeps things exciting for me). My goal here at Forward Web is to create the most efficient web platforms possible, empowering the end user to either spend less time on the internet or to solve some form of inefficiencies that exist within the business through the web (think automation, but not necessarily limited to automation).

I have a deep fascination with A.I (Artificial Intelligence) and decentralized platforms. However outside of the internet I enjoy listening to music, working on various side projects and boxing (yes, boxing).

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Julia Alfaro

Creative / Accounts

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Julia Alfaro

Creative / Accounts

Helping people has always been a passion of mine. People are interesting to me. In fact, I believe that everyone is like a book because we all have a story to tell. I gain great satisfaction in knowing that I am able to make someone’s day, life or business a little better, even if it’s just by sharing a smile or a little positivity.

I strive to be a professional woman, I take pride in that. I am very hardworking, kind, intelligent and ambitious. I am a dreamer; I have very high hopes, dreams and goals. I am talented, creative and funny, with a great imagination! I am not perfect, I accept that, but I do tend to be a perfectionist (that can sometimes be a good thing or a bad thing). But in reality, I am a work in progress and I am learning to live life one day at a time.

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Branden Tobin

Customer Relations

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Branden Tobin

Customer Relations

Branden spent 7 years in the gaming industry as a quality assurance specialist and product design consultant. After becoming a
customer at Forward Web in 2013 and experiencing the great services and company values first hand. When the opportunity came up to help improve client experiences at Forward Web, Branden did not hesitate to get involved. “My goal is to help people, and in terms of the web, Forward web is the best place for me to do that”.

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Ankur Kavathiya

Project Manager

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Ankur Kavathiya

Project Manager

With a vast knowledge in IOS/Android app development, as well as various web applications. My experience allows me to ensure projects at Forward Web are on-time, as well as meeting various Quality Assurance checks.

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Ramani Chintan

Back-End Dev

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Ramani Chintan

Back-End Dev

I have over 6 years experience in web development. With Forward Web I primarily work on back-end development which includes the customization of various CMS or Shopping Cart platforms like Magento where I am able to use my experience and knowledge in PHP, JQuery and other relevant languages.

When im not working on projects with Forward Web, I enjoy spending time with my lovely wife Nidhi, married on 3/13/2019

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Nevin Davis

Systems

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Nevin Davis

Systems

I have a degree  in Computer Science and Engineering. I’m a redhat certified engineer with 8 years of experience as a server administrator. I’ve been working with Forward Web for close to 4 years now and I am primarily responsible for the securing and optimization of our network as well as general management of our dedicated servers.

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Franny Kenney

Media Specialist

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Franny Kenney

Media Specialist

California’s Central Valley based photographer; Frances (Franny) Kenney completed her Associate degree in Photography at Modesto Junior College in 2017. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in photography at California State University Sacramento and is on track to graduate in May of 2021. Franny is a licensed commercial drone operator. She is highly motivated and has a strong work ethic. Over the past three years Franny has been working and volunteering as a lab technician at the photo lab on the Modesto Junior College campus.

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Brandon Miltsch

Advisor

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Brandon Miltsch

Advisor

During my 15+ year marketing and sales career, I have gained unique expertise and achieved significant accomplishments for leadership brands in the technology and communications industries.

With a solid Oracle track record with both the Social and Marketing Cloud – along with over 15 years of digital agency experience and a successful sales record at NTT/Verio – BrandON brings a strong mix of expertise and business development skills to the Oracle team. BrandON has also been thrilled to speak at several engagements monthly internally and externally, further illustrating his passion and desire for Oracle executives to optimize and promote their “personal brands”, teaching Social Media and Networking skills. Outside of work, Brandon enjoys spending time with his wife Christina and their 5-year old son, Riley. He is also excited to announce the release his new book, Networking on üBER Steroids.

Contact FORWARD WEB

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