What is ‘Good’ Web Design?

by | May 20, 2016 | Design, Websites | 0 comments

“Design cannot rescue failed content.”
― Edward R. Tufte, Design Guru

What is the definition of good design? Is it aesthetically pleasing? Does it win awards and accolades? Is it on the bleeding edge of technology, showing everyone you’re savvier than the competition?

Or, is good design undefinable? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

It may surprise you to learn that good design is not actually subjective. According to top designers at the World Economic Forum in 2009, it means that something works efficiently.

That is to say, if your site looks beautiful but is difficult to navigate, that’s bad web design. If your website layout is logical but the blinking typography makes people’s eyes bleed, that’s bad design.

Bad design means a high bounce rate. It means people aren’t interested in spending any more time on your website than they absolutely need to. It’s a big red X on your brand.

The Four Elements Of Good Design

In our first blog post, we talked about why having a great website is so important to your business. In this post, we’re focusing on exactly how to make your website great.  We’ve broken it down into four key elements—the building blocks of every successful website.

Be Available
Just like any physical address, if people can’t find you they can’t do business with you. In order to be easily found, you’ll need an SEO expert who can not only analyze your inbound website traffic but offer suggestions on how to improve it.

Be Attractive
As we said in the beginning, good design is about more than aesthetics. With that, it’s also important to have a professional look and feel. You’ll want a seasoned designer who understands how and why people react to different designs.

Be Share-Worthy
You have knowledge to spread. Your blog is something people will benefit from. That’s why you need a professional writer or editor. They are trained nitpickers, and their job is to obsess on tiny details. A professional writer will ensure your important ideas will be properly presented and received.

Be Strategic
You’ve now created the perfect conditions for customer conversion. But what are you converting them to? Andwhy? This is where a marketing specialist should work with you to come up with a bullet proof strategy that makes sense for you.

Don’t Be Content With Mediocre Content
You have a story to tell and your website is like the book that holds that story. Just like publishing a book, there are many different teams which all work in tandem to create a finished product. From designers to writers to technical experts, no one team is an island when it comes to designing quality websites.


YEARONE is an advertising talent collective who can help you redesign your site from a holistic viewpoint. Unlike other design firms, we have years of experience as advertisers and marketers. Actually, we see your website as an extension of our existing marketing efforts. It’s like having two different firms rolled into one.

Want to know more? We talk in detail about all of the above points in our eBook, 25 Website ‘Must Haves’ 

Why is a Great Website So Important to Your Business?

by | May 1, 2016 | Websites | 0 comments

In a word – performance.

Everyone in business learns at some point that first impressions count. This is something we get early on from our parents, teachers, coaches, professors and friends/family who have come before us. And, though true, it doesn’t always translate into a company’s most fundamental communication tool – its website.

Image is important. What you present to the world has to be excellent and work against every possible stakeholder you can think of: suppliers, trading partners, employees, potential employees and family/friends. Anyone and everyone who is associated with and/or important to your business’ success will look at your website. There’s more …

It shows what you do. Showing what you do and presenting it well is no easy task. The home page should present a simple, visual representation of what it is you do. This requires serious design skill, not to mention superb story-telling ability. Remember, the one thought rule pays, and never, ever clutter the homepage with a laundry list of everything you do. It overwhelms the reader.

Your online sales/marketing. A good website can help to move prospects from casual interest to  active engagement. A great website can help strangers become qualified leads. As such, it is essential that everything works in a carefully orchestrated manner. The site’s performance, from navigation/user experience (UX), the site’s look + feel, the story and information offered, the automated functionality – all the way to the CRM, SEO, links, content, imagery, photography, and so on and so on, has to flow.

Quality and expertise. Your site has to ooze quality and expertise. Photography, headlines, copy, content, video, infographics, product – this is your brand and business’ showcase to the world. It must work hard when you’re not there.

It’s yours. Make it count. The good news is that your website is something under your control. While easier today than ever before, designing and writing an effective website remains shrouded in the dark arts of software engineers and developers. No wonder the task is often put-off and/or relegated to the bottom of the  priority list.

We’re going to go out on a limb and make a bold statement. We are good at this – and have all the requisite strategic skill, story-telling ability, amazing design talent and technical proficiency, in abundance.

Attracting strangers and converting them from casual users into advocates – that’s what we do. Great thinking, writing, design, and creativity combined with the power of inbound – that’s how we do it.