Features every website should have

All websites are different and use different features and functionality Below I have put together a list of features that EVERY website should include.

When we meet with clients, we go over these options, tell them what they are for, and why they are needed for their website. Some of the features below are standard in every web development project we do.

If your working with a developer to put your site together, you should let them know that you want these features, as some web companies don’t include these unless you ask.

Well here we go; Features every website should have:

• Google Analytics

  Description from Google Analytics Website: Google Analytics is the enterprise-class web analytics solution that gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness.

  With Google analytics, your developer can insert a code that’s linked to your Google account that will track all activity on your site. You’ll be able to see where your visitors are coming from, what search terms were used to find you, and lots more. Find out more about Google Analytics Here: http://www.google.com/analytics

• Social Networking Bookmarks

  With social media being a big thing in today’s market, you should always have a link to your social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Linkd In, ect.  You should also have a tool so that visitors can share your posts on their favorite social networking site.

• XML Site Maps

  A site map is a list of pages of a web site accessible to search engine crawlers and/or users. Having XML site maps help ensure that every page of your site is indexed in the major search engines.

• Multiple ways to contact you.

  You always want to give your customers a way to contact you. When you have your site designed , you want to make sure that you give your phone number, mailing address, and email. You might also want to have a contact form within your site so users can contact you directly through your site. Each person is different and have different preferred methods when contacting a company.  Make sure you have all your bases covered.

• Call To Actions

  A call to action is a term used for elements such as buttons, and text that ask for an action from a user. When you write the content for your site you want to make sure to include call to actions to persuade users to purchase products, contact you, read your reports, sign up for your newsletter. ect.

• Easy Search Box

  You should make it easy for your visitors to find the information they are looking for quickly and easily. If a user can’t find the information on your site, they will go to another site and you will loose the chance for them to become a customer.

• Captcha

  Captcha is a type of challenge-response test used on websites to ensure that the response sent via forms, sign-ups, comments, and other scenerios, to ensure that the response is not generated by a computer. With the increase of spam, you will want to include this on any form used in your site. This will help you keep your inbox clean. Read more about captcha – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTCHA

About the author:
Designer John Paul Rawlins has been published on websites such as WebProNews.com, FlashNewz.com, WebDesign.org and on the cover of Flash and XML: A Developer’s Guide. He’s also received website awards from Quality Hypnosis and How Design Magazine; has been WebProWorld Newsletter’s Featured Site on numerous occasions; as well as many other web design awards over the years.

You can find more articles from John at his newly-redesigned site: http://www.studiointeractive.net