To perform well online, a website needs to be more than just pretty pictures. Unfortunately, not many clients seem to understand that. They think building a website is just about making the interface look okay, not taking into account that there’s a long list of functionalities that have to be developed.

The problem is, these people have limited knowledge of what a website should be. They think of it as an image just sitting on the web, one that should somehow be able to attract millions of users and convert them into customers, despite having zero functionality. Sorry clients, but the truth is this: websites don’t work like that. (And Santa doesn’t exist either.)

In 2016, a website isn’t complete without the following:

Responsive mobile-friendly design that can be used easily on different devices – ideally designed with mobile experience as the foundation
Quick loading times and optimization for users who have slow internet connections
Web analytics tracking traffic as well as goals and conversions
All important on-page SEO tags and elements, including XML sitemaps
Tools for clients to create new landing pages for promotion campaigns
A back-end CMS that enables clients to publish new content and edit existing pages
Email capture forms synced with client’s email marketing system
Fundamental security and privacy protocols, such as basic security checks
Integration with relevant social media platforms
If clients and developers can work together to meet these minimum standards, we’ll see a major improvement in the way we do business and connect with potential customers online. Let’s all do better – using a little common sense and some good communication, we can build a better web.

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