What Makes a Great Website? Ten secrets you need to know to build one!

What Makes a Great Website? Ten secrets you need to know to build one!

A successful website isn’t just attractive—it performs. Whether you’re building for clients or your own business, the best websites blend purpose, usability, performance, and conversion strategy.

Here’s a checklist of what sets great commercial sites apart:

✅ Clear Purpose & Value Proposition

  • What problem do you solve?
  • Can visitors understand your value in under 3 seconds?
  • Use tight headlines, strong subheadings, and simple intro copy to convey benefits fast.
A confused visitor doesn’t convert. Clarity = conversions.

✅ Trust & Credibility Signals

  • Use HTTPS, clean design, and modern branding
  • Show real contact info, testimonials, case studies, or awards
  • Include an About page and team photos if possible
  • Clear refund or return policies build trust
Most people leave sites that feel “shady”—visual and contextual trust cues matter.

✅ Mobile-First, Responsive Design

With over 50% of traffic coming from mobile, your site must:

  • Load fast and scale cleanly on all screen sizes
  • Avoid tiny tap targets and awkward navigation
  • Be performance-optimized for 3G/4G connections

✅ Fast Page Load Speed

  • Use compressed images (WebP, lazy loading)
  • Minify CSS/JS
  • Enable caching/CDN where possible
Sites that load in under 2 seconds consistently perform better in both SEO and conversions.

✅ Solid SEO Foundations

  • Use semantic HTML (<article>, <section>, etc.)
  • Include keyword-rich page titles, headings, alt text, and meta descriptions
  • Add Open Graph and JSON-LD for rich search and social previews
  • Submit sitemaps and use clean, crawlable URLs
My own DevStack includes this SEO tooling by default—so you don't have to figure it out from scratch.

✅ Conversion-Focused Layout

  • Strong CTAs like “Buy Now”, “Get a Quote”, or “Try Demo”
  • Strategically placed buttons, forms, and trust-building content
  • Simple checkout or signup processes with minimal steps
This is where design meets business strategy—and where many devs fall short. I bring 30+ years of business experience to help you convert, not just code.

✅ Analytics & Event Tracking

Install Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, or Meta Pixel to track:

  • Funnel performance
  • Bounce and exit rates
  • Lead conversion paths
Without data, you're guessing. Every DevStack site is set up to measure what matters.

✅ Legal & Accessibility

  • GDPR/cookie compliance where applicable
  • Privacy policy + terms clearly linked
  • WCAG 2.1 accessibility features (alt text, contrast, keyboard nav)

✅ Fresh, Relevant Content

  • Active blog, updated product info, or recent news
  • Adds SEO value and tells visitors you’re still in business
Stale content implies a stale brand—DevStack includes an integrated Markdown/HTML content editor with preview and custom markup support.

✅ Integrated Marketing Channels

  • Social media icons and share buttons
  • Lead magnets for email capture
  • CRM and retargeting integrations where needed

Final Word: Dev-Ready Meets Business-Ready

Most developers know how to build a good site.

Fewer know how to build one that brings in traffic, earns trust, and converts leads to customers.

That’s where I come in.

I combine decades of business insight with a modern developer's toolkit.
You can preview my DevStack or learn more about my background at CV and business.
Pricing? Transparent and flexible—see here.

Would you like this in a downloadable checklist or want help assessing your current site?

Get in touch—no obligation, just a conversation.

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