This topic was run past me a few times this week. It seems to come up a lot with friends, family, entrepreneurs, small businesses, corporations and basically anyone who trying to establish a web presence. Having ten plus years in the industry, I’ve formed some pretty strong opinions, yet I always try to stay open-minded. So if you have comments, I would love to hear them.

Let’s pose the question, “What are the most important elements when designing a website?” Here’s a very simple answer in order of importance, followed with an explanation why.

1. Content
   Content is by far the most important component for a good website. New content keeps your users coming back every day, and it allows search engines to connect you directly to your target audience.
2. Organization & Usability
   Organization and usability allow your visitors to easily and seamlessly read through all that important content.
3. Design
   A very creative and branded design can tie everything together giving your business a creative and memorable identity. However, good design is definitely not a requirement for a successful website. And if you don’t believe me, here are a couple websites you may have heard of to prove my point: Google.com and Craiglist.com

Now, to back up what I’m saying, first take a look at Google’s mission statement. “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” I know what you’re thinking; this is one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. Yes, but way back when no one had ever heard of Google and they were just as small as you, look what their mission statement was. “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” [http://web.archive.org/web/20000303101551/www.google.com/company.html]

I meet, speak, and consult with clients everyday about these topics, and I have to say the majority of clients want to put all their energy into developing the fanciest or most creative websites. Work with your development team on usability, cleanliness and organization. Remember “word of mouth” is still the most powerful form of advertising, and if you have great content and your website is usable and organized the word will definitely spread.