Finding good websites on the web can actually be somewhat challenging. There are a number of assets that make some websites better than others. Yes, a website should be well written, but what are the little things that make some websites standout and keep surfers of the web to interested? One of the first steps in making a good website is making the website visually appealing to the viewer. Viewers tend to lose interest when a page is simply black and white with words just lined across the screen. Websites should have unique designs that help make the words stand out more and keep the viewer interested. Lance Hosey would agree with this in her piece we examined in class. “Instinctively, we reach out for attractive things; beauty literally moves us.” For example, although it is not a website, the textbook we use for class, How to be an Explorer of the World, is a perfect image of unique design. Usually when I do reading for class it is a complete struggle at times and seems like a chore, but this textbook was actually fun to read because of the design and how it personally interacted with you. The book uses unique ways of putting the worlds on paper, which keeps the reader interested and on track.
When I say websites should have unique designs, I want to emphasize that advertisements is not a part of the design. Advertisements on websites are probably the most unattractive part of some websites. They catch the attention of the viewer in the wrong way and can sometimes take the viewer away from your website, especially when an ad pops up on the screen before a viewer even sees the homepage of your website!
Another way to make a great website, which is often overlooked, is good strong titles and first sentences. “Good first sentences prompt us to perk our ears. We read a good first sentence, the lights go down, the music starts, and we look around for our popcorn”- Sean Michael Morris. It may sound silly, but I cannot even count all the times when the first sentence pushed me away from reading a piece or blog post. The main goal of someone’s writing should be to grab the attention of the reader and there is no better way to do so than in the first sentence. It sets the tone for the rest of the reading. You can often see this strategy in newspaper articles and articles written online, especially on websites such as CNN and Fox News.