Every designer who does web design in New York has a different plan and their own personal tastes, however, it’s standard procedure to follow a basic checklist of essential elements. These elements are incorporated to ensure the success of the website and to make sure that it receives an ample amount of traffic. But what are these crucial elements? Here are five of them.

#1 Space.

The space between elements a webpage is crucial to the webpage’s success. Leaving adequate space on the page directs the eye in certain directions and dictates the overall flow of the page. Too much space , as well as not enough space can be problematic however. In both cases, the eye is confused and unsure of where to rest, as well as overwhelmed, causing the viewer to spend a small amount of time on the page before clicking out.

#2 Simple Navigation.

Your site’s navigation doesn’t have to be a big complicated masterpiece of a tool. In fact, simplicity is usually better when it comes to navigation. Ideally, your navigation should be a scroll bar or a series of easy to read buttons. If you get creative with your navigation, your viewers can get confused.

#3 Search Bar.

There’s nothing more frustrating than landing on a large website that doesn’t have a search bar, forcing you to filter through each page to find what you’re looking for. A good website should always include a simple search bar that is placed at the top of the website, usually within the header section. The search bar should be available on every page of the website to allow users to navigate with ease. Generally, the top right corner of a website is the most popular place for this handy tool and most viewers will check this area of a website when looking for a way to search the site.

#4 High Quality Images.

A website without images is like a book without words – unpleasing to the eye and easy to pass by. To make your website interesting and improve its overall quality, you should be sure to include a collection of images. This being said, don’t add too many images or images that lack quality. Images should be crisp and clear, have good coloration, and be relevant to your site. The images should also be the right size.  An image that is too large takes extra time to load and can make viewing hard for viewers on mobile devices, as they may have to scroll to see the whole image or may not be able to see it at all because it is too large of a file.

#5 About Us.

You’ll notice that every great business website has a page or section titled “About Us”. Why? This section, despite seeming miniscule and pointless, is important. A well written about us page will help the website’s viewers to connect with your business or publication. People are more likely to work with or buy from a business that is transparent and honest, and what better way is there to show transparency then through a detailed page about the company?

Now that you know some of the critical factors that go into a website, you can make your own. Keep in mind that the website needs adequate blank (resting) space, a simple navigation system, a search tool, a spattering of high-quality images, and a well thought out, detailed, about us page.

Of course, there are other factors that play into the success of a site. However, the factors mentioned in this article are the simplest of the essentials, and in turn, are the easiest to implement.