What makes a good website

I’ve designed and built websites for over 20 years and people still ask for a slider on the homepage. Nobody has ever made it to slide 3.

A good website comes down to four things. A clear offer: what do you actually sell? A clear audience, and “everyone” doesn’t count. Clear prices, which means yes, you need a pricing page. And a clear next step. Book a call, or get a quote. Just not both of those and five more.

What doesn’t make a good website is the sliding banner. Or AI. Sticking a chatbot in the corner won’t tell anybody what you sell either.

None of the four are about how the site looks. They’re about whether a stranger can work out what you sell, whether it’s for them, what it costs and what to do next. There’s more in what should go on a homepage.