101 Ways to Make Your Website More Awesome

Hey there! If you‘re reading this, I‘m guessing you want to learn how to make your website more awesome. Well, you‘ve come to the right place. As a seasoned full-stack web developer, I‘ve picked up a trick or two over the years on what separates mediocre websites from the truly great ones.

It‘s not just about looks, although design is certainly important. A top-notch website needs to excel across the board – fast loading speeds, mobile-friendliness, accessibility, great content, a polished user experience. The list goes on.

But don‘t worry, you don‘t need to be a web guru to implement these tips. Whether you‘re a business owner, marketer, designer or developer, there‘s something in this guide for you. I‘ve broken things down into different categories so you can jump to the most relevant sections.

So grab a coffee, get comfy and let‘s dive into the wonderful world of web awesomeness! By the time you‘re done reading, you‘ll have 101 powerful ways to elevate your website to the next level. Let‘s get into it.

Design & User Experience

First impressions matter. A lot. Research shows it takes about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for people to form an opinion about your website. So you better make those milliseconds count! Here are some key ways to nail your website‘s design and UX:

1. Embrace whitespace. Don‘t try to cram every inch of the page with content. Let your design breathe with some strategic whitespace that directs focus to what‘s important.
2. Stick to a simple color palette. Using too many colors leads to a confusing, messy look. Pick 2-4 primary colors for your brand and use different shades and tints of those.
3. Prioritize readability. Make sure text has sufficient contrast against the background. Limit the use of hard-to-read fonts or font sizes.
4. Design for scannability. Most people will scan a web page before committing to read it. Use short paragraphs, subheadings, bullet points and images to break up walls of text.
5. Use high quality images. Blurry, low-res images will make your site look amateurish. Invest in good photography and icon sets.
6. Implement intuitive navigation. Can visitors find what they need in 1-2 clicks? Simplify your nav menu and add search functionality.

Performance & Speed

A slow website is a sad website. 47% of consumers expect web pages to load in 2 seconds or less. And 40% will abandon a page that takes more than 3 seconds. Yikes. Give your website a speed boost with these tips:

7. Optimize your images. Use tools like TinyPNG to compress images without losing quality. Set width and height attributes on image tags.
8. Minify your code. White space and comments bulk up file sizes. Tools like UglifyJS and CSSNano will strip your code down to the essentials for faster loading.
9. Reduce HTTP requests. Every file requested (HTML, CSS, JS, images, etc.) creates an HTTP request. Streamline these with combined files, CSS sprites, and inline small assets.
10. Leverage caching. Caching stores copies of files so the browser doesn‘t have to reload the original every time. Use a tool like YSlow to see what files can be cached.
11. Enable compression. Compressing files with Gzip or Deflate can reduce their transfer size by 70%.
12. Upgrade your hosting. A slow server will negate a lot of your performance optimizations. Consider upgrading to premium or dedicated hosting to improve server response times.

Accessibility & Inclusivity

The web is for everyone. Over 1 billion people worldwide have a disability that could affect their ability to use websites. Making your site accessible is not only the right thing to do, but it also expands your potential audience. Here‘s how:

13. Use semantic HTML. Organize content with the proper headline structure and HTML tags. This helps screen readers navigate the page.
14. Provide text alternatives. All images should have descriptive alt text. Videos should have captions or transcripts available.
15. Avoid color-only cues. Don‘t rely solely on color to convey meaning, like red text for an error. Colorblind users may miss it.
16. Design usable forms. Put form labels outside input fields. Give clear error messages that direct users how to correct them.
17. Allow keyboard navigation. Not everyone navigates with a mouse. Your site should be fully functional with just a keyboard.
18. Choose accessible colors. Text needs sufficient contrast with the background (at least a 4.5:1 ratio) to be legible.

Mobile Optimization

Mobile web usage has officially surpassed desktop. So if your site isn‘t optimized for mobile devices, you‘re missing out on a huge chunk of potential traffic. Avoid that mistake with these mobile optimization musts:

19. Implement responsive design. Your site should adapt seamlessly to any screen size. Use relative units (%, em, rem) instead of fixed (px).
20. Simplify navigation. Trying to cram a full desktop nav menu on mobile leads to a poor UX. Opt for a hamburger menu or drill-down menu instead.
21. Enlarge touch targets. Fingers are much less precise than mouse cursors. Buttons and links need a minimum size of 44×44 px for usability.
22. Optimize for slower connections. The average mobile connection speed is 2G. Minify files and use a mobile-first approach to ensure fast loading.
23. Avoid pop-ups. Pop-ups are especially disruptive on mobile where they can be hard to close. Use alternative CTAs that don‘t block content.
24. Test on real devices. Emulators only get you so far. Test your site on real smartphones and tablets to uncover bugs or UX issues.

SEO & Content

If a website launches in the forest and no one is around to see it, does it make an impact? Existential questions aside, your website needs traffic to fulfill its purpose. Ramp up your SEO efforts with these tips:

25. Do your keyword research. Understand the language your audience uses to find you. Incorporate those keywords naturally in your content.
26. Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions. This is what shows up in search results, so make it click-worthy! Include your main keyword.
27. Make URLs readable. A URL like domain.com/red-mens-running-shoes is much better for SEO than domain.com/p?=123.
28. Build quality backlinks. Backlinks from other reputable sites act as "votes" for your site‘s authority and credibility.
29. Create a site map. A site map helps search engines index all your site‘s pages. It also acts as a handy reference for users looking for something specific.
30. Publish fresh content. Regularly adding new, high-quality content shows search engines your site is active and relevant. Aim for at least 1-2 new pieces per week.

Branding & Trust Signals

Your website is often the first point of contact someone has with your brand. Make sure it‘s sending the right message and establishing trust. Here‘s how:

31. Craft a compelling About page. Your About page is usually one of the most visited on your site. Use it to showcase your unique story and let your personality shine.
32. Display social proof. 92% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase. Highlight positive reviews and testimonials prominently.
33. Use trust badges. Visual trust indicators like SSL certificates, BBB ratings, and industry affiliations can boost conversions.
34. Invest in good design. 75% of consumers judge a business‘s credibility based on website design. Work with a professional designer to create a polished look.
35. Provide clear contact info. Don‘t make people hunt for a way to reach you. Display contact information in the header or footer on every page.
36. Be consistent with branding. Use the same logo, color palette, voice, and imagery across all marketing touchpoints for a cohesive brand experience.

These are just some of the 101 ways you can elevate your website to new heights. And we‘ve only scratched the surface! We didn‘t even get into advanced topics like progressive web apps, AMP pages, chatbots, or voice search optimization.

The world of web development is always evolving, with new tools and trends popping up regularly. So the most important tip I can leave you with is to never stop learning and iterating. Look at your website as a constant work in progress.

Analyze your traffic data for insights, run A/B tests, try new technologies, and continually fine-tune your user experience. An awesome website isn‘t a goal to reach, but an ongoing journey of improvement. Embrace that growth mindset and you‘ll be well on your way to web awesomeness!

Feel free to bookmark this guide and refer back to it anytime you need some inspiration. Now go forth and make the Internet a more awesome place, one website at a time!