Elements Of A Website: What Makes A Great Website?

Over the past few years, I’ve built more than 40 websites at On The Move Marketing. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that a great website isn’t necessarily the one with the fanciest design.

After watching which websites rank well on Google, generate enquiries and actually contribute to the growth of my clients’ businesses, I’ve started to notice the same elements appearing again and again.

Good design is definitely important, but there’s much more to a successful website than how it looks. SEO, content, trust signals, photography and even something as simple as making your phone number easy to find can make a massive difference. Here are a few key elements to include in your website:

1. Make It Ridiculously Easy To Get In Touch

This sounds incredibly obvious, but you’d be surprised how many business websites make it difficult to actually contact the business.

If someone has landed on your website and wants to enquire, don't make them work for it.

For most of the service-based websites I build, I like to provide several ways to get in touch. This generally includes:

• A clearly displayed phone number
• An enquiry form
• An email address
• Contact buttons throughout the website
• A dedicated Contact page
• Click-to-call buttons on mobile

Your phone number shouldn't be hidden somewhere at the bottom of your Contact page.

If someone is ready to call, they should be able to do it immediately.

I also like having multiple calls to action throughout longer pages. Someone might be convinced after reading the first few sections, while another visitor might need to read reviews, look through projects and learn more about the business before they're ready to enquire.

Give both people an easy way to take that next step.

2. SEO Needs To Be Considered From The Beginning

This is probably the biggest difference between how I approach websites at On The Move Marketing and a website that's built purely around design.

People need to be able to find the website.

You can spend thousands building an incredible-looking website, but if nobody can find it on Google, it's not doing much for your business.

SEO isn't something I like to bolt onto a website after it's finished. I consider it from the beginning of the build.

That means looking at what people are actually searching for, researching keywords, deciding which services deserve dedicated pages and planning the overall structure of the website around those opportunities.

For example, if a roofing company offers roof restorations, roof painting, roof cleaning and roof repairs, I generally don't want to throw everything onto one page and hope Google figures it out.

I'd rather create dedicated pages where appropriate so each service has an opportunity to rank for its own searches.

After building and monitoring dozens of websites, I've seen how much difference this can make. Some of the best-performing websites I've built aren't necessarily the biggest or most complicated. They're simply structured in a way that makes it very easy for Google to understand exactly what the business does and where it operates.

3. Trust Signals Make A Massive Difference

Getting someone onto your website is only half the job.

The next challenge is convincing them that you're the business they should contact.

This is where trust signals become extremely important.

For the businesses I work with, this can include things like:

• Google reviews
• Star ratings
• Trade licences
• ABN details
• QBCC or other relevant licence numbers
• Workmanship guarantees
• Product warranties
• Insurance information
• Industry memberships
• Awards and accreditations
• Years of experience

The exact trust signals will depend on the industry.

If I'm building a website for a roofer, builder, electrician or another licensed trade, displaying licence and insurance information can immediately provide reassurance.

Reviews are another big one.

You can tell people you're reliable and provide great workmanship, but seeing 50 previous customers saying the same thing is much more powerful.

I like incorporating reviews throughout websites rather than hiding every testimonial on a single Reviews page.

4. Real Photos & Videos Are Worth It

This is one element I've become increasingly passionate about.

Real photos make a huge difference.

Stock images have their place, and I use them when required, but I'd choose a good-quality photo of the actual business over a perfect stock image almost every time.

For service businesses, potential customers want to see who they're dealing with.

Photos of the business owner, employees, branded vehicles, equipment, completed projects and the team actually working can make the business feel much more legitimate.

This is one of the reasons I include professional photography with On The Move Marketing website packages.

Project galleries are also great, particularly for businesses where the quality of the finished work is a major selling point.

Builders, roofers, landscapers, painters, pool builders and renovation companies have a huge opportunity here.

Don't just tell people you do great work.

Show them.

Videos can take this even further. A quick introduction from the business owner, a project walkthrough or footage of the team working can give potential customers a much better feel for the business.

5. Clear, Useful Content

Website content shouldn't exist purely for Google.

It needs to actually help the person reading it.

One mistake I regularly see is websites that have almost no useful information about the service.

You click on "Bathroom Renovations" and find two sentences saying something like:

"We provide quality bathroom renovations. Contact us today for a quote."

That doesn't answer anything.

I like creating content that explains what the business actually does, who the service is for, what's involved, how the process works and what the customer can expect.

A potential customer might want to know:

• How does the process work?
• How long will it take?
• Do you provide quotes?
• Are you licensed and insured?
• What areas do you service?
• What products or materials do you use?
• Do you provide a warranty?

Your website should answer these questions.

The key is finding the balance between providing enough useful information without filling the page with unnecessary fluff.

6. Show The People Behind The Business

This ties into photography and trust, but I think it's important enough to have its own section.

For smaller service businesses, people buy from people.

If you're the owner of the business, don't be afraid to put yourself on the website.

Include a photo. Tell people your name. Explain how long you've been in the industry and why you started the business.

I've found this particularly valuable for trades and local service businesses.

Customers aren't hiring some faceless corporation. In many cases, they're inviting someone into their home.

Knowing who's going to turn up can make the decision to enquire much easier.

7. An Active Social Media Presence Helps

Your social media and website should support each other.

Someone might discover you through Google, visit your website and then check your Instagram or Facebook before making an enquiry.

If they find an active profile with recent projects, photos, customer feedback and updates from the business, that's another trust signal.

It shows them that you're active and actually doing the work you say you're doing.

You don't need to post three times a day.

For most service businesses, I'd much rather see a genuine profile showing recent work than a perfectly curated account full of generic graphics.

8. Mobile Design Is Just As Important

A huge percentage of people visiting service-based websites are doing it from their phones.

That means the mobile version can't be an afterthought.

Buttons need to be easy to press. Text needs to be readable. Forms need to work properly. Images shouldn't take forever to load.

And, importantly, it should be incredibly easy to call the business.

Whenever I'm building a website, I'm constantly checking how it works across desktop and mobile.

A website that looks amazing on a 27-inch monitor but is frustrating to use on an iPhone isn't a great website.

9. Website Speed Matters

Nobody likes waiting for a website to load.

Large image files, unnecessary animations, excessive scripts and poorly optimised elements can all slow a website down.

Speed can affect both the user experience and SEO, so it's something worth paying attention to.

This is another area where I think simplicity often wins.

You don't need an animation on every element of the page.

Sometimes a clean, fast website that immediately gives someone the information they're looking for will outperform something much more elaborate.

10. Have A Clear Website Structure

After building 40+ websites, I've also become a big believer in keeping navigation simple.

Someone visiting your website shouldn't have to figure out where you've hidden your services.

I generally want the main navigation to make sense immediately.

Home. Services. About. Projects or Gallery. Blog. Contact.

If there are multiple services, they can sit underneath Services.

A good website structure also helps SEO because it creates clear relationships between different pages and makes it easier for both users and search engines to navigate the website.

Internal links between related pages can strengthen this even further.

11. Don't Forget About What Happens After Launch

A website shouldn't necessarily be something you build once and never touch again.

Some of the best results I've seen have come from continuing to develop a website after launch.

We might notice a particular service page starting to rank and improve it further. We might identify a new keyword opportunity and build another page. We might create location pages targeting areas the business wants more work in or publish blog posts answering questions potential customers are searching for.

Once a website starts collecting data through tools such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics, we also have much more information to work with.

Instead of guessing, we can see what's actually happening.

What Makes A Great Website?

After building more than 40 websites over the past few years, one thing I've learned at On The Move Marketing is that there isn't one individual element that makes a website successful.

It's the combination of everything working together.

You need a professional design that represents the business properly. You need SEO so people can actually find it. You need genuine photos and trust signals so visitors feel comfortable contacting you. You need useful content that answers their questions. And when they're ready to enquire, you need to make that process as easy as possible.

The websites I've seen perform best aren't just digital brochures.

They rank. They build trust. They show off the business. And most importantly, they generate enquiries.

That's ultimately what I want every website I build at On The Move Marketing to achieve.