What Makes A Great Website? 6 Core Qualities
Your website is your brand ambassador. Your digital home. It’s not just a domain that houses your portfolio…it’s a work that is a part of your portfolio. Another creative project.
Often, it’s the first asset people will meet before greeting the others.
So what makes a great website? In my approach, a few core things. And this guide shares them all.
Now let’s do this freaking thing.
Why Having A Good Website Matters
A good website makes you findable online, attracts the right people and builds your authority, trust and reputation while you sleep.
Having a good website that you are proud of is everything. It’s motivating and it boosts your brand awareness and likelihood of success online (however you define that).
For example, as soon as I updated this site’s design, copy and clarity (really, no major content or traffic changes), I got my first quality lead within 48 hours.
Your website is either making you something or costing you something else (money, brand growth, traffic, etcetera).
So does having a good website really matter in 2025? Definitely.
And these are the core areas I focus on.
6 Qualities of A Really Good Website
1. Good Design
Design is the first impression your site has. It’s like your site’s clothing, perfume, adornments, fashion sense and general style.
A good design makes a lasting impression and contributes to your brand story and identity. It’s a cornerstone of a great website.
It’s also a bit subjective. But here are some of the core design principles I personally use in my designs:
Unity and harmony
A clear visual identity
Contrast and interest
Rhythm and movement
Balance and proportion
Well-placed immersive elements
Consistent color themes and fonts
Explore more:
➤ My Best Squarespace Design Tips
2. A Clear Purpose
What is the point of your site?
An aimless vision will create an aimless design, layout and vibe.
That’s not to say you need to have absolutely everything figured out right from the start (or that you can’t evolve).
But keeping things tighter and focused as you explore and grow is a smart strategy.
For example, if you’re a blogger, your site’s purpose might be to increase traffic to boost your ad revenue or affiliate marketing conversions.
So your content, keywords, design and CTAs will align with this goal.
Alternatively, if your focus is to show your work and attract high-end art collectors or magazine editors, then this purpose will likely lead to a different site experience.
So before you choose your colors and copy, think about your purpose and vision. Clarity makes building and design a whole lot easier.
3. Good UX
UX (user experience) is all about how visitors interact with your site. And it’s pretty important for a great website.
So here are a few core things to focus on for good UX:
Accessible
Consistent
Clear navigation
Responsive (mobile-friendly)
It’s clear what you want visitors to do
For me, good UX comes from intentional design that create a logical flow and informational hierarchy for the end user.
Try to put yourself in your audience’s shoes and be honest with yourself, is your site confusing and cluttered? Or is the experience good?
4. Optimized So You’re the Go-To Voice In Your Domain
What good is a perfectly designed site if no one ever sees it? This is where optimization comes in.
But things have shifted with AI and smarter search engines.
A great website is optimized for search in two key ways:
SEO: search engine optimization (Google)
LLMO: large language optimization (AI)
A lot modern SEO tips support basic LLMO, which is nice. But since this way of searching is still pretty new, we’ll have to continue keeping tabs on the state of things.
For now though, here’s what’s working:
Become known for what you do best…be the go-to voice in your niche of one.
Here’s what I mean:
Identify specific core brand keywords: what do you want to be known for?
Use those keywords and related terms in titles, headers and throughout your content
Create unique, high quality content that shows your authentic POV and unique experiences and perspectives (i.e. not AI fluff)
Focus on keyword intent and natural semantic language (not just perfectly-matched keywords from Google)
You want to own the queries, phrases and chats that matter most to you, your brand and your goals.
For example, my goal for this site is to be one of the top sites that show up whenever someone searches for or chats about anything related to “Squarespace/blog/designs for artists and creatives”.
SEO is no longer just about putting exact-match phrases in your H1 headers and metadata (although still important).
It’s now about reputation-building. It’s brand- and expertise-signaling that newer and smarter search engines and AI bots can easily notice.
Explore more:
➤ Core Squarespace SEO Tips
5. Good Content
Even if you perfectly optimize your site for search engines and ChatGPT, it won’t matter if it’s a content desert.
Content are the words, images and videos that build online authority, trust, brand and keyword richness. Great content improves your ranking potential (which makes for a great website).
And pay attention to that key word there — great content.
Especially in the age of AI fluff (where anyone can write a novel with a 50-word prompt), adding your unique voice and experiences is everything.
We’re in the age of content quality over quantity (IMO).
But content is not just blogging, vlogging or social media. It starts smaller than that…with your page headers and body copy.
So think about your site content. Make it clear, intentional and keyword-rich.
(and start creating content)
Explore more:
➤ Blogging On Squarespace (full guide)
➤ How to Come Up With Great Content Ideas
6. Personality
Personality is when you add your point of view to the website.
This is part of your creative branding.
It’s the addition of your voice, your quirks and experiences…your uniqueness. Sometimes, that might mean bending (or even breaking) some of the rules.
Personality is the art of taking everything that works (all the ‘best practices’ from above) and then adding your spin on it.
This creates more emotional impact and authenticity.
In creative work, the artist’s unique style is often what people remember most. Because two musicians can cover the same song in the same way, but they will inevitably have two wildly different results.
As an artist myself, I lean into this reality. Because this is where the magic lives. And web design is no different.
Your personality is essential for a great website. So don’t keep your portfolio in a templated box of safety.
Find ways to infuse yourself into the design.
