A considerable amount of detailed research has confirmed what editors and experienced website owners have known for some time. The most popular and successful sites provide their visitors with original, provocative and well-targeted textual content. Words that respect visitors’ intelligence and that remain with them after they leave the site. Content that’s interesting and useful enough to them so that they bookmark the site and look forward to returning to read what’s presented on their next visit. Professional website design firms are well aware of this and, for clients who also need design and information architecture expertise as well as the compelling content we provide, Oake Communications partners with some of the best. First time visitors may be “wowed” by that clever animated Flash intro, but it’s the words that will engage them, inform them, communicate your unique selling proposition and build their loyalty.

Naturally enough, the first people many organizations call upon when considering the redevelopment of their existing sites or their first presence on the Internet, are website design agencies. Most good website design operations offer expertise in two essential areas: technology and graphic design. Professional and talented website designers will produce sites for their clients which function well and are aesthetically pleasing. The majority think of website content as graphics, code, photographs, banners, animations and forms integrating the site with databases. Well-crafted graphic design will usually impress visitors to your site, especially on their initial visits. Attention to functionality will ensure that visitors will be able to navigate around the site easily, that hyperlinks take them to intended destinations and that forms work efficiently. These are necessary factors for successful websites, but they are in no means sufficient.