32 Website Tips Still Relevant in 2021

Author’s note, August 2026: This list was originally written for 2021, but I have gone through it and the vast majority of these tips are still relevant – some even more so. Speed, mobile design, clear messaging, SSL, and accessibility are not trends. They are standards. I have updated the language, but the principles are timeless.

Website best practices do not change as fast as people think. The technology evolves, design trends shift, and new tools appear – but the fundamentals of what makes a website work for a business stay remarkably consistent. Here are the tips that still matter.

Security and Speed Come First

1. Install an SSL certificate. If your URL does not start with “https,” browsers flag your site as insecure. Most hosting providers include free SSL certificates. There is no excuse for skipping this.

2. Make your site fast. Every second of load time costs you visitors. Test your speed with tools like GTMetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights. Compress images, enable caching, and choose quality hosting.

3. Design for mobile first. More than half of web traffic comes from phones. If your website is not easy to use on a small screen, you are frustrating the majority of your visitors.

4. Back up your site regularly. Automated backups protect you from disasters – hacking, server failures, accidental deletions. Set them up and verify they work.

Clarity and Messaging

5. Say what you do above the fold. A visitor should understand what your business does and who it serves within seconds of landing on your homepage. If they have to scroll or click to figure it out, you have already lost some of them.

6. Write for humans, then optimize for search. Content that reads like it was written for an algorithm reads like it was written for no one. Write naturally, then refine for SEO – not the other way around.

7. Use clear calls to action. Every page should have a clear next step. “Call us,” “Get a quote,” “Book an appointment” – tell visitors exactly what to do. This connects to what the Growth Engineering Framework calls building intentional pathways through your content.

8. Kill the jargon. Write at a level your customers understand, not your industry peers. If your grandmother would not know what a term means, explain it or use a simpler word.

9. Use unique title tags on every page. Each page should have its own title tag that describes what the page is about. This affects both search rankings and what people see when they share your page on social media.

10. Write meta descriptions. If you do not write them, search engines pull random text from your page. A well-crafted meta description improves click-through rates from search results.

Design and User Experience

11. Keep navigation simple. If visitors cannot find what they are looking for in two clicks, your navigation is too complicated. Clear, logical menu structure reduces frustration and keeps people on your site.

12. Make contact information obvious. Your phone number, email, and address should be easy to find from every page. Put them in the header, footer, or both. Do not make people hunt for how to reach you.

13. Use real photos. Stock photography is better than nothing, but original photos of your team, your work, and your location build significantly more trust. People want to see the real business behind the website.

14. Keep your design clean. White space is not wasted space. Cluttered pages overwhelm visitors. Give your content room to breathe.

15. Make sure text is readable. Sufficient contrast, reasonable font sizes, and adequate line spacing. If people have to squint, they leave.

16. Do not autoplay videos. Nothing drives visitors away faster than unexpected audio blasting from their speakers. Let people choose to play media.

Content and Trust

17. Publish content regularly. A blog or resource section that has not been updated in a year tells visitors your business might not be active. Fresh content signals that you are engaged and current.

18. Include testimonials and reviews. Social proof influences buying decisions more than almost anything else on your website. Feature real quotes from real customers.

19. Show your results. Case studies, before-and-after photos, portfolio pieces – show prospects the quality of your work, not just descriptions of it.

20. Build trust before asking for the sale. People rarely buy on their first visit. Give them reasons to trust you – helpful content, proof of competence, transparency about your process.

21. Add alt text to every image. Alt text serves two purposes: it helps search engines understand your images, and it makes your site accessible to visitors using screen readers. Do both.

Technical Essentials

22. Keep your domain name simple. Short, memorable, and easy to spell. If you have to explain how to type it, it is too complicated.

23. Use analytics. If you are not tracking how people use your website, you are guessing about what works. Google Analytics is free and essential.

24. Fix broken links. Dead links frustrate visitors and hurt search rankings. Check for them regularly and fix them promptly.

25. Keep software updated. Whether you use WordPress or another platform, running outdated software creates security vulnerabilities. Update regularly.

26. Optimize images before uploading. Large image files slow your site down. Resize and compress images before adding them to your pages.

27. Use heading tags properly. H1, H2, H3 tags are not just for visual hierarchy – they help search engines understand the structure of your content. Use one H1 per page and organize subheadings logically.

Strategy and Growth

28. Make your site scannable. Most visitors skim, they do not read. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, bold text for key phrases, and clear headings to make your content easy to scan.

29. Think about voice search. More people are searching by speaking to their phones. Content that answers conversational questions naturally tends to perform well for voice queries.

30. Have a clear value proposition. What makes you different from your competitors? If your website does not answer that question clearly, visitors have no reason to choose you.

31. Create dedicated landing pages. If you are running ads or promotions, send traffic to a focused landing page – not your homepage. Specific pages with specific messages convert better.

32. Treat your website as a living asset. Your website is not a project you finish and forget. It is a business tool that needs regular attention, updates, and improvement. The businesses that treat their websites as ongoing investments – not one-time expenses – are the ones that get real results from their online presence.