A good website design is like a good round of golf.  Avoid the online pitfalls just as you would steer clear of the sand trap.   By John Bolduan RealWebMarketing.com

I'm a person who probably has the strangest way of looking at things. This would be true of good website design. The only way I can explain what I think good website design is would be by comparing it to something more common we can relate to. For me, it relates to golf. Now there are a lot of people out there that use golf as an analogy to life. And to be sure, there's something to that. But I like to talk about things that I'm into like website marketing. I think that a good round of golf is similar to an excellent website thought process. This really hit home recently on the golf course as I am such a mediocre golfer. This particular round I put together the best nine holes ever in my life. It was a combination of consistency, accuracy, concentration and control of my emotions when I did hit a bad shot. Let me go through these aspects of a good round and compare it to good website design.

Consistency

It's important to hit the ball the same way every time if you can. That way you'll have more predictable results. Good website design is the same way. A consistent plan should be followed about how everything should look and function. That design should be consistent throughout the website so people get a predictable feel for where they can find things. If you aren't consistent then, you will lose visitors through confusion and frustration. 

Accuracy

Your offering online should be an actual reflection of the product or service you sell. If you can't tell someone in one sentence what your website does, then you're not being accurate. People appreciate a focused, accurate website that can get them the answers. It makes for more sales, more good feelings and really goes together well with consistency.

Concentration

A good golf score happens when your concentration level stays high. When every shot counts, that will help you value each shot and make the every shot better. There is probably nothing more important than this in golf. In good website design I would call concentration, focus. It's essential that your web marketing plan stay on target whether that be with customers, products or services. When you let you focus down and proliferate to areas you're not an expert in, you will have problems. It's focus that makes good website design work. When you don't know what to do next, refer back to what you're focused in doing online. 

Control your emotions

Not everything works right either on the golf course or online. In fact, most of the time there are pitfalls around every green. But the green is where you want to get to. You must keep your attitude while getting there. If you make a wrong turn and something doesn't work on your website, then try it another way. But always keep trying and never give up on your goals. If you let poor online results get to you, you'll most likely give up hope. Just like golf, hope sometimes is all we have! Step back, take a deep breath and look at good website design as a long journey. With more practice, you'll find that there are things you can do even when your rankings have gone lower and sales are down.

Like I've said, I'm not a very good golfer, but I am learning all the time. It's the same with good website marketing. Keep on learning about what causes online visitors to keep coming back and the things that they don't like. When you discover the details about your website design that work, it's just like developing a good, consistent golf swing. It reaps rewards even when you don't think about it.