What makes a site successful

I started my career as a graphic artist and print consultant, but I've really moved away from an emphasis on visual design. Sure, it's important, but it tends to become the center of a lot of communications projects. In reality, it's not even in the top five success factors for most Web sites.

So what does make a site successful?

1. The right functionality to meet the organization's business goals. This sounds obvious, but it's often forgotten in the heat of creating a site. If your brand is about finding the right kitchen appliances for users and getting them installed quickly and painlessly, you don't need a kitchen appliance video game, or an animated "appliance avatar." You need a really smart product selection guide, and/or an interface to your customer service department.
2. Good, honest, informative copy. And the more comprehensive you can be, the better. Nothing says "please go away now" like "call for pricing." The Web is basically a platform for delivering copy, and if yours is no good, your site won't be either.
3. A user interface that shuts up and gets out of the way. Unless you're doing something really revolutionary, you don't need to figure out "a really cool way" for people to get around your site. People already know how to get around your site -- all you need to do is let them do it. Using beautiful icons instead of words in your menu, or a Flash movie that shows raindrops falling to reveal links to your site, or a circular menu that revolves as you mouse over it may win you design awards. But they will only annoy and obstruct your customers.

   I like to ask people to think of Web design as somewhat akin to book design: you shouldn't actually notice the design choices made inside a book. You should automatically know where to find the page numbers, index, table of contents; and you should find the text easy and pleasant to read without ever actually registering what typeface, leading, and margins were used.

4. Involved, participatory users. That may sound like something out of your control -- after all, they're your "audience," as we marketers love to say. And audiences just sit back and applaud, right? In fact, a strong, dedicated user base is a big part of the success of modern Web sites. Even the most buttoned-down corporate sites have started using online forums, blogs with comment areas, and even wikis, where users of their products can help document and support their use. It's scary, but if you have or want to have a strong, two-way relationship with your customers, it can work wonders.

That's my schtick -- I know everyone is concerned with search engine optimization, stickiness, Podcasting, infotainment, etc.; but most companies could benefit from really focusing on the core utility and value of their own Web properties before they even think about anything else. There's a lot to be gained by promoting some of the core virtues of Web usability and inclusiveness on your own site.