Functional Page Design
High quality pages are designed to achieve their purpose: they are well organized, use space effectively, and have a functional overall layout. While every page is different, functional pages should have the following characteristics:
The MC should be prominently displayed “front and center.”
The MC should be immediately visible when a user opens the page.
It should be clear what the MC actually is. The page design, organization, and use of space, as well as the choice of font, font size, background, etc., should make the MC very clear.
Ads and SC should be arranged so as not to distract from the MC—Ads and SC are there should the user want them, but they should be easily “ignorable” if the user is not interested.
It should be clear what parts of the page are Ads, either by explicit labeling or simply by page organization or design.
Like everything else, functional page design depends on the purpose of the page. What constitutes functional design for a shopping page may be very different from what constitutes functional design for an informational page.
Important: Some pages are “prettier” or more professional looking than others, but you should not rate based on how “nice” the page looks. A page can be very functional and achieve its purpose without being “pretty.” Here are some examples of functional (but perhaps not “pretty”) page design. You can click the examples to make them larger.
Classified Advertising Website Example |
US Naval Clock Page Example |
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A Satisfying Amount of Website Information
Websites frequently include the following information:
About Us information.
Contact or Customer Service information.
Information about who is responsible for the content and maintenance of the website.
Think about the purpose of the website and the type of content that might be available when considering what website information would be expected or demanded. High quality websites provide clear and satisfying information for their purpose. YMYL websites demand a high degree of trust and need satisfying website information.
Other non-YMYL websites may need far less website information depending on their purpose. For example, an email address may be sufficient for some High or even Highest quality pages.
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A Well Cared For and Maintained Website
High quality large news websites are frequently updated, often adding news articles many times a day. High quality medical advice websites keep all of their informational pages current. Other websites, such as websites for small businesses, may be updated less frequently since addresses and store hours rarely change.
How frequently a website should be updated depends on its purpose. However, all High quality websites are well cared for, maintained, and updated appropriately.