What Makes a Great Website? A Look at WordPress and Why It Leads the Pack

In 2025, having a good-looking website isn’t enough. You need a site that loads fast, looks sharp on any screen, guides users effortlessly — and ideally, doesn’t break every time you update a plugin.

That’s where WordPress shines. And not just for bloggers anymore — WordPress powers over 40% of all websites online today, including businesses big and small.

In this blog, we’ll walk through what makes a website truly great, why WordPress keeps winning, and what key factors your business site should absolutely get right.

First Off — What Is a “Great” Website?

Let’s set one thing straight: a great website isn’t just “pretty.”
It’s strategic.

It works for your business. It’s your 24/7 salesperson, brand ambassador, and trust-builder — all rolled into one.

And whether you’re running a law firm, managing an RV park, or offering digital marketing (hello from HawktoDigital), your website should have these non-negotiable qualities:

Key Factors of a Great Website

1. Speed

No one waits more than 3 seconds for a site to load. If your site crawls, your visitors bounce — and so does your ranking in Google.

Speed equals experience. And experience equals conversions.

Tip: Use tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights to test and fix slow-loading pages.

2. Mobile Responsiveness

Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Your site must look and function flawlessly on phones and tablets — not just desktops.

If users have to pinch, zoom, or scroll sideways, they won’t stick around.

3. User Experience (UX)

This includes everything from navigation to layout to readability.

A great website:

• Guides visitors without confusion

• Has clear CTAs (calls to action)

• Makes it easy to find what users came for

Think of your site as a well-designed store. If customers can’t find the entrance or the checkout, you’re losing sales.

4. SEO-Friendly Structure

No, SEO isn’t just keywords anymore.

It’s how your site is built:

• Clean URLs

• Proper heading tags (H1, H2, etc.)

• Fast-loading images

• Internal linking

• Schema markup

Your site should be readable by humans and search engines.

5. Content That Converts

People visit your website to get something: information, service, or confidence in your brand.

Your content should:

• Speak clearly and directly to your ideal customer

• Explain how you help

• Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and strong headlines

• Include testimonials or social proof

6. Security

Nobody wants to land on a “Not Secure” warning or get hacked. SSL certificates, secure hosting, and regular updates are must-haves.

A secure website protects both your data and your visitors.

Why WordPress Is a Great Choice (And Still the Best in 2025)

WordPress often gets underestimated — especially by people who’ve only used drag-and-drop site builders. But for serious businesses, it’s still the best all-around platform out there. Here’s why:

1. Flexibility

Need a blog? A service site? An online store?
WordPress can handle it. From basic websites to complex platforms, the system scales with your business.

2. Tons of Themes & Plugins

There are thousands of free and premium themes that look stunning out of the box — plus plugins that add everything from live chat to lead capture forms to booking systems.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel — you just customize it.

3. SEO Advantage

WordPress is naturally SEO-friendly and becomes even more powerful with plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math.
You control meta descriptions, schema, sitemaps, and more — without writing code.

4. You Own It

Unlike website builders (Wix, Squarespace), WordPress gives you full ownership.
Your site. Your content. Your rules.

5. Regular Updates and Community Support

WordPress has a massive global community — which means you’ll always find resources, tutorials, and support. And since it’s open-source, it stays on the cutting edge.

An Example of a Great WordPress Website

Let’s talk real-world.
A great WordPress website we admire is WPBeginner.com.

Why? Because it checks all the boxes:

• Blazing fast loading times

• Clean, simple design with intuitive navigation

• Loads perfectly on any device

• Rich with helpful, searchable content

• Strong CTAs, sticky headers, and built-in trust

• Clear branding and hierarchy

It’s not just a website — it’s a resource hub, lead magnet, and authority builder all in one. And it’s built on WordPress.

Your service-based business doesn’t need to be flashy — but it does need to be functional, fast, and focused.

Final Thoughts: Your Website Is Your Digital Front Door

Whether someone finds you through Google or social media, they’ll end up on your website.

And they’ll decide — in seconds — if they trust you.

A great website does the quiet heavy lifting: building confidence, creating clarity, and making conversion feel easy. With WordPress as the foundation, and a few smart decisions along the way, your site can become the engine that powers your business.

Not sure where to start? That’s where we come in.
At HawktoDigital, we build websites that aren’t just beautiful — they work.