Why Do Most Websites Look So Similar?

As a student about to graduate from college I am very cognoscente of how websites are looking in a field where technology is constantly changing. I want to ensure that my websites are going to keep people hooked and not lead them to simply click onto the next website.

Once you are on the website the first thing that needs to draw people in is the homepage. After that you need to be able to navigate through the website without getting confused, lost, or disinterested. Websites can be made more navigable in several different ways. The main concerns are for what specific field the website is for. For instance a website for a technology company is going to be completely different than a website for a school. The main ways that we can make all websites more navigable is to have a user-friendly interface. Each of the tabs on the top needs to flow into the next page, and make sense how things flow. For instance you don’t want to go from your homepage straight to the next pages without a consistent transitions.

Web navigations affect your websites in major ways. One of the first major things is that it shows the “aboutness” of the site. It is a representation of whatever you have created your website for. It reflects your brand, affects your credibility, impacts your bottom line, provides access to information, as well as shows location. Your website and how it flows is crucial. As a student majoring in Electronic Media/Broadcasting (EMB) I am in a field surrounded by technology, and impeccably constructed websites. I have chosen to explore two websites related to EMB. The first one is the ESPN website for the NFL (http://www.espn.com/nfl/), and the second is for G105 a radio station in Raleigh (http://g105.iheart.com/).

ESPN has an interesting website. The way that it was structured may look confusing to the general viewer, but it does a good job putting everything in one place for the person who is looking for scores. All of the scores run across the top for the games in progress, as well as the recent games. As you scroll down there are articles about any and everything NFL football. At the top there are sections for Home, Draft, Scores, Schedule, Standings, Stats, Teams, Top Stories for all 32, and More. This website is set up in a way that makes total sense for ESPN. I think that their website is an accurate representation of their company, and all of the services that they provide.

The other website is for G105, a radio station in Raleigh. This website has a completely different flow, but it makes just as much sense for its specific field. As you scroll down the page there are different articles about random things. At the top they have different articles scrolling through, and a place where you can listen live to the radio station. The tabs on the top that you can go through are Showgram, Blogs, Trending, Connect, and Contests. It is very user friendly, but makes it very clear that the website is for a radio station, and music and pop-culture is the main focus.

Both of these websites make total sense for their topics, and it is very clear that the way that they both flow is tailored to their respective topics, and a lot of time was put into them. For me this is important because I want to make sure my website has a navigation that makes sense, and will keep people interested just like these two websites.