Ania Farmer

A great website in today’s digital age is not just visually appealing. Many factors behind the scenes contribute to what truly makes a website great. Innovative internet practices are essential to a visually attractive, captivating, and seamless user experience. Using strategic internet practices with web user experiences, blog posts, search engine optimization, and web design can create a website that captivates users and keeps them engaged.

Website User Experience

A web user experience refers to navigation, accessibility, and the user’s ability to find solutions within the site (Forbes Council Member, Expert Panel, 2023). In a Forbes article published in 2023, key rules are listed outlining the best practices to incorporate when focusing on web user experience (Forbes Council Member, Expert Panel, 2023). The first key is keeping the website interface simple, making it easier for users to find what they need quickly (Forbes Council Member, Expert Panel, 2023). Another key is maintaining consistency by keeping fonts, colors, and aesthetic uniform, which makes the experience more appealing (Forbes Council Member, Expert Panel, 2023). A third key is focusing on functionality and prioritizing aspects like loading time and multi-device compatibility (Forbes Council Member, Expert Panel, 2023). Incorporating these elements enhances web user experience significantly.

Blog Posts

Blog posts are a great way to increase customer engagement with a company’s website. However, creating effective blog content can be challenging. A Forbes article published by the Young Entrepreneur Council outlines four ways to create more engaging blog content (Christoff, 2021). The first tip is understanding the readers by creating a segmented profile of the target user (Christoff, 2021). By knowing the demographics, psychographics, and key motivators of the target user, blog posts can be better formulated to captivate the audience (Christoff, 2021). Secondly, blog posts should allow for seamless user navigation (Christoff, 2021). For example, incorporating hyperlinks to different places on the website can better serve users and help them access desired information (Christoff, 2021). The third tip is emphasizing personalization by offering tailored content and marketing within the blog post (Christoff, 2021). The article gives the example of targeting customers with promotional deals based on specific site interactions (Christoff, 2021). Lastly, offering users the ability to submit requests and feedback contributes to more effective blog content (Christoff, 2021). These four tips provide strong foundational guidelines for better blog content.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization refers to reaching a high position in search engine results organically (Atchison, 2023). By tunneling in and identifying niche keywords, a website stands out to a target audience (Atchison, 2023). Moreover, creating relevant content with accessible and concise information helps a website surpass competitors organically, as search engines prefer this approach (Atchison, 2023). Additionally, adding titles and captions with niche keywords to high resolution images helps convey messages and increase organic visibility (Atchison, 2023). Search engine optimization provides a valuable competitive advantage in online visibility.

Website Design

A website must bridge the gap between visual appeal and user usability to create an experience that is both captivating and engaging (Rojas, 2025). A key strategy to bridge this gap is focusing first on functionality and then on form (Rojas, 2025). Creating clean and simple navigation declutters the user experience, enhancing aesthetics and design (Rojas, 2025). Secondly, efficient page load times should be prioritized (Rojas, 2025). Using images with lower file sizes helps improve load times while preserving visual quality (Rojas, 2025). Lastly, providing a clear call to action is essential to user experience in website design (Rojas, 2025).

Summary

A strong online presence is difficult to achieve with the sheer amount of content on the internet today. However, incorporating best practices in user experience, blog content, search engine optimization, and web design increases the likelihood of captivating users despite the competition.

References

Atchison, J. (2023, February 22). Council Post: Eight SEO Best practices to Increase Organic Site Traffic in 2023. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/theyec/2023/02/22/eight-seo-best-practices-to-increase-organic-site-traffic-in-2023/

Christoff, C. (2021, January 7). Council Post: Four tips for publishing Powerful blog content. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/theyec/2021/01/07/four-tips-for-publishing-powerful-blog-content/

Forbes Council Member, Expert Panel. (2023, August 8). 10 key rules to improve your website’s user experience. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/theyec/2023/08/08/10-key-rules-to-improve-your-websites-user-experience/

Rojas, F. (2025, February 3). Council Post: 7 Tips for Balancing web Design and Usability. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2025/02/03/7-tips-for-balancing-web-design-and-usability/

Hello, my name is Ania Farmer, and I am currently a senior at Southern Oregon University. I am obtaining my Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing with a Minor in Communications and a Micro-Credential in Persuasive Communication. I am passionate about pursuing a career in marketing upon my graduation from Southern Oregon University in 2025. My fields of interest include real estate, management, marketing, and public relations. I am hoping to take my passions into a career pursuing event coordination or real estate.

My Background

I have lived in Southern Oregon my whole life. I was born and raised in Ashland, Oregon, and attended school there until my senior year of high school, when I transferred to Cascade Christian High School in Medford, Oregon. I played volleyball competitively throughout middle and high school and found myself excelling each year that I continued. Through volleyball, I gained all of my friendships, as well as immense teamwork skills and work ethic. I trained and worked hard enough to be given opportunities to play in college. I almost signed to Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, but was then given a position to play for Southern Oregon’s volleyball team. SOU’s volleyball program is one of the best in the nation, and I ultimately did not want to be far away from my family. Thus, I decided to sign to SOU. I have gained countless lifelong friends as well as learned a vast amount about my capabilities, life, collaboration, and sacrifice through SOU’s volleyball program that I am forever grateful for. I will take these lessons and friendships with me throughout my life.

My Hobbies

Music holds a central place in my life, and I derive great satisfaction from playing the guitar and singing. With my dad having me later in his life, I grew up with a wide genre of music. I love Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac, Dean Martin, Al Green, and Elvis Presley from being at my dad’s house growing up. However, at my mom’s house, we listened to a lot of Coldplay. To me, Coldplay is the greatest band of all time. Their music is captivating, and each song feels like you’re on a journey from start to end. My family loves them greatly, to the point where we have seen them in concert three times and hope to attend their show in Stanford, California, this year.

I place great significance on spending quality time with my friends and family, as I believe these relationships are vital to my personal well-being. One of my favorite activities to do with my friends and family is hiking with my dog, Beau, in the Rogue Valley. Beau is a three-year-old Australian Shepherd who is very loving and energetic. He and I tend to go on long walks up Roxy Ann Peak in Medford, Oregon. The views from the top of the mountain are some of the best in the valley. Through being in nature, I feel the most clarity and peace.

The Future…

As my time in college is coming to a close, I am looking forward to where I want to go and who I want to be. Through my academic and athletic career at SOU, I feel better equipped to take on the world than I did at eighteen years old. Although I love Southern Oregon and my friends and family, I feel that change could be the best thing for me. I do not hold the cards to my future; however, as of now, I am planning to move to Austin, Texas, in the fall of 2025. I am hoping that through this change, I will be able to challenge myself and create new friendships and experiences.