1FREMDRIFTToday, almost every business has a website. But the difference between a website that merely exists and a website that actually works as a genuine tool for the business can be significant.
A modern website needs to be easy to understand, fast to load, good to use on mobile, and built with a clear purpose.
In short: it should make it easy for people to find information, understand the offer, and take the next step.
The first impression happens in seconds
When someone visits your website, the judgement begins immediately.
- Is this a serious business?
- Can I find what I'm looking for?
- Does the website feel modern?
- Can I trust this company?
- Is it easy to get in touch?
A website with heavy graphics, unnecessary animations, oversized images and complicated navigation can create friction before the user has even read the content.
A clean website does the opposite. It lets the content come first.
Speed is part of the user experience
Google uses, among other things, Core Web Vitals to measure key parts of the user experience. The three most important metrics are:
LCP โ Largest Contentful Paint
How quickly the main content on the page becomes visible.
INP โ Interaction to Next Paint
How quickly the website responds when a user clicks, taps or interacts with the page.
CLS โ Cumulative Layout Shift
How stable the page is while loading โ in other words, whether content suddenly shifts position.
Google recommends, among other things, that LCP be within 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds, and CLS under 0.1 for a good user experience.
These aren't just technical numbers. They describe how the website is actually experienced by people.
A website doesn't need to be heavy to be impressive
There's a common misconception that a professional website needs to contain as much as possible.
- Large images.
- Background video.
- Animations.
- Pop-up windows.
- Multiple fonts.
- Lots of plugins.
- Integrations everywhere.
But more doesn't necessarily mean better.
HTTP Archive shows that websites in general have been getting steadily heavier. In 2025, the median weight of a homepage was around 2.6 MB on mobile and 2.9 MB on desktop in their dataset, with images and JavaScript making up a significant share of that load.
In more recent HTTP Archive data, the median transferred data size in August 2026 sits at around 2.6 MB on mobile and 3.0 MB on desktop. At the same time, the variation is large, and many pages are considerably heavier.
This doesn't mean every website has to be extremely small. It means every resource should have a reason to be there.
Images are often the biggest culprit
A single large, uncompressed image can alone weigh more than the rest of the website combined.
That's why images should:
- be sized to match where they're actually displayed
- be compressed
- be delivered in modern formats where appropriate
- load at the right time
- never be larger than necessary
HTTP Archive shows that images make up a large share of total page weight on modern websites.
A good image can be valuable. An unnecessarily large image is just extra load.
JavaScript should solve problems โ not create them
JavaScript is what makes modern websites possible. But too much JavaScript can also make a website slower and less responsive.
It can affect how quickly the page reacts when a user clicks or taps. This is one of the reasons INP is part of Google's Core Web Vitals.
So the question shouldn't be:
"Can we add this to the website?"
But rather:
"Do we need this on the website?"
That's an important distinction.
Clean code often means a better website
A clean website isn't just about design. It's also about what happens behind the scenes.
A good website should have:
- Little unnecessary code
- Few unnecessary external resources
- Optimised images
- Efficient CSS
- Limited, targeted JavaScript
- Good caching
- Proper hosting and server configuration
- Good mobile adaptation
The goal isn't to make the website technically complicated. The goal is to make it as simple as possible โ while still doing the job.
Mobile first
Many visitors use their phone as their first encounter with a business.
Google therefore recommends that website owners consider how content performs on mobile devices, alongside factors such as security, Core Web Vitals and overall page experience.
A website can look fantastic on a large screen. But if the user has to zoom, wait for images, close pop-ups, or hunt for the menu on mobile, the design hasn't done its job.
A good website should work where the customer actually uses it.
Speed also affects visibility on Google
It's important to be precise here. A fast website doesn't automatically mean it ranks at the top of Google.
Google emphasises that relevant, useful content is still critically important, and that a good page experience doesn't replace good content. At the same time, Core Web Vitals are part of Google's systems, and Google recommends good Core Web Vitals both for user experience and for success in search.
So you shouldn't build a website just to get a high PageSpeed score. You should build a website that:
- users enjoy using
- Google can understand
- is technically sound
and does the job the business needs.
Cleanliness is also about communication
A clean website isn't just a fast website. It's also easy to understand. That means:
One clear main idea
Visitors should quickly understand who you are and what you offer.
Clear navigation
The user should know where to find more information.
Good typography
The text should be pleasant to read.
White space
Don't fill every available area with information.
Clear buttons
The user should understand what happens when they click.
Good structure
Headings, images and text should guide the user through the page.
It's about removing โ not just adding
When a website needs improving, many people first think: What can we add?
A better approach might be: What can we remove?
- Do we need this animation?
- Do we need this image?
- Do we need this plugin?
- Do we need this paragraph?
- Do we need this feature?
- Do we need five different menus?
- Does the customer actually need this?
The more willing you are to remove what doesn't create value, the clearer what actually matters often becomes.
The best website isn't necessarily the most advanced one
A small business doesn't necessarily need a website with a hundred features. Often, it just needs:
- A clear message
- A professional look
- Good information
- Fast load times
- Mobile compatibility
- Good search engine structure
- A simple way to get in touch
That can be more valuable than a large, complicated website.
What should a modern website be able to do?
At FREMDRIFT, we believe a good website should be judged against five questions:
01 โ Do visitors understand who you are?
The message should be clear.
02 โ Can they find what they're looking for?
Navigation should be simple.
03 โ Does the page load quickly?
Unnecessarily heavy content should be removed or optimised.
04 โ Does it work on mobile?
The website must work across different screens and networks.
05 โ Does it lead to action?
A website should have a goal.
- Contact.
- Booking.
- Enquiry.
- Purchase.
- Sign-up.
Or simply that the customer finds the information they need.
1FREMDRIFT: We build websites with a job to do
A website shouldn't just be the company's digital business card. It should be part of the business.
That's why we don't necessarily start with:
"Which design template should we use?"
We start instead with:
What should the website do for your business?
Then we look at:
Audience โ message โ structure โ content โ design โ technology โ speed โ search โ action
The result should be a website that is:
Clean. Fast. Clear. Professional.
And most importantly: it should do a job.
A good website doesn't need to shout the loudest.
It just needs to make it easy for the right person to understand: Who you are. What you offer. Why it's relevant. And what to do next.
That's good digital communication. That's good user experience.
And that's 1FREMDRIFT.