Tonight at sunset begins the annual Jewish Festival of the Harvest, Sukkot, when we traditionally come together to construct a thatched booth, or Sukkah, in our backyards and then share a meal under its roof. The purpose of this holiday is not only to commemorate the Israelites' desert exodus from Egypt, but to remove ourselves from our typical surroundings and be moved to reconsider the true sources of our joys. At one time or another, we each get a little fixated on the black-and-white, surface level definitions of goodness and quality, and end up neglecting the valuable details within both our personal and professional lives.

Similarly, in the each of the previous sixteen Web Design Wednesdays, we have addressed a different concrete feature, or lack thereof, that influences the value of a company's website. However, that said, what makes a "good website?" As I observe every day in the office of my Los Angeles website design company, there are many different answers to this question for many different types of clients and their respective industries. The process of optimizing a website for usability, visual appeal, and search engine optimization purposes is a comprehensive journey that delves beyond what looks and feels good to an individual designer.

Our team makes a year round effort to research our clients' targeted audiences and base our designs and content on what makes them feel at home when they visit a site, but even so there is always more to learn as each user is a little different. In the spirit of stepping outside of our proverbial "walls" and telling you what sets a given brand’s website apart from its competition, I want to hear your opinions on what you’ve found to be the best websites and the specifics on why they're the best. What makes them usable, visually appealing, informative, professional, etc. (you know the terms I always use)? You’ve listened to me, I want to hear from you. On that note, Chag Sameach!

Thanks for reading. Jason.
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