| Would you buy pants from a store that sold dirty | | | | takes a bit of work, but it's not that difficult. |
| clothes? Would you buy lemons from a grocer who | | | | The main page is the first page visitors see. It's their |
| sold rotten fruit? I certainly wouldn't, and chances are, | | | | first impression of you, and also the page which pulls |
| you wouldn't either. That's why your business website | | | | them further into the site. Don't waste the precious |
| is important. Think of your site as your online store. | | | | few moments you have to hold their attention. Flash |
| Presenting a professional image encourages people to | | | | intros look nice, but they also annoy many people. |
| shop in your store. | | | | If a person is searching for a specific product or |
| Your business website represents your business. If | | | | service, they don't want to stop and see a show. |
| your site looks amateurish, people will think you're an | | | | They may or may not click the "skip intro" button, so |
| amateur. It won't matter that you're a trained | | | | why take the chance that they'll just leave your site? |
| professional with twenty years of experience. A bad | | | | The main page should also contain links to other |
| impression makes all the difference in the world. A | | | | relevant information on the site. Your goal is to make it |
| well-designed site can increase your business, but a | | | | easy for a visitor to find anything they need. |
| badly designed site will certainly drive it away. | | | | The main page should load quickly. It's true that many |
| The golden rule is that a website must be easy to | | | | people now use broadband or cable internet, but there |
| navigate. Take a moment to visit some of your | | | | are still those who use the slower dial-up service. Your |
| favorite websites. Why do you like them? Take note | | | | website should be accessible to everyone, not just |
| of your answers. Refer to the list when designing your | | | | those with fast connections. Keep special effects and |
| site. Keep in mind that people will be visiting your site | | | | graphics to a minimum. If it takes more than 10 |
| for a specific reason. They either want information, a | | | | seconds for your page to load, your visitors will more |
| product, or both. It's your job to be sure they quickly | | | | than likely click away. And you know where they'll go? |
| find what they need. | | | | They'll go straight to your competitor. |
| It's easy for visitors to click away from your site. If you | | | | Always remember that the look and design of your |
| don't meet their needs in a hurry, they'll click away in a | | | | website speaks volumes about your business. Make it |
| hurry. All the information on your site should be | | | | appealing and easy to navigate, and visitors will be |
| relevant to your business or product. Cute pictures of | | | | tempted to stick around. An efficient design can be an |
| your kids or pets are best saved for your personal | | | | excellent marketing tool. |
| site. Ok, so how do you keep visitors on your site? It | | | | |