Websites that work

When designing your website, your goal should be to get your visitors to stick around, - and even to visit again, - not to drive them away. The following points are well worth keeping in mind, and maybe even referring back to, as you build. Home Page Your home page is usually the 1st impression that visitors have of your website, and all that is associated with it, - you, your business, and your reputation. Remember - "1st impressions last." Your home page needs to include your logo and clearly indicate what the site is about. It should provide top level navigation to your most important pages, and your navigation should be situated where people would expect it to be. Your home page is the place where the visitor decides what he will do, click on some of your links, and look around, - or just leave. If you have product discounts, other specials or free offers, be sure to provide links to them on your home page. Appearance A Professional Appearance is a must. Your website should be perceived as legitimate, it should look as though it has been built by someone who cares about the business and the site content. The colors and graphics should blend well with one another, and be consistent throughout. Improper grammar or spelling mistakes make you look very amateurish, take the time to proof read your work, and correct these mistakes. Also any images on the page should enhance the experience for your visitors, without distracting or annoying them. Don't have too many. Make sure they are fast loading, or if you can't do that make them optional. Flash effects or dazzling visuals have their place, but be careful not to have too much going on. Visitors on slower connection speeds will probably not wait around for a heap of fancy images and graphics to download Navigation Make it easy to locate - whatever it is. That is the aim of website navigation. Easy to use navigation means the pages on your website will be well connected with a clear navigation menu. If your site is attractive to your visitors they will want to look around. Make it easy for them to do so by ensuring that the navigation of your site is clear and remains constant throughout the entire website. Gadgets & Gizmos These include automatic music, voice recordings, animated pictures, "flashing" or "blinking" banner ads, Pop-Ups. These all take time to load which could lose you visitors, especially those on slower connections. As for the rest, they may not want to hear your voice right now, or agree with your taste in music or whatever it is that you are forcing on them. Have these things as optional. People are far more likely to participate if you give them a choice. They are far more likely to leave if you don't. Errors Related to looking professional, you need to make sure your site actually works for your visitors. Make sure your links work. Check them often and keep them up to date. Nothing will turn away visitors more quickly than a host of "404 page not found" error messages. Another negative is the "site under construction" messages. Your directive to please come back soon is likely to be ignored. Try to have your site up and running before your visitors turn up. You can always amend the smaller details latter. When it comes to good design, think about what you are trying to provide for your visitors. Then make sure they can find it easily. They need to think you are serious and know what you are doing. If you show them otherwise, they will probably go somewhere else. On the other hand, a well presented site with quality content will be appreciated. Visitors will come back & may even recommend your site to others. If time is not on your side, or other factors make it difficult for you to build your own website it may well be worth trying design service such as Site Build It! If you would like more information about this subject, or about the programs mentioned in this article visit our work from home resource site at http://www.australiahomebusiness.com