Staying one step ahead of the competition leaves little room for error, especially when you only have three-to-five seconds to convince customers yours is the right product or service to buy.

When it comes to their three-to-five seconds of face time on the Internet, countless businesses have fallen victim to the lure of pretty light-and-sound shows, fancy introductions and flashing photography as the anchors to originality on their Web sites.

In the classic evolution of on-line business, these companies soon come to realize their visually impressive Web site may win art competitions, but it's losing sales ground. In droves, visitors are