1. Establish a purpose and a strategy for the website. What do you want your website to do and how will you accomplish that goal? Align the website design and marketing strategy with your business goals.

 

2. Identify your typical visitor. What will they be looking for? Find out what keywords they're using to search for your product or service. Decide what you would like your visitors to do on the site. Set up your website design and marketing so you attract the right qualified visitors.

 

3. Focus on your users. Most websites are built from the viewpoint of the company. A successful website concentrates on the visitors. Make sure your website is built to meet their needs. Avoid 'fluff' and 'corporate speak.' Use visitor-focused language. Talk about the benefits to the user.

 

4. Make the Home Page a clear statement of who you are and what you do. The second your visitors land on that page they should know that this website will give them the information they were looking for.

 

5. Make a good first impression - use the website to strengthen your brand. The Web is a virtual world. When a visitor comes to your site it should immediately portray the correct image and positioning for your company.

 

6. Keep it Simple
   • Make it easy to read and understand
   • Make it simple to navigate
   • Test all your graphics to see if they get your message across
   • Don't animate just because you can


7. Be clear and concise. When you read a word or symbol you don't understand you tend to go blank. You lose your visitors when you use language that is too complicated.

 

8. Make your text 'web-reading' friendly. Edit, edit, edit. Use 50% less words than you would in print. The Poynter Eye-track Study showed that people read differently on the Web - they tend to scan. They scan the text first and then look at the graphics. Use short sentences and bullet points.

 

9. Give your visitors a reason to come back. Visitors are cautious on the Net. They need, on average, seven visits to your site before they do business with you. Make your site content rich. Your website design and marketing must be focused on building a relationship with your visitors and converting them to customers.

 

10. Make Your Site Visible There are over 4 billion web pages on the Internet today. 80% of all web traffic comes via the search engines today, so Search Engine visibility is vital. If they can't find your door, they can't beat a path to it. Business websites can unknowingly use technology that hurts their search results.

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