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Spend Time on Your Site
The fastest way that a user will judge your site is by its look. Think of your site as a person going on thousands of first dates all the time. You have one shot at making a good impression. Even worse, that shot is about five seconds long, so you better make them count.
There is not a proven, direct connection between the quality of your site and the quality of your company. A company could have a brilliant graphic designer and lousy products. What matters, though, is that consumers perceive a connection. If your company is unable to put up a good Web site, then it seems natural to assume that your company cannot deliver good products or services.
Good Design/Intuitive Navigation
Overall, the most important feature of a web page is the design and organization. Good design means good proportions, appropriate typefaces, clear layout, and color combinations that work.
Information should be structured in a clear format that makes sense to the user, and nothing should be more than three clicks from the homepage. Users should not have to read buttons and links as much as glance them over and immediately understand to what information they lead.
Don't try to be cute or unique with titles and nomenclature on your site. People don't need to think you've got a good sense of humor, they need to think you know about what you're selling, and exist to serve their needs. You want to take as little of their time as possible, or risk losing them to a competitor.
Direct, Relevant Content
These days, users are short on time and long on options. Don't use unnecessary bells and whistles like flash intros unless you believe that such intros directly impact your sales revenues. For the most part, online merchants have learned that the simpler the site is, the better your sales are. Remember to always keep your audience in mind: what are they looking for? Give it to them as quickly and simply as possible.
Don't make spelling mistakes in your site. One poorly placed mistake can undo all the work you've done to make your site look professional.
Keep Your Site Updated
Graphic and visual trends change fast these days, and it's important to keep up. If you have a certain look and feel that is relevant to your business (i.e. a warm and cozy site for a bed and breakfast) you don't have to worry as much, but if you've designed a site to look modern and up-to-speed, you're going to have to make updates frequently. A site that looks like it was built in 1999 leaves the impression that maybe it hasn't done business since 1999.
You should be constantly improving your site; a web site that hasn't changed for months feels abandoned. Department stores seem to know that a certain amount of bustle is necessary to show that they are alive and well. They are constantly changing their displays. This change is even more important on the Web. Especially since so many of your competitors don't know it, and leave their sites unchanged for months at a time. One easy way to make your site change regularly is to list featured items on the front page, and to rotate them every few days.
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