Design checklist

What are the secrets of the successful websites? Why do some websites succeed while the others fail? Webmasters should always be asking themselves these questions and the answers are often more obvious than you may think.

Below are 10 tips for better, more successful web sites. This checklist of website design tips covers the primary points that you must include in your website design plan if you want a successful site. Beyond these basic design steps you can customize your checklist to reflect your unique situation. Remember, this is the most important part of your design project.

1) Know your audience - Know who your market is and make certain that your site caters to their needs. It is critical that your site reflect the values of your potential customers and provides a pleasing experience for them.

2) Clearly identify the purpose of your website - Make certain your web site is focused on the goal, selling your product or service, conveying a message, etc. You must avoid digressing or wandering away from your primary purpose. Keep your focus!

3) Make your website personal - The most professionally designed site won't sell if your customers don't believe in you. Be honest in everything you do and don't be afraid to tell your visitors about yourself. This personal touch will help you to gain their trust.

4) Loading times - You have between 10 and 30 seconds to capture your potential customers attention. To minimize your load time, keep graphics small. Compress them where possible and avoid graphic intensive pages.

5) Use a site map or directory page - Make your website navigation easy and intuitive. If your customer can not navigate your site to find what they want, they will go elsewhere. Your site map is also an open invitation to the search engines and helps them to index your site.

6) Content - Good content sells products and ideas. Review your copy often to insure it is delivering the intended message. Keep your text simple and always double check your spelling and grammar.

7) Consistency - Make sure the site is consistent in look, feel and design. Keep colors and themes consistent throughout the site. This simple step is the key to developing an internet identity and serves to provide your visitor with an experience that is unique to you and your message.

8) Update and check all links - Make sure that your site and your links are always working. Check all of your website's links regularly because dead links will hurt you in the search engines and damage your credibility.

9) Start Simple - When you start to build your site and add information and products to it, do it one page at a time, completing each page as much as possible as you go. This will save you time down the road and help you to keep your message clearly focused.

10) Optimize website - 85% of all web users find what they are looking for via the top search engines. The closer you are to the top of the search results the more visitors you will receive. Make sure that your page is designed to maximize your placement.

Think ahead

Implementing the ten steps above probably will not make your site as successful as one of the big websites overnight. But, if they are implemented correctly and integrated into an overall website design and/or marketing scheme, you should see a marked improvement in your website traffic over time. Persistence pays especially on the web.