The 8 Second Decision!
You may not realize it, but your site has only 8 seconds to entice a visitor to stay and browse your site. Think about what this means...

1. If you have a flashy "splash screen" with little or no content, the visitor is most likely gone before they even see what you have to offer.
2. Java, video or Flash movies are not likely to hold a visitor's interest since they don't even start to play until the file is completely downloaded. Again, a lost opportunity for a sale.
3. Making the visitor "guess" about what you do by using creative copy means the visitor is gone long before he can figure out if you have what he needs.
4. Navigation that is difficult to spot could lose you a visitor.
5. Navigation that is not clearly labeled could frustrate the visitor and, once again, he's gone.
6. A site that is not professional looking in terms of design or has typos and/or misspellings- first impressions speak a lot, a visitor is looking for a professional provider with a good reputation and work ethic. Major typos and misspellings scream "sloppy" and a design that looks like your kid did it, screams unprofessional. Would you do business with your company with a badly designed site?

Searching methods - Look & Close
I know that people surf the Internet differently, but here's how a lot of people search. They go to their favorite search engine and enter in a search term. Then, they "right-click" on the results so that they can view a site in a new window. If they don't spot what they're looking for, they simply close the window and return to the search results to repeat the process until they find a site that has what they're seeking.

Even those who don't use the "right-click" are well aware of the "back" button and will return to the search results if they don't see what they're looking for immediately. With this type of search efficiency, you can see why it's important that your message is conveyed quickly.

On the Internet success is measured by efficiency.
Keep your site sharp, professional and to-the-point and you should see excellent results. If you insist on "eye candy" and creative and vague copy, you will be disappointed.

If you must design your own site - keep it simple. Simple can be elegant and direct. Unless you're a professional designer, don't try to add bells-and-whistles or attempt a complicated design. There are too many issues that need to be taken into consideration when designing a site, so simple will work best for you. Instead of trying to create an eye-catching design, work on good, solid copy that will catch the visitor's attention.

Build a Better Mousetrap
One way to determine if your site is doing all it can to service the site visitor is to put a "Webmaster Feedback" link on it. This gives site visitors an opportunity to tell you what they like and don't like about your site and whether or not it provided them with the information they were seeking. Bear in mind that you're likely to get more complaints than accolades, but that's okay - this feedback is important to improve your site. For example, you may have a T1 line or cable modem connection and the pages are loading very fast only to find out that the majority of your site visitors are on a dial-up and the pages are "hanging."

It's difficult for a site owner to put himself in the visitor's shoes, so the feedback will help to see your site from a visitor's standpoint. If you design a site only to meet your needs (more sales) and disregard what visitors are looking for (information), you will not be happy with your Internet presence.