Ive been building web sites for over 10 years and have created many sites. Great web sites have always had a few key things in common.
1) Great Navigation What use is a web site without great navigation? A visitor should be able to quickly find the page(s) theyre looking for as such, navigation elements should be grouped and logical.
2) Great Content Make your content king, in truth nothing else matters.
3) Presented Well A great web site does not need to be flashy, but the content must be readable. Keep busy patterns and background images off your site, simple white is always your best bet.
4) Include a Contact Link Let people easily know how to get in touch with you, believe it or not there are a ton of web sites out there with no contact details!
5) Fresh Content People will visit your site more often if you have new items to view.
6) Search Friendly Include a sitemap or search feature on your site if its more than a couple of pages.
7) Remember Your Audience Focus your web site on people who might come to visit, place articles or information that they will care about in easy to find locations.
8) Fast Loading If you site doesnt load quickly, people will find the information somewhere else so keep it simple and if you have to have large images, link to them from smaller icons to help people with slower connections.
9) Well Maintained Nothing annoys your visitors faster than broken links or missing photographs. When you build a site, test it all and when youre sure it works, make a note on your calendar to recheck the web site every few weeks.
10) Avoid Audio Unless your business is selling audio related services, its best to avoid putting audio on your web site.
