Tips to Build an Effective Website that is Easy to Use

First impressions are important for any website. You need to capture the interest of your visitor as soon as they enter your site.

Website Tip #1
Easy navigation is essential to every website. Getting lost in the navigational sea will cause people to simply close the page and move on to the next site.

Each page should include your navigational menu. If it does not, then you need to at least include a link back to the home page. Keep your links as short as possible. Also be sure your links have space between them and do not run together. This may sound like common sense to you, but you would be surprised how many websites have this problem.

Website Tip #2
Minimize the amount of flash and fluff you add to your site. Flashy graphics are nice but they slow the load time down dramatically. Keep the banner advertisements to a minimum as well. These often cause loading issues, especially if the banner is pulled from another server. If the other sites server goes down, it will cause lag on your end.

Website Tip #3
Use content that is relevant to your site. If you run a website that is all about cars, then you don't need content about flowers. Stick to things that you would expect to find on a website about cars, such as tools, batteries, and tires.

Website Tip #5
Less is more. You don't need to fill up every space on the page with something. Having open space makes the site look more organized. It's easier on the eyes and doesn't overwhelm the visitor with tons of information at once. Spread things out so that it does not look like a huge jumble of words that they have to trudge through to find the information they came there for to begin with.

Website Tip #6
If you have to use ads like Adsense, do it subtly. Seeing a page full of these advertisements will turn your visitor off with a quickness. Keep it simple, only use a block or two of these ads. Otherwise they will assume your content is only there to get them to click ads, and they won't take the time to even read it.

Website Tip #7
Always have a way for the user to contact you if they have a question or comment. Use a contact page or even a link to an email address where you can be contacted. This is a major part of building a relationship with your customer or visitor.

Remember be organized and keep it simple. You know what makes you want to continue visiting websites, so apply that when you create your own. This will keep your visitors coming back time after time. Give them a site they will gladly recommend to their friends.