Regardless of whether your site is a personal site, e-commerce site or corporate intranet, it requires planning in advance. Aside from the basic conventions to please your site visitors, there are a number of items that all good websites have in common.

Domain Name ending in “.com”
If at all possible, avoid choosing a domain name for your business or organization website that does not end in “.com” because it will cost you visitors in the long run. Let’s suppose that someone else has already chosen “[yourcompanyname].com” but the “.net” version is available; so you decide to go with that. It works the same way and all things seem to be equal. However, when your prospects open their browsers and enter your company name into the address field to search for your site, the website they will see is not yours. That is because a browser is programmed to provide the “.com” domain unless the user specifies a different extension (.net, .org, .biz, etc.). If the company that registered the “.com” version is a competitor, you could be losing business to them and there is little you can do. Although it requires more effort to brand a more creative domain name, it is certainly worth your while to do so before your website is developed and launched..

Unique Design and Images
It is so easy these days to find a vendor for a quick website using a template and pictures from their stock gallery. Just enter your information into forms, click a few buttons and you have a website. Hundreds of people do it everyday, so can it really be a bad thing? Well, yes and no. It is certainly economical and quick. However, when you begin to see other websites looking just like yours online – or, worse, when your prospects see those sites, they’ll be curious. They could draw conclusions about your business, wondering whether you might cut corners in the services you provide for them, as well. So it is important to assure that the graphics and design of your website is unique and professional because it represents you in your absence around the clock and around the globe.

Relevant Page Titles
One of the most important elements of a webpage is its title. Not only does it show as the link to follow in a search engine listing, but it tells the major search engines what they can expect to find in the web page’s content. If it is absent, or worse – irrelevant, the site may be penalized by the search engine for poor construction. Double check your website and see that each page has an appropriate page title that uses the important key words also used in the content.

Good Navigation
Every website should have a comprehensive, user-friendly navigation system to help site visitors find their way around. If a user visits your site, seeking specific information, and there is no good way to search for it, they will move on to the next site – perhaps your competitor’s site. So, be sure that your navigation plan is logical and that it appears the same way at the same location on each web page. Once you do this, you will see that your web visits will rise.

Well-Organized Home Page
When a visitor lands on your home page, they will only stay if your design and information keeps them interested beyond eight seconds. They need to be able to learn what your site is about and what it holds for them in that time or they will move on.

Detailed “About Us” Page
Even though a site user likes being anonymous, they don’t want you to be! In addition to introducing your business, explaining the scope of it and perhaps how to do business with you, your website should also introduce you and your staff. Don’t forget that a picture is worth a thousand words. Site visitors also want to know where you are located and what background you have before they do business with you or contact you further. So, be sure to provide the details. Your bottom line will show that it was a good decision.

Comprehensive Contact Page
Even the most motivated site visitor will not take a lot of time searching for a way to contact you. Even though they might wish to contact you by e-mail, they will want to know that you are also reachable by telephone, and they want to know where you are located. Be sure to provide accurate e-mail, phone, fax and postal mailing address and keep it up to date as things change.

Top-notch Copy
If your copy reads like your high school literature book, no one will read it! You must be sure that you are writing in conversational tone as if you were having a private conversation directly with your visitor. You should also try to include approximately 200 relevant words (related to your page’s topic) on each page and be sure that it is broken into small “chunks” with bullets and/or sub-headings. If you treat your copy this way, your visitors will get the message by scanning.

Fresh Content
Your website should always be a work in progress – never finished. Web site visitors want to see something new – a reason for them to return. If they return once and nothing has changed, they might not return again; but, if they do, and still nothing has changed, you have lost them and any business that they might have brought you. So, add fresh articles and new releases and modify your content as often as possible.

Site Map
Some say that a site map is not necessary if you have a comprehensive navigation bar. However, a site map does more than just provide links to the various parts of your site. A site map is an organized outline of links, and the best ones include a phrase or sentence to describe each link – using relevant key words. Because of the choice of words (key words) used throughout the site map, this feature becomes an excellent way for a search engine to spider your website without missing anything. This is especially useful if your navigation bar is comprised of graphical buttons.

If your website includes all these elements, you should find that it will provide you with good solid web presence.

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This article is the property of the Gilman Group, and it may be shared provided this block is included and proper credit is given. Pam Hoffman is the owner of the Gilman Group, Web Presence and Marketing firm in Glen Rock, PA. (www.gilmangroup.com). Their clients span the globe and come from many different industries. If you are considering a new website or a website makeover, consider the Gilman Group (800-317-5145).