BusinessBooksandMore.com 13 Ways To Destroy Your Website By: Scott J. Patterson

With all the talk of how to make a great website and ways to keep
visitors, it is important to also understand the other side of
designing an Internet business.

Every day, thousands of websites are finding unique ways to turn
away visitors and potential customers. Although many webmasters
know about the obvious "turn-offs", there are many little details
that "tick-off" visitors and make them leave.

In fact, I have found that there are 13 "small" items that can make
or break a website. To avoid having your visitors "click-away" from
your site make sure that you include the following things:

1) A Professional Appearance: Most websites don't need flash
effects or dazzling visuals. But, your Internet business should be
perceived as legitimate site, built by someone who cares about the
content and appearance. In other words, the colors and graphics
should blend well with one another. In addition, all web-copy
should be dynamic and devoid of grammar or spelling mistakes.
Finally, any images on the page should enhance the experience for
your visitors without distracting them.

2) Proper Navigation: The pages on your website should be
easily connected. To do this, every section should connect to the
main page, with a clear and concise menu. Don't make your visitors
spend a lot of time looking for different sections. Help them by
ensuring that the navigation of your site remains constant
throughout all pages.

3) An Obvious Theme: Your index page should immediately let the
visitor know what you are selling or promoting. Usually the best
way to do this is by briefly describing the purpose of your website
and include product photos that can help people understand your
purpose.

4) A Logo: One of the best ways to "brand" your site and remain
unique is to have a logo for your Internet business. By having a
logo, your website is more likely to make an "impression" with your
visitors and develop a following. Any logo used needs to be
consistent with the theme and color scheme of your site.

5) FAQs: There will be times when your visitors have a
question that is not covered by the standard descriptions or sales
pages. To help them out, it is important to have a section that is
devoted to answering common questions. By creating a FAQ page, your prospects can easily find the answers to their questions and will be more likely to order from your site.

6) What's New Section: With repeat visitors, there will be
times when you want to update them with current news or promotions. The best way to do this is to create a "What's New" section. That way, you can inform old visitors, while making sure that they know about all current marketing campaigns.

7) Contact Information: Eventually, your website visitor will
have a question for you. Because of this, it is vital that you list
all possible ways that they can reach you. By creating a contact
page, you will be able to answer questions and reinforce the fact
that there is an actual person behind the website.

8) Feedback Forms: The best websites always change, catering to
the needs of the visitor. In order to find out what your customers
need, it is important to solicit feedback from them. A common way
to do this is by creating a feedback form on the site, which
includes questions that will help improve the overall quality of the
Internet business.

9) Privacy Policy: With the problem of spam, many people are
afraid to give out personal information such as their email address
and credit card numbers. To help alleviate this fear, you need to
include a "Privacy Policy" section. Basically this page will let
them know how all information is used and if they will be contacted
in the future. It is better to upfront about your practices than to
be accused of mishandling information.

10) Email List: Top websites work on developing an email list of
prospects that can be contacted in the future. This should go
without saying, but your email list subscription area should have a
prominent position on your web page. In addition, include a quick
blurb about any incentive that you offer to visitors for joining the
list.

11) About Us: Most website visitors appreciate knowing that a
business is run by an actual human being. To help personalize your
website, you need to include a little information about both you and
your online business.

12) Sales Page: Even with the best product descriptions, it is
important to create a dedicated page that describes how your
products are superior to your competitors. This section should be a
summary of all your key features written in a dynamic tone.
Basically, you want your visitors to read this page and immediately
buy from you. An example of a sales page, can be seen from my own
site: http://mizambar.com/whyevileye.html .

13) Refund/Return Policy On the other side, there will be times
when a customer is not happy. To help alleviate any fears that they
might have about purchasing online, there needs to be a section
where potential customers can read your rules on accepting returns
and refunds. Carefully list how and if you accept refunds. If you
do not, then be upfront about it.

Because there are over a million websites on the Internet, it is now
vital that you give your visitors what they need. Unfortunately,
they will never tell you what is necessary. But, by including these
13 items in the design of your website, you can assured that you
will have a distinct advantage over your competitor's Internet
business.

Scott J. Patterson designed and promoted his own online store with
NO computer experience. To find out how he did it, be sure to check
out a FREE copy of his ebook: