Some general pointers that help bring visitors back:
Simplify!
People don't like to spend much time reading on the web. Be clear, concise,
and to the point!
Keep page-sizes small (graphics are usually the largest items). Remember
your visitors that are still using 56k and slower connections.
Use fonts to your advantage. Use a few (2-3) fonts in a consistent
manner throughout your website to enhance the browsing experience, but
be careful of using too many different fonts.
Use plenty of white space between paragraphs and columns. This makes your
text easier to read.
People don't like to scroll vertically and certainly not horizontally
much. Don't put too much information on one page.
Design your website for your audience. If you know your visitors probably
use the latest IE browser and have huge monitors, then fine, go ahead
and use the latest Microsoft technologies and use maximum screen space. But
if in doubt, always design for the lowest-common denominator: small screens
(800x600 and up), older browsers (IE 3 and Netscape 4x), and slow
connection speeds (28k and up).
Don't unnecessarily drive away visitors with controversial technologies.
Don't use cookies unless you have to- many people are weary of them.
Don't use JavaScript just to be cute. Again, some people turn off
JavaScript. Don't run ActiveX applications unless your visitors will
find them useful and trustworthy.
DO be creative and design a website with a layout rarely seen.
Create original graphics. Draw back visitors with interactive features
that your visitors will want to use. Do use server-side scripting
languages to generate dynamic html on the fly.
Don't take your visitors' focus away from your important content. Don't
display unnecessary graphics and text. Don't annoy them with flashing
graphics or use too many pop-up windows. Let your visitor control
the navigation!
Update your site often with fresh content.
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