What Makes an Effective Web Site?

It's more difficult than you think to create an effective web site that will grab the viewer's attention and keep him coming back for more. Consider that most web visitors spend only 30 seconds on a page before moving on and 50% will never scroll down. They will only look at what is instantly visible when the page opens on their screen.

"Users spend 30 seconds reviewing a home page, said Jakob Nielsen, a leading web site consultant and author of the book Prioritizing Web Usability in an interview with Eric Taub of the New York Times. "A business must encapsulate what they do in a very few words." (Click the link to read the entire article.)

If your web site doesn't provide essential information right at the top of the home page, users are inclined to keep on clicking. If you make them search through multiple pages for the answers to their questions, you'll lose them -- and they won't be back.

"It's all about the basics," said Baris Cetinok, product management director of Microsoft's Office Live, a free web hosting and design tool site for small businesses. Smart web site design operates on the KISS (keep it simple stupid!) principle, warn usability gurus. It's one case in which less really is more!

What are some of the essential elements of a good web site?

• Good grammar. Poor grammar makes you look stupid.
• Be clear and concise. Gobbledygook will send users clicking for the next site.
• Include a photo of the building with your physical address. Add directions or a cross street reference to make it easier for customers to find you.
• Dark type on a light background is the easiest to read.
• Use thumbnail photos that can be enlarged with a click to increase compatibility with users' computer configurations.
• Eliminate unnecessary design that may increase download time.