To succeed at your online business, a web design must be just for that – a simple, focused site. One that is easy to build, maintenance-free, low cost, credible, and a powerful traffic-builder and customer-converter.

The right tool and product alone don’t ensure your website’s success. There are many factors to be considered in effective website design

1. Build It for Speed
It’s a fact of modern life – people are in a hurry. This means you have between 10 and 30 seconds to capture your potential customer’s attention. To minimize your load time, keep graphics small. Compress them where possible. Use flashy technology (JavaScript, Flash, Streaming Audio/Video, animation) sparingly and only if necessary for your presentation.

2. Target your Market
Know your market and ensure that your Site caters to their needs. Your Site must reflect the values of your potential customers. Then, your sSite could be more informal and relaxed. The key here is to know your market and build the Site according to their preferences.

3. Focus on the Site
Ensure your website focuses on the goal of selling your product or service. A place offering many unrelated products is not necessarily unfocused, but this is often the case. If your business does offer many products, dedicate a unique page for each instead of trying to sell them all from one page.

4. Credibility Is Crucial
The most professionally designed Site won’t sell if your customers don’t believe in you. A clear privacy statement is one way to build your credibility. Provide a prominent link to your privacy statement from every page on the Site and any location where you ask your visitors for personal information. Provide legitimate contact information online.

5. Navigation should be simple
Make site navigation easy and intuitive. Simple and smooth navigation adds to the convenience of the visitors. Add powerful search and catalogue features. Visitors often do not have the patience to navigate the website to find what they are looking for.

6. Consistency is the key
Make sure the Site is consistent in look, feel and design. Nothing is more jarring and disturbing to customers than feeling like they have just gone elsewhere. Keep colours and themes constant throughout the Site.

7. Make your Site interactive
Make your website interactive. Add feedback and email forms, allowing prospective customers to ask you any questions about a product.

Personalizing your website is another critical element that can lead to customer delight and increase sales. Personalization technology provides the analytic tools to facilitate cross-selling and up-selling when the customer buys online. It would give you an idea of what products to cross-sell and up-sell.

8. Content is King
Good content sells a product. Ask yourself the following questions. Does your copy convey the message you wish to get to your visitors? Is it compelling? Does it lead your visitor through the sales process? Have others review, critique and edit your copy to ensure it delivers the intended message. Always double-check your spelling and grammar.

These eight simple rules will go a long way toward an effective website design and, most importantly, turning visitors into customers.