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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 a 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 be 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 millions of 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.

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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:
http://www.buildingastore.com/free-ebook.html?13L
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