It is a good idea to look now at some aspects of site design. I had a fairly robust conversation with a website developer about this topic. This particular developer has a preference for using "Flash" ( software which is graphics intensive and is similar to a slide show ). My point to him was that while "flash" looks good neither the search engines nor those people who are after information content like "flash". It simply takes too long to load and locks you into its process. 

What you need to consider is who will be visiting your site and for what purpose. If you want to influence visitors, provide good information and make it easy for them to navigate your site them choose the appropriate mechanisms and make it simple. Developers have a love of "gee whiz" gimmicks on sites – for your business sake don’t let this happen. In the same token I am not suggesting that the site should be bland and boring. The acid test is to research what the visitor thinks...

Besides market research you should be using a visit or site "logging "package . Logging programs allow you to measure many factors – one of the most important is the length of stay of a visitor on your site. Did that person have a quick look at the home page and leave again, did they visit other pages on your site??

(which ones??), on which page did they enter/leave the site? Other important information – what time of the day or night did they visit?, how did they get to your site? which Search Engine referred them?  which country or state did they visit from? and what are the most popular keywords used in finding your site? 

This information is critical in arming your marketing efforts. If visitors have a quick look at the page and leave again then you know that the site has failed. Do not be fooled by the claim that a developer or hosting service will get you lots of site "hits" either. You may be lucky to get people to have a quick look and leave but this will not achieve your goals - staying power and interaction are the players you want.

Content is and will become even more important. Many contemporary business to business ( B2B) site owners are complaining that people will visit their sites, then go and make a physical purchase somewhere else. Why complain if they are purchasing it from you – if they are not then you have to find a way to facilitate that process.

I was asked to audit a site recently (Queensland based health care manufacturer). The first thing that struck me was the site had no detailed product information, it assumed that the visitor knew exactly what the product did. There were no clinical papers or third party referrals (how would I know if it worked or not?). There was no mechanism to purchase the product direct or information as to where I might get it if I wanted to make the purchase. Most people do not want to send an email if they have made a decision – they want action.

If you have a product or service which may be considered complex, provide a lot of information and support. You do not have to spend a fortune researching the markets opinion of your site – ask some students or friends they will give you useful feedback. You can, of course, make use of a professional service.

If you do not refresh the content on a regular basis both search engines and visitors will stop visiting. Your site needs a regular review to keep it fresh and interesting. For example, have you ever read a magazine more than once??

If you wish to market your products in the USA, UK or other English speaking countries it pays to get colloquial. A client of mine wanted to open up a market in the USA and we soon discovered that the terms he used to describe his product in Australia had an entirely different context in the USA . This can also be true in Australia. If you want to market to non-English speaking countries the best course of action is to get an authentic translation done.