by Scott J. Patterson
Contributing Author

1. A Professional Appearance: Most websites don t need flash effects or dazzling visuals. But, your Internet business should be perceived as 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 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.