This is a difficult subject to bring up with clients, since they already have an idea in their mind about what they want on a website.  It is a necessary subject though, since it can directly effect the success of the site.  

As you go over the planning stage of a design with a client, or as you plan your own site, list what you think will be a great benefit to the surfers who would visit your site.  Then consider the following:  Does the "tool" or "feature" make my site load too slowly?  Does it make the site inaccessible by some people?  Does it distract the surfer from their meaning for being there?  Is it functional?  Does it work into my goals or is it merely a neat flashy thing that the site really doesn't need?  

All of these questions will direct you to include the most functional, appropriate features to include on your site.  Your main goal should be getting potential clients/customers to your site, giving them what they want or need quickly and concisely, and making sure you lead them through your site in such a way as to earn the most you can from that person.  And earning isn't always looked at in terms of how much they spent on one visit.  Your goal should be to have them spending a good amount on this visit and the next and the next and the next and so on.  You also want them to tell other people about your site.  If your site takes too long to load, is missing large areas due to incompatible scripts or code that won't show on their browser, or is just generally too busy for them to focus on their reason for being there, they won't spend money and they won't be back.   

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This entry was posted on Saturday, October 28th, 2006 at 11:54 pm and is filed under Website Design Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.