Interest The primary reason people go online is to get information. Not to get advertised to, but to know something about something. That is how you create interest, by providing appropriate information. You must have a good amount of free information that is relevant, constantly updated, exciting and different. Obviously you still want to tell them about your product but that should only be a major part of your site, not an only part. You should get an arsenal of news, articles, facts, newsletters, polls and other features to keep them coming back. Yes, it sounds involving but remember, most sales occur after first encounter, so you must make sure you get more than one visit to your site. And very few people will return to your site just to re-read your product brochure.

Desire You create desire in a multitude of ways, two best being letting client experience product or service first hand. So you have to build interactivity. If you have a software product you are selling, give out a free downloadable demo. Financial services? Offer free online calculators. Real estate agent? How about an interactive room planner. The idea is to get someone experiencing product or service in some way or another so that they can desire to own it. See what you can do in your case, just make sure it is a useful free trial. Most purchases take place after buyer has seen product or service several times, better still when they have used it and experienced its benefits.

Action You will find that number of actions you want taken are quite a few. You probably will want someone to subscribe to your newsletter, get your free demo, recommend a friend or, most of all, buy something. Whatever action, create attention on it, get interest, build desire, then ask for action. You must ask for action to be performed. If you want them to click, put that down clearly. If you want them to buy, ask for sale very clearly (as in "Buy Now"). Most sales are lost at last moment because no one asked buyer to buy. So don't be shy. Ask for action.

There you have it. Probably only fundamental information you will ever need to get your web site to perform as it should. The reason I refer to it as fundamental is because if you use it as a foundation on which you build your entire web site, no matter how small or big it is, it will work. Well, granted you must have right products at right price, but even with those, fundamentals must be there for optimum results. Use this information when you decide on your site navigation, your pages, your graphics, etc. It will not fail you. If you need any more information on this topic, please see articles at http://www.positionweaver.com/articles.shtml.

2 - Typos and Spelling

Typos and misspelled words can severely undermine an otherwise great site. Check and recheck every page for these errors.

3 - Navigation

Broken or missing links are all too common on many sites I visit. So, double-check all your links and make sure they are functioning properly. Those 404 messages are a big-time turnoff, plus it means part of your site is inaccessible.

If you have a lot of links on a page, arrange them in neat rows with uniform spacing between each.

It is critical to have all links clearly identified.

4 - Design

Your color choices are a matter of personal taste. But try to avoid using too many colors. This can give your site a carnival-like effect that leaves your visitors tired and dizzy. As a general rule you shouldn't use more than four colors.

Too many different fonts on a page can also have a negative effect on your design. When I look at a page that somehow just doesn't look quite right, but I can't put my finger on problem, it usually turns out to be font(s).

Animation is great, but too much movement is distracting. Don't load your pages with too many banners. One or two at top or bottom should be limit.

This concludes your web site's tune up. These guidelines are by no means an exhaustive list of all problems and errors that can plague a web site. But, it is an effective checklist of more common flaws, and it will serve to greatly improve performance of any web site.