*Not easy to use - difficult to use website and website functions. Often these technical functions have most sophisticated software known to man to do a particular function like buying a train ticket. Unfortunately they didnt consider how real people actually want to use website or website functions. Big sign would read: "Oops! We were so busy enjoying doing great software bit we love, we forgot user"

*Too much text - we absolutely love to tell you how great we are/our product is. We'll try and bore you into buying our products with loads of text. Big sign would read: "Just buy our product you fool, we know best"

*"Brochureware" - existing brochure has been moved online. Token website. Does little for anyone. Looks great doesnt it?... (Not really a question, more a statement). We thought we should get a website because everyone else has one. Big sign would read: "LOOK we've got a website too!"

*Too much animation/other - extra stuff that doesnt serve any real purpose apart from distraction. We absolutely love flashing things/gadgets/buttons/scrolls/colours/fonts... more better. More an experiment than a business. Big sign would read: "Our web designer is great isnt he/she? or i should have been a programmer"

*Difficult to contact anyone - online equivalent to an electric fence. Typically employed by big corporations. Theyve gone to great lengths to make sure its very, very difficult to actually email anyone within organisation. Big sign would read: "We are far too big and rich to speak to 'the little people' who actually buy and use our products. Go away!"

Did you recognise any of these from your virtual travels on Internet? They are all present to some degree in businesses of all sizes and industries. Does your site have any of them? If so, message you are sending out to your potential customers is unlikely to help you succeed online. More likely it will have a harmful affect and direct influence on your image and reputation, customer visits and repeat visits, sales and repeat sales, company results, customer goodwill and contact, etc.

Make your site best it can be. Work at it. Ask for constructive feedback. Make a commitment to getting your website to say right things about you. It will still be paying you back long after youve done it.

Good luck!

*14* I Read A Good Article [Write articles]

This is one of my favourite (oops, favorite!) reasons for visiting a web site. I mean, you're reading this article aren't you? And when you've finished reading it you'll then visit my web site http://www.TextMeFree.com (Won't you!?)

Seriously, writing articles about a subject you're interested and knowledgeable about, can bring lots of traffic to your site. Write an interesting article (and not just a sales letter), then sell yourself or your site in article by-line at bottom. Here are links to inspire you - http://www.howipromotemywebsite.com/write-articles.html - http://www.web-source.net/

*15* To Play A Game [Add a game to your site]

I am not one for playing games, online! I still visit Lycos to play Fetch most days, however (you just never know!). As for surfing habits of others - online games are BIG. Games can bring repeat traffic to your site, and can even encourage game-players to explore rest of your site too.

As with most online content, there are free as well as fee-based solutions. Just be clear as to aims and objectives of an online game before you decide to pursue this option. - http://www.fetch.lycos.co.uk/lycos/ - http://www.findsticky.com/Games/

*16* The Site Is My Default Home Page [Make site home page]

Why do you think Microsoft and Netscape have two of most visited sites on web? Could it possibly be related to simple fact that both produce Internet browsers with their own site as default home page!? If they can get site visitors this way, then so can you! (And so can Yahoo!)

If you distribute copies of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator to your customers then why not set default home page to be address of your site! Or, you could just ask your site visitors to make your site their home page. (A great web site with regularly changing content helps here, though!)

See how Yahoo pops question - http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/linktoy/hp.html

*17* To Check My Ranking [Host a 'topsites' page]

Site owners are a vain bunch! Tell them that their site is 'in a popularity contest' on your links page, and they'll visit page every day to see if their hit-count has gone up! (Or am I just talking about myself here? ;-) )

That is, in effect, what a 'topsites' page is: an easy way to create a reciprocal-links page on your site. Each link can be set up automatically via a perl/CGI script. And links can be ordered in terms of popularity; i.e. sites that bring most traffic to your site, get highest placing. - http://www.top50.to/ (example site) - http://cgi.resourceindex.com/ (free topsites scripts)

*18* To Find A File Or Other Resource [Make site a resource]

There are some fantastic web sites out there, containing a wealth of resources that can improve my (and YOUR) web site. And to all those Webmasters responsible I say 'Thank You'. Not that they need my thanks; they get their dues from a massive, and steady, supply of site-traffic.

Don't think you can create a web site resource? Don't think you can compete with these web site experts? You don't have to! Just start with a page of links that YOU visit - you do visit other sites, don't you? - with convincing REASONS WHY you visit them. And there you have it! A resources page that others WILL find useful, and will visit again! - http://cgi-resources.com/Programs_and_Scripts - http://www.sitepoint.com

*19* I Saw Link In Newsgroup [Participate in newsgroups]

Newsgroups are becoming less popular, apparently, as more and more people go on-line for first time. However, newsgroups (or online forums) are still a good way to exchange ideas, and advertise your site in process. (I still get visitors to my site, because of a newsgroup posting.)

If nothing else, newsgroups allow you to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise to a wider audience, maybe even your target audience. - http://groups.google.com

*20* I Saw A Banner Ad [Join a banner exchange]

Banner advertising still works! Click-thru rates might be lower - not for those banners that disguise themselves, though! - but they can still increase awareness of your site/product. - http://www.builder.com/Authoring/FreeTools/ss04.html

*21* Because The Site Promises To Be *UNIQUE* [Wow-factor]

Is your site next Napster or ICQ or Yahoo? Have you produced a site that is just SO useful or unique that everyone wants to use it; that everyone wants to tell their friends? Or have you created a site that combines several great reasons to visit, making your site a must-visit, must-bookmark site!

The site below is one such site that makes me say "Wow!" - http://www.jessett.com

Unfortunately, there are no easy links to visit, to make YOUR site unique, to give your site that WOW-factor (if only!). There are no easy answers, but it is possible nevertheless...

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Want to get repeat visitors to your site? Just make sure that some of reasons to visit a site, discussed here, are reasons to visit YOUR site! And remember, I am not YOU! You may have your own reasons for visiting a web site; just make sure they become reasons for people to visit YOUR site too!

Good luck in making your web site a 'Wow!'

PS I've just re-read my article, and re-visited my web site: I'm going to be busy for some time!!

PPS Want some more ideas, read this article called: "Add Wow To Create a Buzz" - http://HowIPromoteMyWebsite.com/bin/ap.pl?wow

© Copyright 2002 Steve Nash. All Rights Reserved.