This not only has value to you, it has value to your visitors and improves their perception of your site. People will tend to come back to a message board, as long as it is active, in order to find out what's happening, get answers to questions and keep in touch. This, of course, increases traffic to your own site.

And if you sell a product or service, then a message board takes even a higher value as it gives your visitors a way to communicate their concerns, questions and experiences with your company and your products in a public forum. It's far cheaper than a telephone number, and it's free and easy for your customers.

The moral of story? Include as many ways for your site visitors to communicate as you can. Put in a guestbook (carefully monitored), an email or form to give communication to webmaster, and a message board. All of these things give a way for your visitors to communicate, and this gives them reasons to come back.

Additional Information

Free stuff Headquarters http://www.internet-tips.net/Freestuff/Freemessageboards.htm

Message Boards Message boards are a great way to add value to your site and to get visitors to come back again and again.

Message Boards - Ethics http://www.internet-tips.net/Msgboards/ethics.htm

Nothing is more sad than a once proud message board being reduced to rubble by a malicious moderator.

Message Boards - Contributor http://www.internet-tips.net/Msgboards/contributor.htm

Message boards thrive on contributions. In fact, without contributors there is no board at all.

Message Boards - Promotion http://www.internet-tips.net/Msgboards/promotion.htm

Message boards are very useful in getting people to return to your site, but they must be promoted in order to be of maximum benefit.

Message Boards - Moderator http://www.internet-tips.net/Msgboards/moderator.htm

The best message boards are wonderfully and expertly moderated. The worst are frequented by nothing but spam robots.

Sticky Sites - Message Boards http://www.internet-tips.net/Sticky/msgboards.htm

You can add a message board to your site to get people to want to come back over and over.

4. DO make sure your META Tags accurately reflect your business. One of main ways to 'advertise' on internet involves submitting your site to search engines. And most search engines rely heavily on META Tags to properly index your site in their listings. Therefore, if you do not use proper format for your tags or use keywords that don't describe your products or services concisely, you will not be listed correctly in search engines. Use two to three word phrases that describe your main products or services, and list them as you would enter them yourself if looking through search engines for that product or service. In other words, if you have an auto repair business, some of your keywords could be: car tune-ups, automobile transmission repairs, car lube and oil changes, etc., in addition to just automobile repairs. And also, always make sure that your keyword phrases are inserted into text on your home page. Search engines check content of your page to make sure that keywords match your text to ensure that your business is legitimate, so this lends credibility to your site, increasing your chances of a better placement.

3. DO NOT pay huge amounts of money for Flash. Now you may be saying "But Flash is so on edge - so trendy", but therein lies problem - it IS just a trend and it will pass, because it takes way too long to load in, and 9 out of 10 of your visitors will hit 'Skip Intro' button and never see it anyway! Therefore, you will have paid a large sum of money for something that only one out of ten of your visitors will ever even see. Not a good value at all - this is a way for web designers to take more money from you. You are much better off hiring someone to design an attractive, well laid out site with some tasteful graphics, that focuses on your services or products, not some flashy pictures. Flash is a waste of your money and your visitors' time. (Think of how many times *you* have clicked that Skip Intro button, or gotten impatient waiting for a Flash navigation bar to emerge just so you can travel through site! How many times have you *left* that site because you got tired of waiting?)

2. DO choose your web designer carefully. If you decide to hire a web designer, always get a comprehensive estimate from a number of designers before hiring one. Always check out their portfolios to see if they design original sites and do not use templates that are replicated on dozens of others' sites. Make sure you are clear on what you expect of them and find out if they charge extra for any services or if they are included in original estimate. Items like copywriting, proofreading, or designing logos, for example, are sometimes in addition to a basic web design estimate. Also, some limit number of images you may have, or charge extra for simple JavaScripts (such as a navigation bar that changes color or images). Make sure web designer you hire states clearly if they charge extra for these services and make sure any charges such as these are listed in your original quote. Also check sites in their portfolios to see if they do use clear, concise text, spell words properly, use uncomplicated navigation systems, have optimal load times and properly reflect business they are representing.

1. DO NOT always choose most expensive designer. Just because they charge more does not necessarily mean that you will get a better website. While there are some 'fly-by-night' designers out there, many small design companies will provide you with a professional website for less money. Again, refer to designer's portfolio to determine level of their expertise, not how much they charge. I have been to many websites designed by big design houses that have typos, navigation errors, broken links and other poor design features. And going with a smaller designer can also improve your service when you need updates/changes to your site down road. Having fewer sites to maintain can mean your site will receive attention in a more timely manner than a large design house with dozens of sites that may keep you waiting weeks or even months until they can get around to your site.