Getting a website right does take work and commitment. If you want it to succeed you must spend time to get it right and present right impression to your potential customers.

During any conversation you can pick up extra clues from tone of voice, choice of words used, way it is said, pauses, etc. They provide emotion and meaning over and above actual words being spoken. The same is true of text and other website content. There are extra clues of emotion and meaning and what you choose to write and how you say it can say a lot about you, your organisation and your priorities. These priorities are often clearly visible to every potential customer that visits your site and can therefore reveal a great deal about you.

It can reveal: *your business priorities, *how your organisation is structured and run, *whether you focus on your customers, *how you deal with things, *if you are easy to deal with, *your attitudes, *whether you pay attention to detail *if you are trustworthy *and more...

So, what is your website really saying about you? Are you sending out a positive and useful 'message' to your potential customers or practically posting a great big sign that says something far less desirable?

How do you know? There are some key things to look for on your website or any other website. Bear in mind also that there could be a combination of one or more of these together:

*Weak text/sales copy - text that lacks direction and order. If you decide to buy our products, fine. If you dont buy our products, fine. Big sign would read: "We're not really serious about this new web thing"

*Text heavily focused on you/your products - The message is clear. You are only interested in yourself and therefore your site is too. Big sign would read: "We are great. Customer? Who?"

*No/wrong website focus - website either not focused on customers needs or focused on wrong things. The potential customer doesnt receive a positive and clear message about who you are, how you do business, etc. Big sign would read: "We either dont know or dont care about what our customers want". See also 'Not easy to use'

The other day, I re-visited all of sites I had been to that week (using Internet Explorer's History option). I asked myself simple question: "Why did I visit that site?" And I came up with 21, yes 21!, reasons why I visited a particular web site. Now if they are reasons why *I* visited a site, they could well be reasons why I (or someone else) would visit YOUR site!

So here are some reasons why I visit a web site, and at least one way to make it a reason that people visit YOURS!

Reasons I Visited A Web site:

*1* To Win Prizes [Run an online competition]

Surfers are a selfish lot - they all want to win something (including me)! Why not let them? A suitable joint venture, affiliate program or just something you can offer as a prize will do it. Find more information about online competitions at - http://www.loquax.co.uk/webmaster/

*2* To Read My E-mail [Host a web-based e-mail service]

This is Hotmail's fault (but I keep on returning!). Now there are plenty of ways to create your own free web-based e-mail system, with your own web-address too. Why not visit - http://www.bigmailbox.com

*3* To Buy Something [Join an affiliate program]

I admit it, I'm one of few that buy online!! You probably do too. Did you know that there are many, many ways of running your own virtual store. The easiest way, though, is to build a collection of affiliate links (not just banner ads!) that your site visitors will really appreciate. Find details here - http://www.shoptour.co.uk/webmaster-profit/

*4* Because Of Free Stuff [Create a download resource]

We all like freebies, and even visit sites that only contain LINKS to freebie-sites. Well, now it's possible to put free downloads etc on your site. Visit this site for an example - http://subportal.iboost.com/subportals.html

*5* I Found It On Google [Submit site to search engines]

Submitting your site to search engines is a must, when it comes to getting visitors to your site. Rather than going on about meta tags, keywords, doorway pages, etc., I'll just point you to my favourite resource (ahem!) - http://www.HowIPromoteMyWebsite.com

*6* I Clicked A Link On Someone's Site [Reciprocal link]

Links to your site get you noticed; links to your site build trust; AND links to your site improve your ranking on search engines. So swap links with similar sites, and create a "Links" page. Or just visit this sites for more ideas - http://www.howipromotemywebsite.com/bin/ap.pl?link-swaps

*7* I Read About The Site In An E-mail [Press release]

This could also be 'because I saw site address in a magazine or a newspaper'. How did that address get to be in newspaper or e-mail? Probably because someone submitted a press release to editor of magazine, newspaper, or ezine. Most news is 'created' via a press release or publicity stunt. Learn how to get your news release published here - http://www.howipromotemywebsite.com/bin/ap.pl?press-release

*8* Because Your Site Already Book Marked [Add To Favorites]

"Bookmark my site!" Does your site exclaim this? Do you ask visitors to "Add this site to your favorites!" You should do. You can get a simple bit of JavaScript that will do both for you dependent on your visitor's browser. Find a script here - http://javascript.internet.com/

*9* As Site Was Recommended To Me By Friend [Recommend site]

You see those links on a site that say: "Like our site? Tell a friend!" Well, it works. People like to recommend a great site to their friends - they gain kudos, respect. So why not make it easy for them to recommend YOUR site to THEIR friends! You can set up a recommend service yourself by using a free Perl/ CGI script, or let another site provide service (for free): - http://www.bignosebird.com (script called Birdcast) - http://www.recommend-it.com

*10* To Meet Others [Build a community]

This is a 'killer reason' to visit any web site. You meet others that share your interest, and you swap information and ideas. Message boards, forums, online communities, they all generate a great deal of traffic; traffic that returns again and again. Community-building tools are free, but you will need to promote heavily to get your community started, and you will need to consider just how you go about moderating discussions too - http://www.ezboard.com/

*11* I Read A Site's Newsletter [Create a newsletter, e-zine]

I subscribe to many newsletters to find out about free offers, competitions, price updates; or just to act as a reminder to visit that site. (I only subscribe if I'm confident my e-mail is safe from spam, mind - I always look for a privacy statement of some kind.) A newsletter provides you with an excellent opportunity to stay in touch with your site visitors; a great newsletter even encourages new visitors. Use this resource - http://www.topica.com

*12* I Saw URL Somewhere [Promote your site off-line]

Now where did I did see that URL (website address)? Was it on someone's T-shirt, or on side of a car? Was it on a letterhead or business card? Was it on a tie-pin or broach? Was it on a computer's screen saver, or an electronic Christmas card? Was it on a bill-board or on TV? Was it on a restaurant's guest book(!)... Okay, okay, I'll stop there! But you get idea!

(Oh! And don't forget your e-mail signature files!) - http://www.siglets.com

*13* To Check On An Affiliate Program [Run affiliate program]