Website Design: Design for Sales

These elements should be common to all sites:

Small file sizes

so the pages load quickly. Yahoo! is still the gold standard because it loads in less than 8 seconds at 28.8k connect speeds (in part because of 200 peering agreements). Your 80K page should load in 2-3 seconds.

Sensible navigation

Navigation elements should clearly show surfers where they are and how to accomplish their goal. Use descriptive words in your links so people will know what to expect when they click.

Worthwhile content

Content is required for many reasons. Search engines won't rank a site without content, surfers won't stay or trust you, and webmasters won't link to sites without content. No matter what your subject, you must provide information or a service to built links and traffic.

Website Usability

Website usability is critical to converting surfers to customers. Usability is a measure of how easily a surfer can "work" your site. The easier your site works, the more likely you'll make a sale. Read Jakob Nielsen's Book or Jakob Nielsen's Website for more information.

Search Engine Optimization

All sites should include basic search engine optimization. It doesn't take long to do a reasonable job. See our section on search engine ranking.

Clear purpose

Know what you want your surfer to do, then design everything to accomplish that goal.

Built in sales process

If you're selling something, every page should be one click away from the sale.

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