1. Informative content

Website content comes before website design. Unless you get the content right, you cannot expect to entice readers just by your fancy design. A serious web browser looks for simple straightforward information. If, he doesn't get it easily, then you'll do more harm to your brand image than you can imagine. Word spreads extremely fast on the net, if your content is good - you will reap the benefits sooner and if it is bad, you will soon realize your mistakes. You don't need to be an expert at writing, you can hire an expert - but keep in mind that nobody knows more about your offerings than you do - so make sure to put your thoughts across as clearly as possible.

2. Easy to understand design and navigation

Your design may be simple or flashy based on your brand image, but the only thing you should keep in mind is that it should provide important information in an easy-to-find manner. Your main menu should have drop-downs to show the subjects covered under each section. Utilize tool-tips to provide info on what follows. Basic idea is that don't leave it on the reader to struggle to find info, as chances are he won't.

3. SEO friendly

There are two audiences that your website should cater to - the prospective stakeholder and the search engines. With thousands of billions of websites on the web, you can expect fierce competition in ranking high up in the search engines. You can hire the services of an SEO consultant and learn the tactics that could be applied in making your website SEO friendly.

4. Credible

Keep in mind that there are millions of people selling the same services on the net. To make your company stand out, you should be able to harp on your knowledge about the industry/product through whitepapers, case studies, etc. If you've been in the market for a while and have been actively doing PR, then put some press releases and media coverage articles. Give customer testimonials, their logos, etc. These will show that you are the master of your domain. Don't make your website once and then rest for an year. Keep adding fresh content regularly. Give visitors a reason to come back.

5. Interactive

One of the major reasons of the success of the internet is its interactivity. The customer has full control in his hands, so you must engage him while he's taken time out to visit your website. Interactive doesn't mean adding fancy flash presentations, it means giving the reader a chance to get involved. This could be done through polls, games, quizzes, promotional offers, rich video/audio, and many more new ways. Internet is evolving fast, and because of high connection speeds, you can explore new techniques whenever required.

6. Enticing

The main function of a corporate website is to collect leads that could be converted into prospects. For this you need to work on collecting contact details of the interested visitors. You can do this through newsletter subscription offer (but don't forget to send the newsletter, once the person subscribes), promotional offers or premium content where login is required. But do not ask for too many details otherwise he might turn away. Once you collect enough contacts, you can easily run an email marketing campaign.

7. Visitor-friendly

A visitor gets impatient when you push information in his face. Don't try to overdo hard-selling. Be simple and direct with your content and design. Pop-ups' days are gone, so no point in even trying it out, as chances are your new window won't even open. Be completely professional in your approach and give readers a chance to believe in you and not take you as a desperate salesman.