Whether you are building a website for business or personal reasons, how you design the site will affect the number of visitors you attract and retain. When surfing the internet, it is not difficult to see how many websites owners have failed at designing a professional site. There are a number of common errors many people make when creating a website.

The following is a list of common mistakes to avoid when building your website:

1. A poorly organized design is a common error that will affect website traffic. Do not use a mish mash of banners, flashing animation, many bright colors, strange patterns, and annoying music. A cluster of distracting background designs makes a website look unprofessional and takes away from the site's purpose and message.

2. A website that takes a long time loading will often result in surfers losing patience and leaving the site. To avoid a slow loading website use a high speed internet connection, do not use a lot of graphics, and minimize the amount of video clips, music clips, and flash animation. This will drastically reduce loading time.

3. Websites that do not clearly convey their message tend not to have repeat visitors. Your home page should clearly state who you are and the mission of your website. Make sure you have a professional logo and domain name that is relevant to your site. The visitor should know exactly what business or service you are promoting. Focus is essential when building a website.

4. It is important to make sure your navigation tool is easy to understand and use. You want your visitors to freely and quickly move from page to page without getting mixed up. Your navigation links should be located at the top of the webpage or on the side.

5. Having quality content is essential to creating and maintaining a successful website. Quality and well written content that is updated regularly will encourage visitors to return to your site. You should also make sure the content is relevant to your site.

6. Websites that are not search engine friendly will result in a lack of visitors. You should have relevant key words, unique content, quality reciprocal links, appropriate advertisements, small pictures, email address, domain name, and a contact phone number and address.

7. Cookie cutter websites tend not to be as popular as original designed websites. Websites that have the same layout and content as other sites will score low in the search engine rankings. A website built from scratch will attract more visitors.

Your website represents the vision and product or service that your company is offering. A poorly designed website sends the message to your visitors that your product or service may not be of high quality. How well your website succeeds depends on the overall first impression a visitor receives when they come to your site. It is important to take the time to plan and implement a website that is professional, user-friendly, contains high quality content and is appealing to your targeted visitors.