While the list is rather lengthy we will look at three of the most important.

1. Contact Us

Because of the instantaneous nature of the Internet it is important to place relevant contact information either on each individual page or have one easy link from each page to your contact information.

It may be important to utilize a call service and invest in a toll-free number for your customers. Many ecommerce sites believe that simply providing an email address is sufficient, but it may do little to instill a level of trust in your potential customer if they have to wait hours for a reply. Many potential clients may even leave your website if they don't feel there is an easy means of contacting you.

In lieu of a call center you may invest in an instant messaging system where you or a representative can connect with your client during regular business hours.

The failure of many websites may be tied to their inability to connect with their visitors. The ability to instantly connect with a real person is the human composite to cyber interfacing.

2. So Many Plans

Where are you taking your website? Do you know? Have you planned?

There is a story told of an individual wanting to provide for his family. He learned that the city in which he lived provided free space in the local harbor for local residents. That enterprising man built a significant houseboat from mostly recycled materials and his family lived in the hodge podge houseboat rent-free.

The moral of this little story is, a cobbled together website may work for you, but will hold little interest for your online visitors. Make the planning and development of your site a top priority – not something cobbled together as an afterthought.

3. Check the Expiration Date

Just as you would clean out a refrigerator from time to time removing aging material that is no longer useful to the nourishment of your family, so too should be the removal of dated information on your website.

If you have information about an event or sale listed as “upcoming” and the date specified is several months old – you might have an expired page.

If you list a product that is ‘new' and it stopped being used in the Clinton presidency – you might have an expired page.

If you supply links to managing the Y2K issue – you might have an expired page.

Check for material that is outdated on a regular basis and either remove it or replace it.

These tips on the basics of website design and function can either increase your credibility in the eyes of your customer or cause them to wonder if you're even still in business.