If you have an existing site, or plan to develop one in the near future, it's important to understand the characteristics that can make or break the effectiveness of your online investment. Here are 14 tips:

Appearance - A site must be visually appealing, polished and professional. Remember, it's reflecting your company, your products and your services. An attractive site is far more likely to generate a positive impression and keep visitors on your site once they arrive.

Good use of color - an appropriate color scheme will contain two or three primary colors that blend well and create a proper mood or tone for your business.

Text that is easily read - The most easily read combination is black text on a white background, but many other color combinations are acceptable if the contrast is within an appropriate range. Use fonts that are easy to read and are found on most of today's computer systems, depending on your audience. Keep font size for paragraph text between 10 and 12 pts.

Meaningful graphics - Graphics are important, but don't over-use them, and make sure that add meaning or context to your written content. Don’t overload any one page with more than three or four images.

Quality photography - A simple way to increase visual appeal is to use high quality photography.

Simplicity - Keep it simple and allow for adequate white space. Uncluttered layouts allow viewers to focus on your message.

Content

Along with style, your site must have substance. Remember that your audience is looking for information that will help them make a decision, so it should be informative and relevant. Use this opportunity to increase visitor confidence in your company's knowledge and competence.

•    Short and organized copy: Clearly label topics and break your text up into small paragraphs. You've got less than 10 seconds to hook your visitors.
•    Update your content regularly – blog and article at least weekly.
•    Speak to your visitors: Use “you” as much as possible. Minimize the use of I, we and us.
•    Unless you’re an especially good writer, consider using a professional to write content.

Use multimedia to entertain and enlighten your visitors, but don't force your visitors to endure something they're not interested in or don't have time for, and don't let the "rich media" overwhelm your other content.

Functionality and Usability

Every component of your site should work quickly and correctly. Broken or poorly hyperlinks, contact forms, site search, event registration leave a lasting impression.

Error-free copy. Double-check your facts and figures, as you don't know who may be quoting you tomorrow. Nor do you want to be recognized or remembered for typos, incorrect grammar and punctuation, or misspellings. Some key usability elements include:

•    Fast-loading pages
•    Minimal scroll
•    Consistent layout
•    Prominent, logical navigation
•    Descriptive link text
•    Cross-platform/browser compatibility

Search Engine Optimized (SEO) - Using page titles and meta tags for all of your pages.

Easy Navigation

Unique

Fresh - Having a website that changes or is updated frequently will encourage repeat visitors.

Link Building

Tracking - websites can be easily tracked to see what is working and what isn’t.

Following these suggestions, you will stand a chance of being recognized as an expert in your field with growing web traffic.