While randomly surfing about on the internet, you decide to check out the web site of the new blockbuster film you're dying to see. You enter the web site and are instantly captivated by the imagery and animations. What an awesome web site! After viewing the intro trailer, you decide to pop around in the site to find out more about the movie. You glance at the left hand side of the page, no navigation there. Then your eyes move to the top, nope still no navigation. You look to the right, still a big negative. Feeling a bit confused and slightly frustrated you're about to close out the site when out of the corner of your eye you catch a couple of jiggling fiddly bits at the bottom right hand side of the page. Could that possibly be the navigation? You mouse over the fiddly bits and determine that they are indeed buttons of some sort. You mouse over one and wait for an indication of where it goes. Nothing. You decide to click on it to see where it takes you. Instead of taking you to a semi informative page, you wind up on a page with a collage of pictures and yet even more squirming fiddly bits. That is the last straw, you exit the site with no intentions of ever returning. What a horrible site!

Don't let this happen to your site! Here are a few tips to ensure that your site, however cool it may look, doesn't end up frustrating and confusing its users.

• Memorable Name - Make sure the domain name of your site is short and easy to remember
  
• Easy Navigation - make sure the navigation is properly labeled and appears either on the left hand side or at the top
  
• Avoid Splash Pages & Intros - They may be cool at first, but soon become an aggravation to the user who just wants to "get on with it".
  
• Mend the broken links - Make sure all of your links are working properly and linking to the appropriate pages.
  
• Get to the point - Avoid lengthy text and vague marketing jargon like "technology solutions". Make your text short, sweet, and to the point.
  
• Make your site informative - Provide your potential customers with relevant information, give them in depth detail about your services and/or products
  
• Avoid "Under Construction" or "Coming soon" pages
  
• Contact - Be sure your contact information is easily located. Avoid making users fill out contact forms!