There are many things that make a website successful.  Here are 10 of the more important things to consider when building a site so that you can get the most out of your design efforts.

Branding

1. Your Logo. If you don’t have a logo, get one. Use this to brand your business on every online (and offline) marketing channel that you use. Brand recognition is established over time by repetition.
2. “Build It and They Will Come”
   This may have worked for Kevin Costner in “Field of Dreams”, but in real life, you need to first build your website with purpose, then market it consistently. Without marketing your site, no one will come.
3. Keywords
   If you don’t use proper keyword phrases, you won’t get traffic, which means that you won’t get sales. It’s very important to use these, particularly on web page titles.
4. Overdone Graphics and Video
   Mind-blowing graphics can be very cool, but they can actually distract our eyes and more importantly, slow down your page load time which can frustrate your visitors into leaving. Another frequent annoyance is having videos or audio automatically play.  Give your users the option to hit the play button and don’t force feed them.
5. Look and Feel
   Remember, you have 20 seconds or less to capture the attention of visitors and they will leave if your site is unattractive or the navigation is not simple and straightforward.
6. Value Proposition
   Today’s users expect shorter copy with only the information necessary to make a decision. That means a headline (use keywords), short to-the-point copy, 5-7 benefits (this is important – you MUST let your visitors know your value proposition i.e. what’s in it for them).
7. Testimonials
   Include real-life testimonials from satisfied customers. Nothing advertises better than actual people telling your visitors that your goods and services are superior.
8. “Call To Action”
   Include your “Add to Shopping Cart” button, an “Opt-in” to enter a contest, or a “Sign up” for free “whatever”, and remember to capture names and email addresses for future communications.
9. Site Map
   Include a site map so that Google site crawlers (as well as other search engines) can navigate your site more easily.
10. Relying ONLY on Your Website
    This is a No-No. Today’s savvy users want interaction and communication with you. Provide links from your website to your social media sites like Facebook and Twitter where your prospective customers can actually communicate and interact with you.

There are actually many more things to consider when building a website, but these should at least help to get you going in the right direction.