It is a no-contest issue that only a properly designed web site is the key to attract visitors and to make them keep coming back. Dont forget that your companys website is often the first point of contact and therefore it holds the key to creating the first (and most often the most important) impression of you as a company, and by extension of your products and services for many of your visitors/potential customers.

First time visitors cant judge your way of conducting business, they do judge you by your site standards. The average Internet cruiser is quite weary these days we are living in the attention economy as the say. So how do you catch his/her attention? By having a qualitatively designed site! This can be achieved by employing a professional web development company.

Also you must not forget that traffic retention is equally, if not more, important than driving high traffic to your site. After all, there is absolutely no use of spending all your time and money on building a 100-page site and spending big bucks in advertising through some strategic internet marketing services company if visitors dont like to stay on. Here are some simple tips for turning your site into a user-friendly one that brings in and retain new visitors/potential customers:

• It should load fast: Your website should be fast loading .You can achieve it by using more text and fewer graphics.
• It should have easy navigation: Website must be easy to navigate so that people should easily and quickly find what theyre looking for without scrolling down each page. Its important to link pages in a consistent, well thought out manner so that users can easily navigate in-between them.
• Use graphics sparingly: Graphics does add glitter to your site but they should be used judiciously using them where they are absolutely required. Otherwise they might distract visitors from important concepts of your site or take much time in downloading.
• Use colors selectively: Use suitable colors which magnify your product otherwise your copy will be difficult to read and few people will bother reading it.
• Dont let pop-ups irritate visitor: Do use pop-ups as they can be an effective way to get a higher response from visitors, but you shouldnt overuse and abuse them. Pop-ups should be used to offer something of high value to your site visitors.
• Fulfill visitors expectations: Put yourself in visitors shoes and think what you want this site to deliver and try to fulfill this expectation. Ensure that your navigation and related content use keywords which are most searched, as popularity of a particular keyword related to your business reflects what a visitor wants.
• Minimize number of clicks: Most visitors would leave your site if they have to click too much to get what they want. Remember a normal Internet surfer is jaded and doesnt like to waste time. So put the content on scrollable pages with quick navigation links so that people can jump to any section while being on the same page.
• Fast downloading: The above mentioned argument is equally true for this point people dont wait while surfing on Internet. So avoid flash intros or bandwidth-hungry graphics as much as possible. Try making your site as lean and nimble as possible to ensure fast downloads.

Your sites credibility is also one of the factors which decide its usability which can be achieved by having an About Us and a Contact Us page. Many people would like to call while visiting your site so assure people youre a proper business by giving them options to contact you through phone, email, and related directions.

If you can develop your website on your own, good! Better idea is to contact a professional web development company which is also well versed in strategic internet marketing and let it develop your website and market it professionally for best results.

Partho Mondal is the CEO of Wisitech, a leading search engine marketing, Pay per click (PPC) management services and professional web development company in India.