Website design is more about psychology than technology. In the final analysis, it is humans that are the arbiters of website quality and not machines. So, a piece of software from Google will assess your website and allocate a ranking for it but only approval by humans will make you money.

The Content

The content is the core of the website. Poor content (most websites) will condemn a website to obscurity. Writing for the Internet is a burgeoning discipline and becoming increasingly important. Pages should adopt journalistic principles so that the page summary appears in the first paragraph. Each paragraph thereafter should start with a summary of that paragraph.

Unless you are talking to the trade, do not use jargon; NEVER talk down to your audience; match the content to your audience; do not 'run off at the mouth' and ensure that your website can answer any question a visitor might put to it. Use the first person whenever possible.

The Appearance

Too much emphasis is placed on the appearance of websites at the expense of the content. Appearance is important as it provides the first impression and should be understated, appropriate and relevant to the site content.

Do not use too much colour - use small amounts of colour to guide your visitor to points of interest.

Put it Together

'Wall to wall' content is a temptation that should be avoided - make good use of space. It is more important than the content.

Paginate your draft content as if you were assembling a brochure - a home page that briefly tells visitors what you do, an About page that goes into more detail about your company, your product/services pages, A client list page, some testimonials, a Frequently Asked Questions page, A contact page and finally a newsletter page.

Take your time with the content - it may seem droll but take shortcuts and your website will suffer.