There's an old saying, ?People vote with their pocketbook.? I'd like to suggest they also vote with their apathy.

Current popularity choices are in a constant state of flux. There are times when site visitors seem to respond to flash technology while other times the simple site of flash will cause them to use their back button. They just don't have the enthusiasm they need to venture through yet another animated flash design.

Sometimes visitors enjoy a stripped down site that is easy to navigate with limited bells and whistles while other times it appears sites with surprises and a graphic intense format captures attention.

The problem is knowing which format is popular at any given time. Sometimes your site design should operate independent of what seems to be gaining the most immediate attention.

I had been told about a site that had information I was interested in. I went to the site was met with a broad range of bells and whistles. I had no idea which function did what, but it looked cool and the sounds were great. I left with a sense of appreciation for complex site design, but never returned because I couldn't easily find what I needed.

You can develop a site design that is both inviting and easy to navigate. Many web designers feel that you must sometimes sacrifice one for the other, but I've never found that to be true.

Web design is a simple mechanism that takes all your work and strains it into a comprehensive, yet condensed, representation of your greatest dreams and fondest hopes.

Sometimes the focus of the site can shift from what is most important in the overall understanding of your business idea to glamorous ways to present the site.

If you take a look you can find sites that seem to be more about looking good than they are about helping a visitor understand the business and products well enough to convert to consumer status.

Brick and mortar stores may give their showroom a facelift from time to time, but they also understand the decorations are not what makes the business. If the decorations are wonderful they may see more visitors, but they may only be interested in seeing what it looks like with little interest in what's being sold.

In web design the first things to attend to are comprehensive content and easy navigation. Any dressing up of the site can wait until you know what your site will say and how you will get from one location on the site to the next in the fewest clicks (generally no more than two).

Search engines don't give higher rankings for a pretty site, but they do pay attention to what you say and how you say it ? make that your priority and the rest will fall into place.