That's why it's important to practice good web design principles to reach the maximum number of visitors.

Here are some tips that will help...

Use clear navigation directions

Your site navigation menu should be uncluttered and concise so that your visitors know how to navigate around your website without any confusion.

Reduce the number of images

It's a fact that graphics make a website look more attractive. But there are still many internet users on dial-up, so keep in mind to reduce the size of your graphics if possible. Large images make your site load slowly and more often than not they are just a waste of bandwidth. If you find that graphics are essential on your site, you can optimize them by using an image editing program so that they meet a minimum file size.

There are also free online services that will do it for you.

Keep your text paragraphs at reasonable length

Reading online is a different experience then reading off line print media. If a paragraph is too long, you should split it into separate parts so that the text blocks will be much easier to read.

Use a lot of white space between your copy. This gives the eyes some rest, and keeps your readers alert.

Also, don't make your font too small, or people will have problems reading your copy.

Make your website cross-browser compatible

If your website looks great in Internet Explorer but breaks horribly in Firefox and Opera, you will lose out on a lot of prospective visitors. So, always check how your website looks in different browsers. It's best to have a set of browsers on your own computer, rather than relying on online services. You can also use the W3C validate -it may help with your website compatibility.

Avoid using scripting languages on your site

Try to use scripting languages to handle or manipulate data on your site, and not to create visual effects. Scripts are not supported across all browsers, so some visitors might miss important information because their web browser crashes.

Using website templates the right way

Website templates are very affordable these days and can save you a lot of hassle when you want to create a new layout. That's the point of using a template... to save time and effort. You can go a long way by just changing the title, entering your keywords, put in some new graphics and appropriate details and you're done.

Example: you find a nice template that suits your gardening hobby site, except the original designer has put an image of stamps in the header. You can then search for images of garden plants, or gardening tools, to replace the stamps for your hobby site.

Just be aware of using too popular templates. If many people use the same template, your site will not appear unique and your credibility as a

solid, different business will be tarnished. The last thing you want your site to do is appear generic just like your next-door neighbors. I hope these tips will help your to make a better performing website.