Web design has come a long way in 10 years. No longer can a business simply throw up a web site and expect their customers to drop by. It's a virtual jungle out there.

Some Internet veterans remember when their were just 3,000 web sites. Now, there are millions, and most of them aren't very effective in doing what they're supposed to be doing. The reason lies within the elements of the web sites themselves.

Web design is not an exact science, but it does require some planning. Here are a few tips that will help you design your web site with your human visitors in mind and with the search engines in your heart:

1) Include an About Us section on your web site. Make it easy for your visitors to find out exactly what you do. Be up front about it.

2) Use alt and title tags for design elements. Photos, videos, Flash presentations, and other visual and graphic elements can not be read by the search engine spiders, but alt and title tags can.

3) Give each web page a title. You will do better in the search engines.

4) Don't load your web site with graphics. Use them minimally, and then only to enhance your message.

5) Update your content every day, but don't move pages and change the URLs.

6) Like too many graphics, too much text will bore your readers. Don't bore your readers. Just include the pertinent and relevant information.

7) Start a blog. It really does work. Even if you don't get any readers, you'll get fresh content and inbound links to your web site, which the search engines love like circus clowns enjoy unicycles.

As the Web proliferates with more and web sites (web site traffic doubles every 100 days), the jungle will only get thicker. That means, the competition for traffic will get tougher and the search engines will start demanding more of web designers to attract attention from their spiders. If you plan on going online, you need to start studying design elements right now and learn how to make your web site meet the ever-changing standards of search engine friendliness and human visitor interest.

Design your web site with your customers' needs in mind, but learn what the search engines want to. It's the only way you'll survive in the jungle.

Randy Moretz has been involved in the telecommunications industry since 1993. He has owned and operated his own business since the early 1990s and currently serves as the guide and principle of The Cardinal Group. His corporate services involves the promotion of telecommunications technology, including “Maxie” the virtual attendant and Total Recall voice loggers, as well as Web design and hosting services. For more information about the latest communications technology for small businesses and Web services go to www.thecardinalgroup.org.

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