Having a killer website is one of the best partners you have to help sell your business. So making it effective is critical. When visitors view your site, are they wowed and drawn in? Are they attracted to the contents and enticed to read more and to do business with you? Here are 10 steps to keep in mind when developing or revamping your website:

1. Choose a look. The first step in developing a website is choosing a look that corresponds to your type of business. If it's a day care, you might have a fun, relaxed feel. If you're a law firm, you'll want a more professional, sophisticated look.
    
2. Keep it tidy. When you were a child, did your mom gasp at the mess and chaos she found in your room? You don't want your visitors to do the same when they enter your website. A neat, clean website welcomes your visitors. Wild background colors and flashy graphics can scare readers away. They're distracting and can make it difficult to read your message.
    
3. Don't use odd font styles. A fancy font might be beautiful, but it can be challenging to read. The size of the font is also important. If it's too small, it's hard to read. If it's too large, it looks like you're trying to fill space or that you're shouting at the reader. In addition, be careful to choose a common font that's available on all computers so it doesn't appear scrambled on some systems.
    
4. Get to the point. Using bullet points instead of long paragraphs makes the information easier to read since people on the web typically want to get information quickly. Tighten up your sentences, reduce the number of descriptive words and ask yourself, "Can I say that in fewer words?"
    
5. Initiate a blog. Effective and creative blogs help generate repeat visitors to your site. Keep it informative by writing short how-to or business-related articles. If you've got a fun, informal site, you can include more personal aspects, such as the impact of your business on your family, stories about your kids, etc. But keep it consistent with your website's style.
    
6. Update your site frequently. You have to update it regularly to keep people coming back. If you write a weekly or monthly article, stay on schedule.
    
7. Gather e-mail addresses for marketing. Set aside a section of your site to request e-mail addresses you can use for marketing purposes or for a newsletter subscription. Make it clear that you won't sell your mailing list so visitors feel comfortable subscribing. Use a company such as Constant Contact to manage your e-mail addresses.
    
8. Keep your content error free. Many sites have errors that are distracting and reflect poorly on the business owner and the company. Therefore, check your spelling and grammar. Also, verify that your links work.
    
9. Make web pages effective. Navigating between pages should be simple. Page headers should be easy to interpret, and the contents of each page should relate to that heading. People visit your site for a reason, and they don't want to hunt for the information they need. If they can't find it quickly, they'll leave the site. Also, optimize your graphics so pages load quickly.
    
10. Swap links. Exchange links with other sites that will drive traffic to you.

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