If you want to build a successful website then it will have to be more
than just another 'standard' website. You will have to consider many
relevant factors. Here are 24 tips regarding the content and the
behavior of users online.
1. Users love free stuff or stuff that saves them money, time and efforts.
2. They will never be back on a site that cheated them by not keeping their free promises.
3. Users do not like to pay.
4. Users do not like to spend time contributing stuff (unless they get benefit of it).
5. Users hate registration forms; so if you must make it, make it short and simple and stay away from the confirmation process.
6. Users are afraid of junk mail. Reassure them by promising not to send any.
7. Users that take part in one or two social network will not bother to go to the third and the fourth as it’s bothersome and they will get tired of inviting or being invited to networks so often.
8. Users will not trust a valuable service that has no brand name on it as they will fear that it will close down or start charging after awhile, so don't waste time on online application that most people already have on their desktops.
9. Users notice immediately when a site is an exact clone and this puts them off.
10. Users are not looking for wow effects, they want a simple website something they understand.
11. Sharing isn't a natural thing for people; do not trust them to provide you content, tempt them.
12. People need to feel secure. If your site will cause any system message to load they will run away.
13. Don't expect people to understand anything, make it easy and simple and always try to improve the simplicity factor.
14. Don't let them wait; a massive flash on the front page is not a good idea no matter how cool it is.
15. People are technically stupid, but very wise and fast to understand a trick, don't try to trick them.
16. Stay updated. Offer new things all the time because users are curious and you want them to keep visiting.
17. Do not use a web hosting service that has less than 90% uptime because one downtime that will prevent the user (especially new one) from logging in and this customer is lost.
18. Stay away from pop-ups. Users are terrified of them and as long as you have no control of the pop-ups content you may not be able to prevent a non-suitable content from loading. Pop-unders are fine but make it limited. I know you can make money of them but you will not make money if your customers will not come back.
19. Don't listen to experts! Take 10 experts and you'll get 10 different advises.
20. Listen to yourself as a user and never do on your site what you don't like on others. As a rule if there is something that annoys you on a website, you can be assured you are not the only one.
21. Support both browsers!! 17% of the users online use Firefox.
22. Do not plant in your site anything that requires a special plug-in. Most people do not know what a plug-in means.
23. If you want to follow a success of another website, be careful. Trends tend to disappear fast and the windows of opportunities is very small.
24. If you decide to do it anyway, make it better! With more features, so that you can say mine is better.