Make your web site ‘perfect' and Search Engine Friendly for Google and Yahoo
1. Content should be consistent: Prepare a web site development plan that is integrated with your overall marketing process. The content should be consistent with offline materials. The graphics and images don't have to be identical with traditional media, but should be consistent with your overall branding, style guide, usage of colors etc. 
 
2. No overconfidence please: Hire a web site design that understands your market position and that won't get "geek crazy". It means that you put over confidence with your own design capabilities. If it is so, your site gets bogged down with graphics, plug ins, GIF garbage, etc. But, on the other hand, check your ego at the door when you work with your design with over confidence. There are some bitter examples of so many good web site designs get ruined by clients who can't or who won't listen to what is instructed to them! 
 
 
3. Check the load timings: Pay special attention to "load timings". It means that how long a web site take to load on a 56 KBPS modem (this is an industry average). If it is more than 12-18 seconds you may experience the "click of death" which means your site doesn't load quickly and thus the surfer is gone. If you target broadband customers who reach your site via ISDN or DSL you can build a site that incorporates multimedia-ready content that may include streaming audio or video, or Shockwave or Flash capabilities. So go ahead and let those digital geeks get carried away with cutting edge content! 
 
4. Make it simple: Make your site easy to move around in. Build a menu structure that is consistent with industry standards, local menus (for a page or section) on the left and global menus (overall site navigation) at the top or bottom of each page. Keep sufficient information "above the fold" (above the cutoff point at the bottom of a monitor). Don't make people use horizontal scroll bars unless it is absolutely necessary. 
 
5. Limited mouse clicks: Inculcate "digital speed" into your overall site design. Your client/customer should be able to get into their desired area in your site within one or two mouse clicks. Otherwise they will quickly get frustrated if they have to click-through multiple menus to get their intended information.
 
6. About content: Develop a content that is web-enabled. People don't read web site content like offline media. So, keep your paragraphs shorter not more than two to three sentences. Build the content in white space. Include links in your pages for the content. Try not to tell your whole marketing story on your site. Your content should let the visitors to call you, e-mail or fill out a profile form (see below). 
 
7. About marketing: Make your site ready for permission-based marketing all the time. Seth Godin's "Permission Marketing" book, http://www.permission.com,/ is so much helpful for it. And it is recommended to all of the clients. Those who build a long term relationship with the customers with their permission win. And also they continue marketing to them and incorporate value/information in all their marketing process. 
 
8. Submit with sufficient key words: Ensure your site is optimized for Search Engines by identifying 8-12 keywords that enable visitors to find your site easily, then incorporate these keywords in your site content (to drive relevancy with search engine spiders/boats) and then manually submit your site to the top ten search engines. Of course there are free or $19.99 specials available, but your contents get listed only on pages 75 or more on 350 pages. It will not drive qualified traffic to your site. Page 1 to 3 listings are required to drive qualified traffic on the top ten engines. 
 
9. Make a deep search: Delve into your log server files to uncover "digital tracks" made through your web site. Your log files are raw files that show how and from where (in most cases) visitors accessed in your web site, where they went in your web site, how long they stayed, etc. Web Trends is the defacto industry standard in http://www.webtrends.com/default.htm. It is recommended a market-experienced firm Fantomaster. They have suitable Search Engine products that can be downloaded for free or purchased. 
 
10. Globalism: Think global in your overall site design. North America is the place where the greatest Internet growth is occurred. So it is essential to build a site that can be accessed easily by people around the world. Keep special attention in load timings. Develop contents that avoid colloquialisms that may not be understood by all the people. So try to make a content which has got a universal standard. There are lots of applications that facilitate this process and ensure that your e-commerce capabilities can be utilized by all.