Provide a simple and easy to understand navigation menu so that even someone who is not internet savvy will know how to use it. It is best to stay away from complicated multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate the site confidently, they will eventually leave it.
Avoid using flashWhere appropriate, avoid using flash, especially for the first introduction page. People have to download the Flash player beforehand before they can view Flash movies. Because of this, the number of visitors will decrease considerably because not everyone will be willing to download the Flash player just to view your website.
Avoid using large graphic imagesLarge graphic files take a long time to download and display. Usually, visitors do not have the patience to wait for more than several seconds for the site to display itself. For this reason, keep the graphic files as small as possible. It is a good practice to optimise images before uploading them onto the server. I use GIMP, the free image editor for reduction of image file size.
Avoid using audio on your siteAudio is subjective and therefore not all will like the kind of music that is playing on a website. However, if you insist on adding audio, make sure the visitor can control the volume, stop or pause the music.
Neat and Easy Navigation
Navigation of links on your site plays a big role in determining the stickiness of your site (how long your visitor stays and explores your site). Ask yourself this, What do visitors do as soon as they open your site? They would probably read the content of the present page and then look around to find any other page that interests them. Read our article on Web site Navigation Tips.
Clean Layout DesignA clean layout that uses a lot of white space enhances a site's looks. Try to keep the focus on your content, use a template for this. Use fonts that will be available on all computers to prevent your site looking messed up.
Optimum Load TimeMake sure your load time is low. For this you must make sure to minimize Graphics, Flash and scripts as are considered as the huge files.
Design for all Screen ResolutionsA site that is easy-to-use always encourages visitors to stay and read your content. For site with long pages of content this is very crucial as the amount of scrolling required is reduced. Suppose your site doesn't look good for a particular resolution it is very probable that the visitor will close the browser window feeling that the web page is not for their viewing. Designing stretch layouts that fit any screen resolution ensures that you know all your visitors see a visually appealing and professional site.
Ensure Web site scalabilityMake sure your code and design is scalable. As technology advances and configuration of computers & their monitors keep increasing and varying it is impossible to test your site in all screen sizes and platforms.
Well, these are some tips. They are by no means exhaustive, though. The key is to make the journey to your web site designing and development as easy and as pleasant to the visitor as possible.