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Good websites begin with a good design that is simple to use. The graphic design and content on the homepage should grab the consumer’s attention, and the interior pages should be easy to navigate. Information must be easily found and should be expressed in the “language” of the customer, rather than the company’s internal lingo.

Here are 10 simple tips to consider when deciding on how the site will look and how customers will navigate through it:

1. Immediately tell visitors on the site what the company does.
2. Get users to the information they want in two clicks or less.
3. Consider including headers and links that give the store’s name, and include a “breadcrumb” showing visitors where they are in relation to the “Home” page at all times. Visitors should know where they are within the website at all times.
4. Allow visitors to find answers to questions easily.
5. Incorporate sufficiently large fonts and images, as well as audio descriptions where appropriate, so that content is accessible to users with disabilities.
6. Pay special attention to the quality of information, and ensure that the text is written well and spelled correctly.
7. Use buzz words sparingly.
8. Include a link to the homepage on every page so that in one click, users can be led there.
9. Develop visuals that are useful, not flashy and distracting. Useful visuals include illustrations or photos of products, graphics that separate categories of products, or maps with directions.
10. Determine which technologies are appropriate and which are overkill. For example, developing a landing page in Macromedia’s Flash technology may be a nice design feature, but it is annoying to your visitors and completely ignored by the search engines. Don’t use it.

Cost-Saving Strategies

For many small businesses and entrepreneurs, the idea of consulting a lawyer conjures up frightening visions of skyrocketing legal bills. While there’s no denying that lawyers are expensive, the good news is there are more ways than ever to keep a lid on costs.

Start by learning about the various ways lawyers bill their time:

• Hourly or per diem rate. Most attorneys bill by the hour. If travel is involved, they may bill by the day.
• Flat fee. Some attorneys suggest a flat fee for certain routine matters, such as reviewing a contract or closing a loan.
• Monthly retainer. If you anticipate a lot of routine questions, one option is a monthly fee that entitles you to all the routine legal advice you need.
• Contingent fee. For lawsuits or other complex matters, lawyers often work on a contingency basis. This means that if they succeed, they receive a percentage of the proceeds — usually between 25 percent and 40 percent. If they fail, they receive only out-of-pocket expenses.
• Value billing. Some law firms bill at a higher rate on business matters if the attorneys obtain a favorable result, such as negotiating a contract that saves the client thousands of dollars. Try to avoid lawyers who use this method, which is also sometimes called “partial contingency.”

If you think one method will work better for you than another, don’t hesitate to bring it up with the attorney; many will offer flexible arrangements to meet your needs. When you hire an attorney, draw up an agreement (called an “engagement letter”) detailing the billing method.

If more than one attorney works on your file, make sure you specify the hourly rate for each individual so you aren’t charged $200 an hour for legal work done by an associate who only charges $75.

This agreement should also specify what expenses you’re expected to reimburse. Some attorneys expect to be reimbursed for meals, secretarial overtime, postage and photocopies, which many people consider the costs of doing business. If an unexpected charge comes up, will your attorney call you for authorization?

Agree to reimburse only reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expenses.

No matter what type of billing method your attorney uses, here are some steps you can take to control legal costs:

1. Have the attorney estimate the cost of each matter in writing, so you can decide whether it’s worth pursuing. If the bill comes in over the estimate, ask why. Some attorneys also offer “caps,” guaranteeing in writing the maximum cost of a particular service. This helps you budget and gives you more certainty than just getting an estimate.
2. Learn what increments of time the firm uses to calculate its bill. Attorneys keep track of their time in increments as short as six minutes or as long as half an hour. Will a five-minute phone call cost you $50?
3. Request monthly, itemized bills. Some lawyers wait until a bill gets large before sending an invoice. Ask for monthly invoices instead, and review them. The most obvious red flag is excessive fees; this means too many people–or the wrong people–are working on your file. It’s also possible you may be mistakenly billed for work done for another client, so review your invoices carefully.
4. See if you can negotiate prompt-payment discounts. Request that your bill be discounted if you pay within 30 days of your invoice date. A 5-percent discount on legal fees can add thousands of dollars to your yearly bottom line.
5. Be prepared. Before you meet with or call your lawyer, have the necessary documents with you and know exactly what you want to discuss. Fax needed documents ahead of time so your attorney doesn’t have to read them during the conference and can instead get right down to business. And refrain from calling your attorney 100 times a day.
6. Meet with your lawyer regularly. At first glance, this may not seem like a good way to keep costs down, but you’ll be amazed at how much it reduces the endless rounds of phone tag that plague busy entrepreneurs and attorneys. More important, a monthly five- or 10-minute meeting (even by phone) can save you substantial sums by nipping small legal problems in the bud before they have a chance to grow.

What about shipping charges? Online shopping breaks down most often over shipping charges. Imagine this: A customer sees a great price for just the product she’s been searching for. After entering the information on the electronic order form, she is startled to see a huge shipping fee tacked onto the price. The result? By barely lifting a finger, the shopper clicks off the site and goes elsewhere.

Some online companies absorb shipping charges; others include them in the listed price and offer “free” shipping. All the major postal carriers have websites that allow merchants to calculate the shipping charge for any item, based on weight and location.

Shipping efficiency and pricing can be major competitive advantages or hand grenades in an online store’s shopping cart. Try to make a profit on shipping charges — your store is more likely to lose the sale than gain the margin.

What will the elements of your customer service policy be? Because customers expect to be able to contact a company with questions, special requests or problems related to ordering, online businesses should offer an e-mail address or phone number for customer service inquiries.

Not only is customer service a great way to build loyalty, but it’s also a valuable feedback mechanism–customers are all too ready to sing your praises or call out improvements that need to be made to your product, service or image.

An important aspect of customer service is deciding how quickly the business will respond to customer inquiries and complaints (phone or e-mail). This response time should be realistic and consistent. If the policy says all phone calls will be answered within two minutes or returned the same day, that time line becomes a pledge to the customer.

Nothing frustrates an online shopper more than sending an e-mail to an address listed on a shopping site and waiting hours, days or interminably for a response. To keep customers on the site, businesses must keep them in the loop.

Be honest and follow through with your customers – your competitors are only a click away!