People rely heavily on sites that are most useful to them.
They go to Dictionary.com to look up or translate words. They
go to BankRate.com to use financial calculators. They go to
SmallBusiness.com to get and give business advice. They go
to Coupons.com to save money. They go to 1800flowers.com
to quickly and easily order gifts for loved ones. They go to
HomeDepot.com to learn how to install a ceiling fan.

All of these sites and others with a large, loyal visitor
base have one thing in common: they provide a useful service
or product to their visitors. Usefulness is one of the key
factors in attracting repeat traffic. Here are some tips for
making your site more useful and more competitive:

1. Teach something. There is a huge demand for concise, well-
written how-to information. If you have a business Web site,
you have an area of expertise. What can you teach your
visitors?

2. Simplify a complex task. Many tasks are so complex that
people have difficulty figuring out where to start and what
to do. Some examples are buying a home, changing careers, or
starting a business. By providing checklists, online wizards,
or other tools to organize and automate complex tasks, you
can make those tasks significantly easier for your visitors.

3. Offer extraordinary value. People calculate value by comparing
what they get to how much it costs. Value exists for them when
they perceive that they're getting more than they pay for. If you
offer an expensive product or service, create value by showing
how the benefits of purchase exceed the cost. If market conditions
make it difficult for you to compete on price, increase the value
of your offer by packaging it with "free" add-ons or companion
products.

4. Provide superior quality. In today's competitive market, people
simply expect high quality. To wow them, your site must provide
that extra feature, service, or customer care that puts you in
a different league than your competitors.

5. Offer unparalleled convenience. People take the path of least
resistance. Make it a snap to find and use your Web site. Make it
easy to remember. Design it for easy access. Make it clear what
visitors can get from you and where they can get related material
that you don't offer.

6. Assist with decision-making. People often have trouble sorting
out the details that go into complex decision-making. Provide
them with an organized, easy way to do that and they'll love
you for it. For instance, a small business portal might offer
a checklist or worksheet that helps entrepreneurs figure out
what paperwork they must submit to local and state government
to incorporate their business.

7. Invite participation. Allowing your visitors to participate
in forums, share advice, publish articles, or otherwise interact
with other visitors creates a sense of community. Since we all
like to belong, sites that provide valuable communities for
visitors tend to foster great loyalty among them.

8. Give something for nothing. People respond to getting good
stuff free. Can you offer something free for which your
competitors charge? Can you offer more or better free stuff
than your competitors?

9. Differentiate. Take a close look at your competitors' sites.
What do they lack? Set your site apart from theirs by offering
a different mix, more content, better quality--whatever it
takes to rise above the din. And then make sure you tell
visitors why your site should be their first choice.

10. Diversify. Offer your audience as many different reasons as
possible to find your site useful. Offer content, tools, and
services for different levels of expertise, areas of interest,
or professional focus.

Conclusion

By providing a more useful site, you encourage your visitors to
not only return frequently, but linger. This can greatly increase
the chance that they'll become paying customers. Take the time to
carefully assess your site and make changes that enhance its
usefulness. Doing so is one of the best investments you can make
in your Web site and your business.


==================== ABOUT THE AUTHOR ======================
Carole Pivarnik manages audience development and affiliate
programs for SureCode Technologies, Inc., which offers full-
featured, customizable Web databases that plug right into
any site with no programming. Email her: carole@surecode.com.
Sign up for her free newsletter, Working Web Sites, or learn
more about SureCode at http://www.surecode.com.