Considering starting a Website? Find criteria for successful Website development and continued ongoing success. Best Website publishing and SEO practices.

Other articles related to this one include Tips for Starting a Small-Business Website; Using Basic HTML to Develop a Small-Business Website; SEO Strategies for Enhancing and Optimizing Your Web Presence: A 10-Point Primer for Website Success; SEO Do's and Don'ts: Proper SEO Strategies for Best Results.

You know you have a good Website if...:

1. You have a specific niche -- a void to fill in the marketplace -- with the content of your Website. (In other words, your site has a clear purpose, mission.)
2. Your entire Web effort is geared toward a specific target audience(s).
3. You have original content on your Website (not just a list of links) -- even better if it's out-of-the-ordinary. (Content is still king.)
4. You carefully spell-check and proof-read all content you add to your Website. Errors are going to happen, but do the best to minimize them.
5. You don't use massively large fonts, long pages that force visitors to scroll endlessly, flashing or blinking graphics or text, or any other kind of cheesy elements.
6. Your Website is easily navigated, with file names and directories that are both keyword-rich, but also easy to remember.
7. You provide an easy way for visitors to search your Website.
8. Your Website design is consistent on all pages of your site -- and the design has been tested on multiple browser platforms to assure quality appearance.
9. You have a section on what's new to your site.
10. You provide a FAQ (frequently asked questions) link about your Website and/or the focus of your site.
11. You develop custom error pages (especially page not found 404 page) -- which include a site directory, search box, and email contact.
12. You use graphics that are interesting or directly related to your business. Resize graphics to their optimal size -- and always use "ALT" tag to identify all graphics.
13. You provide the ability to communicate (via form or email link) with the person(s) running the Web site and/or top management of your business.
14. You use browser-safe colors that are found in nature and are pleasing to the eye.
15. You don't use frames anywhere on your Website. (Does anyone use frames anymore?) Use tables as a tool for organizing content on your Website.
16. Your Website is quick to load. (Not everyone has broadband!)
17. You provide useful and easy-to-follow links to other relevant Websites.(And have a strategic and relevant linking policy for SEO.)
18. You research, develop, and use relevant keywords on each page of your Website.
19. You use unique meta tags (on each page of your Website) to facilitate better rankings of your Website's pages in search engines and directories -- and then regularly submit new pages to the major search engines.
20. You provide both visitors and search-engine spiders site maps to easily locate all the major pages of your Website.
21. You have a way for visitors to bookmark (especially social bookmarking) key pages of your Website.
22. You provide an incentive for Website visitors to return.
23. Your visitors leave satisfied and prepared to make future return visits.
24. You do your best to keep all your internal and external links functioning properly -- and you have a system in place for locating and fixing broken links.
25. You create a news release archive and/or "press room" to showcase your Website's latest features and developments.
26. You use Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to be understand the dynamics of your site -- and to help Google (the world's most-used search engine) understand your Website better.

Review some of the terms used in this article by visiting my Marketing Your Website Glossary: SEO, SMO, SEM Terms.

Web Guru Dr. Randall S. Hansen, CEO of EmpoweringSites.com, has been empowering people his entire adult life -- to help them better their lives. In fact, empowerment is part of his professional philosophy statement. He is also founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well as founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press as well as a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years.