As in real estate, part of what makes a Website great is location, location, location. In the electronic world, location is created and determined by reference. This means that an important component of Website design is the arrangement of links to and from other related Websites.

By carefully designing a network of reviews, links and pointers that provide solid value to a Website's user, it is possible to create a great location on the Net.

A user's impression of a Website is molded, to some degree, by the information found on the path to it. A user who arrives at your Website from a Website link they respect and enjoy is predisposed to have a positive experience.

Authenticity

It's easy to see the Web as a vehicle for telling the world about your company. A Website that is weighted toward simply giving information about your firm, however, can be considered self-centered.

On the other hand, one that provides information that is useful to users can be considered user-centered. The measure of the user-centerdness of the Website as a whole is what "authenticity" means.

There's a fine line between over-hyping and justifiable self-confidence. Many Websites make the exaggerated claim of "We are the premier site for ---" in one form or another.

This sort of inflated and generally unsubstantiated claim is the opposite of authenticity. It's as if someone told companies making this kind of claim that they needed an aggressive tagline for their Websites.

The problem with such transparent hype is that users can see through it. An inflated tag-line that greets a visitor to a Website has the potential to create doubt about the rest of the information that might be provided there.

Authenticity is the way that users can assess the integrity of the information on the Website as a whole. It is very important for a company to ensure the accuracy of each piece of information it provides on its Website to a user. A user's whole perception of a company's professionalism can be skewed by simple things like poor grammar, unsubstantiated claims or self-centeredness. Authenticity can be thought of as a cross between genuineness and integrity. The combination of the two yields a consistently trustworthy information source that has the user at its center. If a Website does not provide this, the user can easily discover plenty of alternatives that do. The Websites that generate return traffic and user loyalty are the ones that provide their repeat clients with additional value each time they visit. The value is aimed specifically at the needs and interests of the Website's users.

Entertainment Value

Reading straight text from a computer screen can be uncomfortable and slow. The Net itself compounds this with its erratic display performance. For the most part, experienced Web surfers scan broad passages of text looking for the logic and connections between HyperLinks. Since this is the primary Website browsing behavior, a Website should be designed with some type of entertainment value in mind.

Entertainment value includes both maintenance and providing for the needs of a guest. It is another dimension of user-centerdness. The central question when assessing the entertainment value of a Website is: " What is the user's subjective experience of the visit to the Website?"

The quality and use of graphics are both components of entertainment value. Graphics must be engaging, clear, interesting and appropriately placed. Though the term is often used as a pejorative, "infotainment" is the ideal goal for Website graphics, which should simultaneously inform and entertain. The placement of graphics in a Website's text should add maximum value to the Website's information.

By using well-designed forms of entertainment, visitors that are not desired at a Website can be directed elsewhere. Done well, with a gentle but clear hand, a Website's entertainment value can build an impression that will cause visitors to return to the Website when they become the right audience.