Designing a website is never easy, especially with technology changing on a regular basis. Every person who uses the internet on a regular basis understands this instinctively. You are constantly evaluating sites as you navigate, for content and style.

When you are setting up a website for any reason, the goal is to keep the visitor interested and direct them to different links off the home page in as simple a manner possible. Any confusion during the process will tempt visitors to make their exit before seeing all your site has to offer.

Any premature exit from your site will defeat its purpose and keep and cause you to weigh the viability of features you once considered essential to your presentation. The only way to avoid this catastrophe is to start with a sound plan and see it through to the end. If you find an area that needs tweaking, it can be handled much easier if the rest of the site is in great shape. Here are the five must-do points for any well-designed website.

1. Make navigation easy. This rule tops the list because it can never be overstated. Websites which feature tedious paths to follow are not popular. A website doesn’t have to wow a visitor from the get-go, but it should allow visitors to see all it has to offer with minimal fuss. One tip is to keep links to a minimum on the home page. Drop-down menus offer the developer many options, as do duplicated links of site highlights. There is no point in hiding the jewels.

2. Keep the layout clean. Websites are a combination of content and pictures, so the visual aspect can never be downplayed. Even the most serious and respected websites can cause visitors to leave because of bad layouts. Make sure there is an adequate amount of white space on each page and run tests on a variety of different operating systems to make sure your font styles translate across the board.

3. Accommodate all screen resolutions. The more content your site has (i.e., for journalism or other long articles), the bigger the challenge will be to zero in on the ideal screen resolution. A layout which can stretch is ideal, as you will cut down on the amount of problems and limit scrolling.

4. Pages load without any significant delays. Flashy graphics can be thrilling for visitors to see, but if you see a “page loading” sign for over 30 seconds, the thrill most certainly will be gone. Try to manage these graphics wisely. Also, don’t let your site become bogged down with unused codes and other clutter which will cause visitors to get bored and leave.

5. Keep a scale in mind. Because there are so many changes to computers and to the internet itself, the only thing to be sure of is that it will all change. For this reason, work with a design that can be scaled and limit the amount of updates required in the future. A review of the last major changes will be instructive.

Damian Papworth realizes business owners struggle with Small Business website design. This is why so many have basic design flaws. To assist he published the book Small Business Websites, guiding business owners on the internet in a language that is ieasy to understand.