is your site on life support People's expectations of web sites have gone up dramatically A recent survey of web surfers showed that people's online expectations have risen sharply over the last few years. Surfers are quick to reject any site that doesn't come up to standard, and having a bad web site can damage your business. Here's what the survey found: How long will people wait for your site to load? 10 sec - 84% 15 sec - 51% 20 sec - 26% 30 sec - 5% N.B. Don't bloat your pages with large images or slow loading animations. Just because you can add video and audio to your site doesn't mean it's a good idea to do so! Remember speed is king, every second longer people have to wait for your page to load is losing you visitors and ultimately costing you money - After all that's why you're doing this isn't it to generate additional income? The top 5 reasons people will visit and revisit your site as reported by Forrester Research: 1) High-quality content 2) Ease of use 3) Quick to download 4) Updated frequently 5) Coupons or incentives What motivates people to buy online? 59% - Convenience 41% - Saves time 35% - More selection 27% - Prices What inhibits people from shopping online? 75% - Credit card worries 67% - Return hassle 59% - Want to see it in person 58% - Junk e-mail Ensure your shopping cart or order process is simple and easy to use and stress your refunds policy, make sure you point out the order details are entered on a secure site and specify exactly what you'll use your potential customers email address for.