NAVEL-GAZING

Linking to other sites shouldn't be regarded as distracting visitors from your own pages. Commercial sites are usually the worst offenders when it comes to a lack of external links, but some personal sites also make the same mistake. But if you don't link to others, don't be surprised if no-one links to you.

NOT GIVING CREDIT

Plagiarism is all too easy on the Web: but just because something's online, that doesn't mean it's yours to take and present as your own. If you quote from another site, link to it; if you take a link from another site, link to it; if you use content from another source, whether on the Web or not, give credit where it's due.

PESKY PLUG-INS

Forcing visitors to fetch browser plug-ins in order to view your site is a good way to send them straight to the Back button. If you’ve got content that requires a plug-in, be polite about asking for it. Send users away from your front page to make a multi-megabyte download, and they might never come back.

BURIED TREASURES

If visitors have to click, and click again to get to the juicy bits of your site, you won't keep their interest. Check your logs, and if people are avoiding your front page, it's time to make the switch.

OUT OF TOUCH AUTHORS

Put something on the Web, and it's in the public domain: be prepared to deal with whatever publicity it may bring you. Personal sites without the author's email address, or some other way of making contact, are like houses without front doors. Make it possible to receive praise for your sinfree site!