If you’re taking the time to put together a website, you obviously want people to find it and like it. Why else would you be putting it out there online? Whether it’s for a business or you just want to share your life and your thoughts with the world, your site should be user-friendly, easy on the eyes, and a cinch to navigate. If it isn’t, people might not come back. For a personal site, that’s not such a big deal, but for a business site that could be a serious concern. You don’t want to lose business just because you didn’t take the time to make sure your site was operating smoothly. It should load fast and work well, and make sure you test it in all of the different browsers, too.
Another area of concern for you and your website is add-ons. It’s nice to put some things on your website that will be fun for visitors, give them information, or help them interact, but don’t put too many of them on there. If you aren’t careful with what you’re putting on your site, it’s possible that you could end up driving people away. Most people don’t want a lot of flash and bother. They want a site that looks nice, gives them the information they’re searching for, and doesn’t cause them any problems. Don’t be afraid of simplicity.
There’s a difference between being simple with your design and not providing anything of value. As long as you’re providing people with what they want, they won’t be as concerned about whether you’ve put a bunch of stuff on your site. Just take the time to really look at your site with the eyes of a customer. That will help you decide what add-ons to use, and what to leave out.