As more and more people use their mobile phones to access the Internet, creating a mobile optimized website has become a necessity.

It is important to format your content with this in mind. Correct use of headings, sub-headings, paragraphs, bullets or lists help to break up text, making it easy for readers to scan.

Now, this isn’t to say that your website’s appearance is the only thing that contributes to its success.  Certainly, there are still dated-looking websites out there that generate traffic and revenue for their owners.  But why – with the huge variety of website development tools available today – would you want to set your website up with such a disadvantage from the start?

If you aren’t a professional web designer and you don’t have thousands of dollars available to hire one, you can still make use of programs like WordPress and other template design services that’ll give you a professional looking website at a fraction of the cost of having one custom built.  Look into any of these options when building or redesigning your website in order to prevent your site from failing on the basis of its visual appearance.

It is equally important for the navigation to be clutter-free. Try to limit the number of menu items as far as possible. A drop-down menu or sub-navigation may work better on large site with many sections and pages.

Advancement in DHTML, and JavaScript libraries such as Motools and Ajax also opened the doors to many new possibilities for creating innovative navigation systems. Take a look at Mashable's example below.

Website A is a blog that’s launched because its owner heard that blogging was a good way to make money.  And although the site focuses on a single niche, the content and products offered by the blog aren’t that interesting – simply because the site’s owner isn’t familiar with the industry and must rely on ripping off content from others in order to fill his pages.

Website B, on the other hand, is a site that’s been launched by a professional with 20+ years of experience in his chosen website niche.  As a result of his past experiences, he’s able to craft compelling content that’s of interest to people at all levels of his selected field.  In addition, the products he sells are in high demand because of the personal experience he brings to their content.

Obviously, these two websites represent extreme examples – nearly all websites online are likely to fall in between these two opposites.

However, the grain of truth here is that you need to be able to offer something unique on your website in order to make it stand out from others online within your same industry.  There are simply too many sites online today for a copy-cat, rip-off site to succeed without bringing its own unique perspective to the marketplace.

Busybee-CR / Getty Images 

Site owners often focus on boosting the number of their unique visitors but don't focus on keeping them clicking once they arrive. A successful website doesn't just land that unique visitor hit, the content motivates the user to click deeper and deeper into the site. ​

Make your site sticky, or make those visitors stick around, by having great product offerings and enhancing your content. Use more appealing photographs, add polls or questionnaires, add a blog with a base of useful articles on subjects relevant to your website's customers, and other items that will maximize clicks and build loyal site visitors at the same time.

Websites are well-thought actions, so your website is performing well.

Of course, the design of your website should be visually pleasing.

Busybee-CR / Getty Images 

Site owners often focus on boosting the number of their unique visitors but don't focus on keeping them clicking once they arrive. A successful website doesn't just land that unique visitor hit, the content motivates the user to click deeper and deeper into the site. ​

Make your site sticky, or make those visitors stick around, by having great product offerings and enhancing your content. Use more appealing photographs, add polls or questionnaires, add a blog with a base of useful articles on subjects relevant to your website's customers, and other items that will maximize clicks and build loyal site visitors at the same time.

Busybee-CR / Getty Images 

Site owners often focus on boosting the number of their unique visitors but don't focus on keeping them clicking once they arrive. A successful website doesn't just land that unique visitor hit, the content motivates the user to click deeper and deeper into the site. ​

Make your site sticky, or make those visitors stick around, by having great product offerings and enhancing your content. Use more appealing photographs, add polls or questionnaires, add a blog with a base of useful articles on subjects relevant to your website's customers, and other items that will maximize clicks and build loyal site visitors at the same time.

This means that your website is easy to navigate and you are no making it hard for visitors to use your website. Check the navigation design best practices for more information. Or you can take these steps to create a good navigation.

Busybee-CR / Getty Images 

Site owners often focus on boosting the number of their unique visitors but don't focus on keeping them clicking once they arrive. A successful website doesn't just land that unique visitor hit, the content motivates the user to click deeper and deeper into the site. ​

Make your site sticky, or make those visitors stick around, by having great product offerings and enhancing your content. Use more appealing photographs, add polls or questionnaires, add a blog with a base of useful articles on subjects relevant to your website's customers, and other items that will maximize clicks and build loyal site visitors at the same time.