It is not enough to build a beautiful website. Although I'm sure there are plenty of "beautiful" websites out there that make money, there are far more important issues you need to consider when building your websites.

Whether you plan to create a one page sales letter or a content rich website, you need to consider these factors:

1. Use proper layout and design techniques.

Proper layout and design techniques are related to the overall look of your website. This includes the fonts you use, the colors, and any graphics you may include.

Avoid using fonts that are hard to read. Avoid  text colors that are hard to read. Although yellow might be a pretty color for curtains, it rearely works for any type of website as a font because it's so difficult to read. Black text on a white background is always a good choice.

2. Offer easy to use navigation.

When your visitors arrive at your website, they need to be able to locate what they are looking for quickly. If your visitors have to click more than twice to locate the appropriate page, they may just get frustrated and leave. Organize your content in such a way that visitors locate it quickly by using labels for your pages that make it clear what the pages are about.

3. Avoid resources that don't contribute to your website.

Once your website has been around for awhile, and you've had a chance to gain rankings in the search engines, you will have a lot of people contact you to exchange links. Be very careful about the sites you choose to exchange links with.

First, if the site isn't relevant to what you offer, having a link from that site really won't help you with your rankings. It also dilutes the topic of your site by offering something unrelated.

When you do exchange links with others, make sure the sites complement and not compete with your website. If possible, exchange links with sites that have affiliate programs and offer an affiliate program for your site. It will be easier for you to get links, and if you only exchange links with sites that offer affiliate programs, you avoid losing money by sending referrals.

4. Make sure your website loads fast.

Although many have DSL or cable modems now, there are still millions who are on dial up. If your site is slow to load, or you've designed it primarily for one browser or another, you're not helping your visitors, and they' more like to click away. Make it fast and make it compatible.

5. Test the links on your website.

Broken links are a fact of life. If you change your content, you may end up with broken links. Make sure you test all of your links to make sure they work. There's plenty of free software you can use to do this.

Ultimately, if you want great conversions, offer content your visitors want that they can't get anywhere else. Make it easy to read, make it clear, and give your visitors what they want. You'll make the sale.