The entire idea behind setting up a website is to allow custumers and other interested parties easy access to information about your company. You want to get visitors interested in what you have to offer them. A website should be simple and inviting; it should draw visitors in. If a site is too involved or complicated it discourages visitors and valuable opportunities can be lost. Here is a list of tips to keep your website off the "don't even bother" list.

1. DON'T require immediate registration. Having some sort of registration system is a good idea, but only after a visitor has had time to explore. If they have to deal with the hassle of registration before they can even get in the "back" button becomes more and more popular.
2. DON'T use long URL's. Websites that generate long URL's are difficult to remember. They are also a hindrance when it comes to sending out links. Line breaks can cause hyperlinks to fail or perhaps only connect to the first part of the long URL. These URL's also take up a lot characters, a detriment for users of one of the internets newest communication highways; Twitter. If you want the word spread then shorten the URL.
3. DO use URL's on every window. Perhaps the most frustrating thing for a web surfer is finding a fantastic webpage that they want to share only to discover that the window doesn't contain a URL. This makes it very difficult for them to refer others to the page or even visit it again. If you want people to visit your office you need to give them the address; the same holds true for your webpage.
4. 4. DO provide a search function. Sometimes finding a website is hard enough. When a visitor then has to also spend time finding the information they need it can become very discouraging. If your website contains more then one page then it needs to contain a search function. The simple existence of a search box can increase the usability of your site. If a visitor can quickly find what they need it gives them time to explore and discover what they want.
5. DO include links to Delicious, Fark bookmarks, Digg, etc. From the most popular bookmarks on Delicious to front page features on Digg there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn't plaster your website name as many places as possible. The more often your site is seen the more likely that is will be visited. A front page feature on Digg can increase page views exponentially. The links are simple; USE THEM.
6. DO provide all forms of contact information. Contact Us automatic e-mail pages are nice and simple, but they aren't very friendly. A fill in the blank form says there's a robot on the other end. Communication is the most important part of running and a business and you want yours to be friendly and personal. Provide visitors with phone numbers, snail-mail addresses, and names with personal company e-mail. Customers will feel more at home when they can address the e-mail to someone other than "Whom it may concern".
7. DO create feeds and e-mail lists. Visiting a website to check for updates can be trying but most people check their e-mail every day. Providing access to an e-mail list and/or RSS feed makes it easy for people to keep current with what is happening on your site without requiring them to remember to check. If you send the new information to them first then they are more likely to seek out the details.
8. DON'T make users retype e-mail addresses. People like to share a good thing when they've found it. They don't like to have to type up the 100 plus contacts in their address book to do it. There is no reason that you can't link your website to major e-mail providers or at the very least allow users to share content by putting it into their own e-mail system.
9. DO use e-mail addresses as usernames. When your site is one of hundreds that a user is a member of it's hard to remember creative usernames; yet everyone knows their e-mail address. E-mail addresses are already unique and if a user can remember how to sign in they are more likely to sign in.
10. DON'T use case-sensitive usernames and passwords. Yes, they are more secure, but also infinitely more frustrating. What if I forget that my password is Carrot instead of carrot? Then, once it's been entered incorrectly a certain number of times, I'm locked out. Unless this site is particularly important to me I may never try to get back in.
11. DO allow anonymous comments. Comments are incredibly useful for a company and people are more likely to be honest if they can be anonymous. Allowing comments without requiring someone to sign up or sign in will mean that you will get more feedback. Pushing the envelope is encouraged in your company, and that encouragement should be extended to your users.
12. DON'T use unreadable confirmation codes. Having a confirmation code is good; having one that a user has to change ten times before they can read it is not. The point of these codes is to prove the visitor is not a robot, not to prove that they have perfect vision and near psychic powers of deduction. If you have to question what the code says for more than a few seconds than it's not worth using.
13. DO include signatures in e-mails. If your e-mail contains your phone, address, fax, and company name then a user can get back to you at their convenience and in the way that they feel the most comfortable. They also never have to ask for the information if you already provide it, which decreases the amount of time you have to spend sending out your addresses or giving out your phone number.