Amateur Web Sites & Clutter
        By Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D., Holistic Wisdom C.E.O.

Amateur sites often have a lot of junk cluttering up the pages. An overwhelming amount of banners, buttons, icons, and blurbs. Remember that everything you include on your pages increases your visitors load time, and that a clean, streamlined design looks and operates best.

Some of these banners, or links may make you a small amount of cash through an affiliate program, and some are useful for building traffic (Link Exchange and other similar programs).

Of course, links are what make the Web go round, and some links are well worth having, especially links to business associates and other related sites, awards you've won, etc.

If you do have links, banners, or icons, make sure to arrange them neatly in appropriate places, perhaps on a separate links page. Don't place them randomly around the bottom of your home page. If a link, or especially a graphic isn't earning you real, measurable money or traffic, do yourself and your visitors a favor, and take them off.