This is part two of a series we began last week discussing ways people can avoid making mistakes with regard to planning, implementing, and maintaining a website. Our focus dealt with proper budgeting and making sure that you view websites as an ongoing cost of doing business-one that should provide a substantial return on investment when properly executed.

This week, we point out another common goof we see businesses make on their websites. They fail to list essential information. I realize this sounds basic, but sometimes business owners become so ensnared in the daily thorn bushes that they fail to see the forest for the trees (or thorns).

Your website provides an opportunity to save your employees time (that's money to you, by the way). Make sure you cover the basics because they come up over and over again with new customers. Provide clear and easy to find contact information, including a map and directions on how and when to reach you. And if you have fixed prices on products and services, make sure those are easy to find, as well.

People aren't going to your website to see what your cousin can do in Flash. They're coming because they want answers, and the quicker you give the answers to them, the quicker they can be converted from potential customers into existing customers.

In short, do the following: list your contact info list your product and service info

Once you successfully do this, you now have a user equipped to make a real-world buying decision. And the real kicker is that the user hasn't had to leave your website to gather this information, nor has the user taken up any employee time in the process-both feathers in your cap. Now ain't you a Yankee Doodle Dandy?