Jonathan Kranz writes that he often winces at the missed opportunities he sees in B2C and B2B websites. "There may be nothing particularly 'wrong' about the design, the underlying coding, or even the writing," he says at MarketingProfs, "but these websites aren't right, because they fail to connect with customers in any meaningful way."

So when it's time to launch or redesign your company's website, consider advice like this:

Keep your eyes firmly focused on the ways your customers will use your site. "[T]oo many enterprises initiate their Web efforts by reviewing their competitors' sites," he notes. This practice, however, comes with a built-in problem. "Without critical information about how well these sites perform, how can you know what's worth retaining or rejecting?"

Think of your site as a crossroads through which visitors pass on their way to other social-networking destinations. "How will your site relate to those other sources?" he asks. "Can you develop content that can be spread and shared across the Web? Are there opportunities to encourage links back to your site?"

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