Who has time to wander through a hard-to-navigate Web site to find a product, solution or service? Nobody I know. If that home page doesn’t have what I need or an easy way to find it, I’ll move on.

One study has shown that almost 75 percent of online shoppers do just that, no matter how attractive the price or service, if they can’t find what they need.

Companies and their site designers need to approach their site – before it goes live – as if they’re first-time visitors. They cannot assume or take anything for granted, including that visitors will automatically start on the home page.

Therefore, every page must have a corporate presence, with name, logo and toll-free number if applicable. Every page must have a navigation bar that starts with a home button and includes buttons linking to other pages. Every page should have a search button.

If visitors will be ordering goods, every product page should have a prominent link to the checkout page.

Each page must be logically organized and answer every question the shopper could possibly have about that product or service. With clothing, for example, it’s imperative to explain and/or illustrate fiber content, washing instructions, stock availability, size charts and options in color and size.

Product photographs, with zoom capabilities, are a necessity, and video is a must for product demonstrations.

Product reviews by professionals or satisfied buyers, whether displayed on the site or linked to on other sites, establish credibility and increase shoppers’ comfort level. That also can be boosted by prominently displaying the company guarantee and links to customer service.

The site must be well-written and well-maintained, with updated information and working links. Nothing destroys confidence in a company like a neglected Web site. Again, shoppers will simply move on to another site.

Sites should make it easy for shoppers to sign up for newsletters or other means of learning about exclusive specials or other events. This gives them a feeling of inclusiveness and reminds them to return to the site for future needs. However, it must be clear that they can easily opt out of the mailing list.

If site visitors are buying goods, the checkout page must include the following: shipping options and cost, turnaround time and accepted payment methods, plus the ability to revise the order easily and to generate a printer-friendly summary.

The Web site is the front door to that company – if shoppers can’t get in or don’t feel welcome and valued, they won’t come back.