Many visitors stumble upon my  Free Website Diagnostics  form and I find myself with the challenging task to answer the basic question "How can I make my website better?". Here's a generalized list of the basic requirements you need to make your website competitive and some insight on how to find an edge over your competition.

Website Essentials

1. Make sure your website is professional looking or conveys the mood your customer would want to feel.
2. Use HTML title tags and a meta description tag.
3. Do your keyword research and populate your web pages with the keywords in a 'natural' way.
4. Create a logo for your website. A logo is the most important part of branding. Branding happens over a long period of time. You don't just decide to start banding a logo after your online business is 2 years old. Create your logo ASAP and flaunt it.
5. Create a Google Analytics account, install the tracking code onto your website and become familiar with the statistics.

Get the edge over your competition

The website essentials will get your online business noticed, but you'll lose customers to you competition if you don't do your homework.

1. You need to find your competitors and study them. Ask yourself "what are they doing that you're not?" Think like a customer and weigh your website against your competition. If your competitors have an advantage, it's up to you to notice it and surpass it.
2. Create accounts or get service from your competition so you can experience what it's like to be a customer and compare it against your service.
3. Keep a record of your competitor's services. Taylor your services to be slightly better. Create a product comparison chart and display it on your product or service page.