Usability

Usability is about making the user feel at ease.
If graphics are just thrown onto a page with out any thought they could confuse and distract users are dilute the message you are trying to convey.

1) Noticeable navigation and scannability of call to action areas makes your message very clear.
2) Users will scan pages only reading headlines and titles until they see something that catches their eye. Cleverly written headlines will draw more users every time and keep them on your website longer.

3) Consider the meaning of your site and its purpose.

4) To maximize overall usability, the information on each page needs to appear in a specific order. For example, if there were no graphics in your website, you would want the page structure to look like an outline. If the structures of the key elements are in place, then it should be very easy for a user to understand your site. Site structure determines 80% of usability.

5) Developing websites with web standard code allows your website to be as accessible as possible. Proper code means giving all of your headings H tags, using style sheets for all of your formatting, and using proper HTML and XHTML markup for all other elements.

6) Making your website accessible and usable to search engines is just as important as usability to your viewers.

Proper development and structure of your content should look similar to this:

Main Topic (H1)
Subcategory (H2)
Aspect of subcategory
Aspect of subcategory
Subcategory (H2)
Aspect of subcategory
Aspect of subcategory

This outline structure is useful for both search engines and users. It is logical and easy to scan.