Regardless of what industry you're in there's a good chance your website receives more visitors and views than you personally do. In fact, it's almost guaranteed. According to a ComScore report from 2014, Canadians are the heaviest users of the internet on desktop computers in the world. Let that sink in for a little bit; it's pretty remarkable. Blame it on the cold winters or perhaps the long distances we need to travel between people and places, or maybe we just like sitting by the warmth of our computers, whatever the reason the great white north is a great big consumer of the web.

If you're a Canadian business owner, people are likely looking for your services every single day on the web. First impressions matter and if you want to succeed in business today then you need a modern website. The good news is that its never been easier or more affordable to have a modern website. Here are some top tips to make sure your website meets expectations.

Have a clear objective

Effective websites are built with goals in mind - What do you want your website to accomplish? Sell, educate, encourage contact, provide timely information, build community, or a combination of a few? Clear objectives should guide everything your website does and contains. Before building a new website or modifying your current one make sure you know what you want to achieve. If you only have one objective make sure it is helping solve your customer's problem.

Know what's important

Regardless of how awesome you or your company background is, your customers are more interested in what you can do for them. This isn't to say you should remove the "about us" section from your website but you certainly should not lead with it. Besides having clear information about your products/services, when it comes to businesses with physical locations, the most important information to have readily available is your contact information - Address, telephone, email and hours of operation. Always remember your website is about the visitor - It's not what you want or what your boss wants or what the website developer wants, it's what the visitor needs to know in order to become a customer. As the saying goes, the most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing.

Dress for success

Your website should look like it's going on a first date everyday. So often websites are treated as an afterthought or launched and then forgotten until something goes wrong. This is a mistake. You want to put your best foot forward and represent your company in the best possible light. Using discount website designers or free website platforms is the equivalent of showing up for a first date wearing sweat pants and having unkempt hair. It may have been acceptable to have a mediocre website a few years ago, but today the web is a far more competitive landscape and attention is scarce. If you want to turn virtual heads then make sure you look as good as you really are. You'd be surprised what only a few more dollars a month can get you with today's website tools like IM Creator, SquareSpace, and WordPress.