• PC World
• »Computers

When it comes to building a Web site, never mind the bells and whistles. Forget about the rich media and the wireless handset delivery.

Instead, you should concentrate on your customers' need for speed, according to a report released on Monday by technology researcher Jupiter Media Metrix.

According to Jupiter's latest consumer survey, conducted in June, 40 percent of consumers would visit a content site more often if its pages loaded faster. In contrast, only 20 percent of those surveyed say that they would be inclined to visit a site more often if it added a richer media experience.

Besides wanting shorter loading times, 36 percent of customers would be more likely to visit a site with customized layout and 31 percent would be lured to a site more often by polling or chat capabilities, Jupiter reports.

Only 15 percent of those polled would be more likely to visit a site that delivered information to wireless handsets and other non-PC devices, however.

Shop Till You Drop

As for online shoppers, the Jupiter survey indicates that 59 percent of those surveyed say that more product information was important to them, and 28 percent say that product suggestions would be helpful.

And once again, 26 percent of online shoppers were looking for faster page loading times. Only 12 percent of respondents said that enabling mobile commerce is important to them.

All of this means that businesses should get back to basics and address the core needs of their customers, Jupiter analysts say. This is especially important in the current economic climate, they add, when customer satisfaction can be make or break a business.

Jupiter's data was derived from polling 2194 individuals through an online survey.