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Dynamic and interactive pages have most impact, writes Julia Talevski.

Paragraph upon paragraph of text, large picture files, heavy-handed Flash animations, generic stock-photo images and static content. These are some of the common mistakes businesses make when establishing an online presence.

The web is known for fast-paced change, so it's absolutely crucial that your business website meets a customer's expectations.

"There's a misguided belief that the more words they have, it will help their search engine optimisation," says Alex Hill from Webtron, a web consultancy company. "Most small businesses want to be found on Google now because the Yellow Pages are not really used any more."

According to Hill, a home page full of text doesn't help it rank higher in a Google search and serves only to turn potential customers away.

The managing director of web design company Bullseye, Greg Muller, agrees. "If users have to read a lot to do anything, that can put them off the site," he says.

So the message is to keep your home page simple and have short, sharp text that will engage the visitor. Avoid colour on colour because it can be difficult to read and make sure it's readable text size.

Another area where websites commonly get it wrong is in the use of images. Large picture files or flashy content takes time to load. "People will move on to some other site if yours doesn't load quickly," Muller says.

"Make sure you've got something already loaded that someone can look at if you've got a big feature on your website that might take a while to upload," he says.

Pictures should also be unique and reflect your brand. Avoid using stock photos. "Being online is about being found and when you're found, you should have something different and inviting about your site," Hill says.

ALREADY working the longest week in the Western world, Australians have now been revealed to be working more hours in unpaid overtime than their annual holiday entitlement, and white-collar workers are carrying the burden of the free time being taken by the boss, an Australia Institute study shows.

Once Australia led the world in advocating shorter hours, with Melbourne stonemasons the first to gain an eight-hour day in 1856.

That culture has been tipped on its head, as OECD figures show Australians work the longest week of any developed country - an average 44 hours.

More and more of those long hours are being worked for nothing.

Total unpaid overtime worked is the equivalent of 1.16 million new full-time jobs that have not been created. That equates to $72 billion in lost wages - money that could be taxed.

''In an economy where unemployment is rising, overwork is an obvious area for government to address,'' said Richard Denniss, the institute's executive director.

The study found 44 per cent of people who work unpaid overtime said it was compulsory, while 43 per cent said it was not discouraged.