The following is an excerpt from the book Fifty-one Ways to Build your Community of Clients Online: How Women are Using the Internet to Grow their Business, Reach the Right Customers, and Make a Difference, by Monica S. Flores. Purchase the book online or at Amazon.

Tip 23. Lighten Up: Humor Makes Visitors Happy

Humor, if used judiciously, goes a long way to entertaining your visitors and letting them know a little more about you and your company’s sense of fun, humor, playfulness, or creativity.

If your site does not benefit from humor, then please disregard this tip, but if your site does allow an opportunity for you to provide a respite for today’s busy, left-brain-focused worker, take it. There’s a reason newspaper readers open up the Sunday Funnies section first and magazine readers go to the back page to see the silly picture or the comical illustration.

Some ideas for a humorous section to add to your website: Humor at Work, Funny Stories from the Field, Joke of the Week, Picture of the Month, and Overheard in the Office.

+ Is your website a banking, financial, or legal site?
If so, be very careful about using humor on your website.

+ Is your site zany, irreverent, creative, or whimsical?
If so, consider adding:
+ Funny stories
+ Jokes or silly situations
+ “Overheard” dialogue
+ Funny, entertaining pictures or graphics

+ Make sure that all humor is tasteful and appropriate!!!