The indexed web contains at least 22 billion pages, according to www.worldwidewebsize.com — that is over three for every person alive. Amid the monstrous competition, how do you stand out?

Try these ten ways to make your website snappier this year. Photo: Karl Hilzinger

Almost certainly, you need to make changes — redesign and upgrade. Your website may look convincing to you. But, in light of the vibrant competition, to others it may have all the charm of Sydney’s Parramatta Road.

Your website is especially liable to look lacklustre if you overdo the standard quick-load simplicity strategy. So consider the latest tantalising web design features.

One is a conduit to eye candy, which can be positive — just look at Bing, aka Bling, Microsoft’s admired search engine.

Others are networking and communication tools.

All invest your internet presence with wow factor and may help inspire sales — if you refrain from deploying the lot. Plunder the “widgetsphere” selectively.

Co-founder of the Melbourne-based graphic design marketplace, 99designs, Matt Mickiewicz, gives us his tips:

1. Tweet This button

Embedding a Tweet This button is a nifty publicity touch with a social tilt. It means that visitors can share your content with their Twitter followers. For guidance on getting the button, go to tweetmeme.com

2. Facebook connect integration

Some visitors cannot be bothered to register and login to any more sites. Facebook connect integration lets them login to your community effortlessly with their Facebook ID. More information: developers.facebook.com/connect.php.

3. Click-to-call

Few additions are more popular with web designers than Click-to-call, which adds the human touch, letting potential clients request an immediate call-back from your customer support department, free of charge. Better yet, your department instantly receives information about the visitor’s location, site usage, and history. ClickClickCall, BoldCall and Five9.com supply the service.

4. Live chat support

For customers keen to skip the formality and projection that a phone call demands, Live Chat represents a great alternative. It can help you convert queries into customers and traffic into transactions, assuming your operators are not fielding complaints. Popular options include Olark and Velaro.

5. Twitter Lists

Make a list of recommended people to follow on Twitter, with Twitter Lists. Other Twitter users can then subscribe to your Lists and exploit the “discovery mechanism”. More information – tinyurl.com/ybcnogl.

6. Mobify

Create a mobile-friendly version of your site using the free service mobify.me, so that it looks great on iPhones, Blackberries and other mobile devices. Surf here: mobify.me.

7. Flickr Flash Photostream

Display images from your Flickr profile on your site with a Flickr Photostream badge. As the name hints, this feature can dramatically enrich your pages, creating a fresh look.

8. Google Site Translator

Open your site to global readers by displaying your content in their local language. More information: www.widgetbox.com/widget/google-site-translator.

9. LinkedInABox

If you are self-employed and run a personal site, enlist this LinkedIn widget to showcase your business networking profile to potential clients or employers. Embeddable on any web page, the widget grabs information from your LinkedIn personal profile, unlocking your account’s potential. Good idea. Despite LinkedIn’s motto that relationships matter, many accounts languish. Go here: www.linkedin.com/profile?promoteProfile=.

10. AddThis.com

AddThis is another nifty promotional tool. The social bookmarketing widget makes it a snap for visitors to share your content across dozens of social networking and bookmarking sites.