For my business, and many others, an announcement bar is almost essential.  What I mean by an announcement bar is a very small bar on top of all pages that can announce a message (there would be the ability to turn it on and off).  Most likely it would be black with some type of colorful lettering (white, yellow, etc.), but preferebly editable.  It is easiest to explain in an example; let's say that I am having a shipping delay, or maybe there is something new being added to the site, but I do not want to make a whole text about it on a page.  What this bar does is it allows you to enter a message "Currently all orders will be expierencing a delay due to increased order density", and then it would just scroll through the message.  This makes it very non-intrusive, easy to see on all pages, and keeps the customers updated easily.  All feedback is welcomed, and thanks for reading!