Understand Your Market
Before you begin to fill your website pages, stop and consider your audience or better known as your market. Who are you trying to reach? What are their interests? How much time would they take to read a webpage? Are they more visually motivated? Would they like audio to automatically start?

Columns not Novels
Provide enough description of your product or service without being wordy or rambling. Outside of news sites like CNN and MSN, many people don't like to read websites. Even those sites are very careful how they present news. No one wants a full page of text. Information needs to be concise and presented with pictures and graphics.

Your Image
Every website should be design with taste and a level of professionalism. Childlike graphics, multi-colored blinking text, and pixilated pictures will all take away from your image and your credibility. Remember, most consumers will look at your website before they contact you. They want to know that you are knowlegeable in your field and you want them to trust you from the moment they see your home page.

Quality Images
Photography and graphics are important because they can reinforce your message without saying a word. Don't get stingy. There are many free clipart and photography sites online. If you can find what you are looking for within these sites, great. However, choose the best images for your project and be prepared to spend a reasonable amount of money on them if you have to.

Advertising
Allowing advertisers to promote themselves on your site is a great way to reduce your expenses. Remember your image. Set guidelines for your advertisers to follow. Do not allow them to submit an ad that is contrary to your mission, compromises your professionalism, or sends the wrong message. In the end, it is still your website.