If you’re reading this page, chances are it’s because you were either a. curious to see what I had to say about what a good site is all about, b. needed a bit of guidance for your site, or c. all of the above.

• Make your site cross-browser compatible. This means that your site looks [almost] identical in all browsers (that means you don’t only check how your site looks in Internet Explorer, but also how it looks in Opera, Firefox, etc.). How do you make your site cross-browser compatible? Well, for starters you can make your site’s (X)HTML valid. Tutorialtastic.co.uk has a bunch of great tutorials on this that I highly recommend. The reason validating your coding is so important is because all browsers (well, for the most part–IE is stubborn) follow standard coding rules, and if you comply your site should look [almost] identical in all browsers. Another important thing: try to make your site viewable in all resolutions. Chances are someone with a 800×600 resolution won’t change it to view your site.
• If your site is a personal site, don’t have “generic” pages including useless information about yourself. What I mean by generic is those lame ABC’s about you, or quiz results. Take the time to properly write about yourself, and your visitors will take the time to read it, I promise.
• Make your site memorable. Leave an impression on your visitor by having unique content. Don’t be afraid to play on your strengths. If you like writing poetry, have a poetry section. If you’re an amateur photographer, try setting up a gallery with some of your favorite stills. If you happen to be an amazing coder, then write some quality tutorials! Set your site apart from the millions already out there.
• Have a clean, attractive layout. If your site is too busy and overwhelming, people will be less likely to stay as long. How can you avoid this? Don’t have blinkies, flashing .gifs, or bright neon colored layouts (unless you happen to be an amazing webdesigner that knows how to pull off neon). Take an objective look at a completed header image and think: is this attractive? Alternatively, you can scrap the whole header-image idea altogether. There’s nothing wrong with having a clean cut layout with a text header. Just make sure the colors match or contrast well, and that it doesn’t burn your retinas.