Remember to use pleasing colors that enhance the look and concept of your site. Colors can create emotions that coincide with the content of the site. Use your imagination in order to present a feel for what the site is about. Provide content that is fast and easy to comprehend and keep navigation simple. Above all, once you get the style the way you like it, make the site uniform in structure from one page to the next. Remember that the most successful sites have very few, if any, bells and whistles. Simplicity is the answer to a readily accepted site. The challenge is to stand out among the competitors with a design that is skillfully crafted to bring a balance to the presentation while making the content effortless to absorb.
I encourage everyone to use their imagination to create their first site. It will be challenging, but the end result will be worth it.