When it comes to web design you have to know a little of the basics of html and web design terms such as cascading style sheets or css, but among the most important basics you need to understand that your websites navigation is the top priority for your visitors, if they can't easily skim through your site then they are off, seeking better sites.

Take an example of an existing site or any site for that matter you will notice that they include up to 6 or 7 page links mainly and that is it and they have the top page link as the home page, then the about page, products/services,faq,contact, possibly a sign up newsletter page and an order page.

This is the simplicity of a website and how it should be!

Filling your website up with javascripts or too many for that matter is going to cause your site to load really slow, so concentrate on what your visitors may want and what would make your site flow better, for example, they would come to your site for information, so a simple sign up box near the top of the home page will do for your email newsletters, but remeber that not all visitors will land on your home page so maybe put your sign up box on every page in round about the same place.

Also if you place any other things such as banners and external links, then these should be placed near enough in the same place on each page, as this creates a sense of order where everything has it's place, because if everything is all over the shop, your customers or visitors are going to get confused with the place.

Making your site sticky is also an important factor, consider adding a forum or discussion board for your online community to build and grow sharing information and tips, or if you have a product or service of your own, maybe add an affiliate program so that people could sign up to be an affiliate for you and this will keep your visitors coming back to check their stats and if you recognize your best affiliates and give them rewards then this is a good aspect to apply to your website.

Interacting online is what most people like to do, as they feel it's like being part of a community of like minded persons, so think of more things to add to your site later on, but try not to over crowd your site with every gadget script that there is, as sites should load quick not slow.

The ratio of content and images is roughly about 65% content and 35% images, try and break up long content with a few images that add or compliment to the targeted content, also a nice header graphic is often the main attention grabber for people and they will come to associate your header graphic with you and your expertise.

A lot of web hosts these days have a good control panel that offers lots of features to customize your websites with ease, and managing your files have become a simple task and an affordable one too.