Many who are exploring the Web are novices. The less dazzle on it the better. Many who surf have older PCs that are not capable of viewing the latest graphics or multi-media releases. When this happens, the surfer gets frustrated and leaves. Make navigation of your site as smooth as possible.
First impressions count.
The front page means everything. The less clutter the better. Eliminate dead ends. One the most frustrating things felt by those using your site is when an option is explored and it leads to a dead end. The developer needs to always put a link that will bring you back to the main topic page.