A sense of humor helps. Flashy graphics are nice. But the fundamental traits that make a site work are more elusive. The essential characteristics of a great Web site follow some basic guidelines and most are just plain common sense. Original content is the most important trait of a great Web site.
Original content is the most important trait of a great Web site.
Sites that provide only links to other sites are essentially meta-lists, while sites that have some information that's useful to the user stand out and will be revisited. Content is King. Provide valuable, timely information to the user, not lots of data. Web sites should be updated regularly. For the information to be valuable it should be well-edited.