Page Design
There are a lot of things that go into a successful page layout, and most of them do not get noticed unless they fail.
First of all, your site visitors are expecting certain conventions based upon their experience at thousands of other websites. Navigation menus are usually found along the top, left, and (increasingly) right edges of the screen.
The page topic is easily found near the top center of the page. Many people judge a page by the first bit of content they see, so your main point should be very clear. Then they will continue to read if interested, or click off to somewhere else.
Respect the Browser
Even plain html pages like this one can look dramatically different depending upon the browser used to view it. A 'successful' page design will look the same or pretty close in at least the 2 major browsers and AOL. More than that, some people have scripting and cookies turned off for security or privacy. So if your page relys on those features, you need to have a "backup plan" for what getst displayed if those functions are disabled.
Related to this, you need to keep in mind that web pages load from the top left. Even though most people have computer screens 800+ pixels wide, very few people surf with their browser maximized. This means that information on the right side of a wide page layout is either a nusiance to see (scrolling down is okay, but scrolling right is a pain), or goes unseen.
Basic Graphic Design is Important
If you do not have an understanding of basic design principles you need to get help or do some self-study. This is not about flashy graphics and artwork; the most important thing is a coherent page layout and colors that provide contrast without SHOUTING at you in multicolor. And if it is difficult for someone to read your page then why would they try.
"Whitespace" is important. If you don't understand this, tryreadingthissentenceandyougetabetterideawhywhitespaceisvisuallyimportant.
Graphics Need to be Used with Care
Just because you can have dancing pigs waltzing across your web page does not mean you should.
There are only two reasons to use graphics:
1. As supporting elements to set up a page style, and
2. When the graphic communicates your message.
You can ask any marketer, it is always the text that sells. Graphics can get someone to stop and read the text. And a picture is worth a thousand words in some cases. But use them with thought.