What makes a good website?

This seems a simple question with a simple answer, yet the more you think about it the more there is to say about websites. They exist for a variety of reasons but a good website must hold interest or the visitor will soon move on somewhere else.

There are many factors that affect the appeal of a website. The main one's are:

The website has good content. This is all-important and visitors will forgive much if the website offers the content that they seek.
The appearance of a website is important. No two visitors may agree on exactly what appeals to them about the look of a website; only that they know when they see it, and it makes them want to stay. Good use of space and color is important and a website that is too 'busy' is annoying
Easy reading. Some websites use font and background colors that are too close together, making reading difficult.
A few cartoons and animations are fine as long as they don't interfere with the message that the website is hoping to put over.
Navigation. It must be easy for the visitor to find her way around the website. A good website of any size should have a 'sitemap' page from which any section or page can be accessed.
Simplicity. Often we see a home page that is absolutely bristling with links to other pages and other websites, usually not very well described. Visitors like to have choice but not to be overwhelmed.
Consistency. The website should have a consistent look throughout by the use of templates. Otherwise visitors may be confused. If you are able, use CSS to standardise text by font type, style, size and color.
Speed of loading. The website must load quickly; particularly the home page, which is the one seen first and particularly "above the fold". People will not wait for long before clicking away.
The Home page. As the home page is often the first page to be seen make sure that it is welcoming and interesting so that readers will want to see more of the site.

These are some but not all the elements of an attractive website, but the most important of these is content, content, content and this will obviously depend on the type of website.

A good website will always be changing, either by adding fresh content or updating the existing content. People will not return more than once to a website that doesn't change. Many websites issue a newsletter so that visitors can be informed of changes to the website.

Websites originate on a computer in the office or home. They are then 'uploaded' to a hosting company's computer that has direct access to the internet. When you 'surf' you're connecting your computer to that of the hosting company.

If you want to make your own website you can build it on your own computer, test it, and when you are satisfied with your creation, upload it so that all the world (or only a select few) can see it.