Figure out what you want your site to do. Is it just a fun site or are you getting into Internet Marketing?
Get great content.
Check out other sites, read the html, see what you like, what works and what doesn't.
Avoid everything which you find annoying
Create easy graphics we can all enjoy whatever speed the net is going at. Cut down those file sizes without losing quality to around 10-20k. It's simple, to find out how check out theBandwidth Conservation Site
Use html! Future Publishing publishes .net magazine which had a simple HTML book free with issue 14.
Be careful with <Pre>, it can put
the text all over the place!
Get to the point using <ul>s and <li>s to make bullet points rather than going on and on..
Become a net slob! Make a page you like, then do all the others with the same commands, just changing the contents. It makes for a clean easy site!
If you want to be read, be readable, check your backgrounds and colour.
Have big stuff ftp-able or use an emailing cgi script cgi scripts