The interesting thing is that it is so easy to tell the sites that have been put together by people who quite obviously don't know what they're doing, you know you see a graphical frame around the text that just doesn't seem to fit together, or maybe the colors clash so badly you just want to leave.
In contrast, a great looking website that works well for the site owner is one where everything you need to see is right there with clearly defined links that make it easy keep reading the site or find the information you want.
As an example I love Flickr, everything is right where you expect it to be and it seems so intuitive, whereas I really can't work out Technorati and every time I want to check something or find a blog on a subject I'm interested in it seems like I have to click several links to get there.
This is why choosing the right Website Development team is so important, especially if you run a business where you depend on great design to maximise sales leads or even sales.
It's also why I think it's so important to know what you want your website to do before you start the process of getting it designed, at least this way you give your designer a really concrete idea of what's expected and stand a better chance of getting it.
