A website must be attractive, yet functional. Is the site easy to navigate? Can you find what you want with minimal clicking and scrolling? Do the pages load quickly?
That last question is a really important one, if many of your potential customers live in rural areas. . .like on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula where I call home. While a lot of folks around here do have broadband, or the equivalent, many more are still dependent on a much-slower dial-up service.
If your customers have to wait four minutes to download your cool Flash animation, chances are they won't be too impressed. They may even click right off the site, fearing the rest of the pages will be as equally annoying to them.

Remember the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Sweetie!
(Okay, so I modified it somewhat. . .)

A website is like a precocious child. He'll behave like an angel at grandma's (on Internet Explorer), but'll act up at home (on Chrome). There are hundreds of possible combinations of the variables that can effect how your website is viewed. Monitor size, resolution and color calibration can also tweak that "perfect" design.

Already using one of the many talented website designers working locally? Often they'll ask you to supply your own text when they create your site. Allow me to work my magic; and create informative, interesting copy to highlight your organization or business.

Links to some of the pages I've designed are in my portfolio.

Off-site link to an essay on The Web-Safe Color Dilemma.