Yes... without an idea of what you want to do, don't even turn on your computer! Just sit and think and say, "I want my site to do so and so". This will keep you focused, give you a target to work for, and directly or indirectly, it will affect everything to come. For example, designing a site for you company is not like designing a hip-hop music site.

Some will definitely say that it is a bit too early to be considering this, given that you do not even have a website to host, but here is my take on it: What your host offers and, more importantly, doesn't offer, will determine the underlying structure of your site. Example: Suppose you decide that all of your pages should be created dynamically, just like eKstreme.com. You decide to do it with SSI, and so, if your host does not support SSI, you cannot implement your ideas. If your site is going to be simple, without too many frills, you can get by on hosts like Geocities. If you want the ultimate in flexibility and extensibility, go for one of the hosts listed in the Gadgets page. These hosts provide ad-free hosting for free with plenty of useful features such PHP, SSI, and ASP, and with access to databases.

This is a very important step. How you structure your site will reflect on its performance, ease of maintainance, and how you construct your links. Things to consider here are: Should you put all of your images in one directory? This is usually a good idea. Also, your directory tree should reflect the major sections of your site. For example, eKstreme.com's directory structure contains a directory called "biology" and another "webmaster". These contain everything related to those sections. Another important point is that if you have a central CSS file, that all of your pages use, you should keep it somewhere neat, like a "global" directory. This global directory is also important if you go for a modular design, where every page is actually a series of include directives (PHP or SSI) that the server parses and sends to the browsers. So if you have a common footer, header, site logo, or anything shared by all of your pages, it is a good idea to create a global directory.

Open your favourite web editor, preferably a visual one, and design a sample page. This page should contain all of the elements that are to be found on all of your pages. The only exception is if you also design your site's main page, or a major section's main page. This template will make sure your site's pages look consistent, and that you did not forget anything. This is also the time to choose your theme. If you are really into cross-browser compatibility, then this is the time to test your knowledge. Make sure you like it before you decide to use it though, as changing it may not be the easiest thing on Earth. Most importantly, write valid HTML or XHTML. Valid code will go a long way to making sure your site functions correctly on all platforms, and will make you look cool with visitors who do not know lots about WWW authoring. It is not as hard as some would like you to think. More information about how to easily create a template for your site can be found here.

Also make sure your links work, or at least point to the right files. Spelling and grammar are also important. The best way to annoy your visitors is to have spelling mistakes all over the place! Be careful, but also understand that mistakes do happen.

Your visitors must be able to contact you if they feel moved to do so. Put up a form that sends email to you, provide a direct email link, a guestbook, anything that would make sure if your visitors want to talk to you, they would be able to.

If you have a site of more than 10 pages or so, maybe a simple search engine would come in handy. Suppose you have a visitor that knows that your site has this important piece of information, hidden somewhere, but he/she cannot remember exactly where it is. If you make them sort through 10 pages, then you are pushing your luck for them to come back again. There are plenty of free search engines, some very powerful, such as Atomz.com. You can find more info in the gadgets page.

This period of having a beta site is the most crucial, as you can get actual measurements on performance, speed, how it actually looks "in real life", what needs changing, what is a good idea, and so on. Also this is the time to start promoting your site by asking people to beta-test it. If your content is good enough at this stage, they will come back when the site officially launches.

Make sure people know that you did that. Forums are a good place to start, but DO NOT SPAM forums, newsgroups, emails, or whatever. You would not like to start a relationship by making someone hate you.