Some traits of effective websites:
- Designed around the objectives of the users, not the designers or developers
- (Also not necessarily the person/company the website represents!)
- Refined feel
- This is really vague, but the site should feel clean and elegant
- USER FRIENDLINESS ABOVE ALL ELSE.
- Easy to navigate
- Stress-free
- Understandable
- Easy to keep current
- This means making it extraordinarily simple for clients to add/change content
- This also means keeping everything both modular and separated, so things like assets, styles, or entire sections can be swapped out easily.
- A11Y. Just do it.
- i18n, and (if needed) i10n.