When it comes to creating and maintaining professional, polished looking websites there a few important things to consider. One of these things is the speed at which the site loads. Since not all users have high speed internet, it is important to make the site load quickly for those who do not. Compatibility for browsers other than Internet Explorer is another important consideration. It is important for all websites to be compatible with legislative standards surrounding individuals with disability and their access to all websites. Cost, of course, in designing the website, registering the domain name, and hosting the website is another important factor. Web design companies may offer all of these features for a small site for a certain price, which would be lowered thereafter, because the design would already be complete. Customers would only be paying for hosting, updates, and other features instead of for the entire design process.

The latest research shows that a page that takes longer than 8 seconds to load is likely to be avoided by the user. Things that can cause a loading delay include too many images or animations. Instead of doing away with these features entirely, site designers are cautioned to design their sites so that more important features, such as text, navigation menus, and contact information loads first. Also, all images and other forms of multimedia should be optimized and designed to load without taking up a ton of space on the visitor's computer, making it more likely that users would come to the site and stay there.

More than 30% of users are not using Internet Explorer as their browser of choice or at all. Also, approximately 10% or more of users are not using Windows as their operating system. Thus, it is extremely important for all pages to load in all browsers and operating systems. All sites designed should be tested in Linux, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 5, Netscape, Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Konquerer, and even older browsers and operating systems. Sites should also be designed to be in compliance with standards put in place by the World Wide Web Consortium.

Sites designed should also be made to be in compliance with the Disability Discrimination Legislation, and therefore be usable to those with visual impairments, hearing impairments, mobility issues, and cognitive or mental disorders. Every site has to comply with at least the first level of disability standards. If a site does not, it could be judged "non-compliant" and brought to court. Though at the time, no sites have been brought to court for failing to comply, this is only because site owners, when contacted, would make the necessary revisions.

Sites that could be classified as "advertisements" are also subject to their own legislation. As such, designers must determine if a site would fall into this category and then develop it accordingly. Obviously, there is a lot to consider when designing and creating a website.