There are rules and conventions just like there are for any other discipline.
Here, here. You'd be surprised how many designers can forget that too.
As mentioned in other comments, your best bet is to go to a professional who has a decent portfolio and a defined process. I work with plenty of designers and teach a class in web design so I see the benefits almost daily. The process is the main focus of the work we do in either environment.
Schools often approach designing web pages in various ways and can miss many of the important elements that make a page work (grids, usability, easy to navigate, etc.). This oftentimes happens because many professors haven't been hands on in the arena in many a year and haven't kept up to current standards. As we all know, plenty has changed. I'd be careful when going to a student because ultimately you'll end up with student work in most cases.
Good process generally looks like this:
1. Survey Technical Factors - clearly define the goals of the job / technical needs and restraints
2. Sitemap - general hierarchy and page structure
3. Mood Board - pull visual elements, patterns, colors, photography and typeface choices that culminate into a look that can work for the job
4. Page Outline - define the elements and functionality present on each page
5. Wireframing - create a design agnostic layout / grid containing all of the page elements for each page
6. Design - "skin" the wireframe with the look that has been developing
7. Production - front-end and back-end, etc.
If you talk to someone who makes good looking sites and has this sort of approach in their back pocket, you'll have the kind of foundation you're looking for. Hopefully, the color palette won't go past 3-4 colors (black and white being two) and the typeface choice won't extend past 3-4 (bold and italics being two).
Slashdot Mirror
There are rules and conventions just like there are for any other discipline.
Here, here. You'd be surprised how many designers can forget that too.
As mentioned in other comments, your best bet is to go to a professional who has a decent portfolio and a defined process. I work with plenty of designers and teach a class in web design so I see the benefits almost daily. The process is the main focus of the work we do in either environment.
Schools often approach designing web pages in various ways and can miss many of the important elements that make a page work (grids, usability, easy to navigate, etc.). This oftentimes happens because many professors haven't been hands on in the arena in many a year and haven't kept up to current standards. As we all know, plenty has changed. I'd be careful when going to a student because ultimately you'll end up with student work in most cases.
Good process generally looks like this:
1. Survey Technical Factors - clearly define the goals of the job / technical needs and restraints
2. Sitemap - general hierarchy and page structure
3. Mood Board - pull visual elements, patterns, colors, photography and typeface choices that culminate into a look that can work for the job
4. Page Outline - define the elements and functionality present on each page
5. Wireframing - create a design agnostic layout / grid containing all of the page elements for each page
6. Design - "skin" the wireframe with the look that has been developing
7. Production - front-end and back-end, etc.
If you talk to someone who makes good looking sites and has this sort of approach in their back pocket, you'll have the kind of foundation you're looking for. Hopefully, the color palette won't go past 3-4 colors (black and white being two) and the typeface choice won't extend past 3-4 (bold and italics being two).