The idea of putting together a user friendly http://www.thinkempowered.com website is a many faceted one and it is highly important that newbies realize that ahead of time. If you want to get fancy and employ methods like the Taguchi Multivariate testing, etc you can. But it's best to start simple and small and then work your way up. The reason for this is you need to find the knowledge and then learn it. Once you do that, then you start at the beginning with making the easiest changes.
Quite a lot of research has been done that proves navigation ought to only be in one of two places. You'll want to have it either across the top just under the header graphic.
Otherwise, it goes in your left column or down the left hand side. What you want to avoid is placing it on the right hand column. So you can have either a two column Empower Network site or a three column. If you create a three column Empower Network website, though, you need to make the lefthand column your primary navigational area. You can leave the right hand side for other things. For instance, you might want to publish ads, other kinds of creatives or whatever special offers you might want to offer to buyers. This is the layout that has been shown to the most effective.
It's understandable to want your Empower Network site to look good, but don't obsess over it as there are more important concerns. What you're going for is something that is not distracting in any way. How you set up the overall structure with various elements is actually more important. But you need to understand the people in your demographics so you will have a better idea of what matters most to them. Don't even focus on making sure your design is as fancy as it can be, but you'll need to have color coordination that works, rather than clashes.
You should have noticed by now that all major sites are making strong use of various images in content. If you understand how to select the best ones, then you'll be able to keep people engaged. Be smart about how you format and display all your images so they look as professional as possible. Don't forget why you're using digital images, and it's because they add to the content plus help to hook the readers in more. And never use a picture that fails to complement your copy in some positive way.
Avoid thinking about optimizing for user friendliness in universal terms even though the concepts tend to be that way. Changes are often made depending on the audiences that visit your Empower Network website. There are exceptions to every rule and so it is possible that, every so often, you will be able to get away with a few things that other people cannot.