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Four Years Later not a thing seems out of place: reading excerpt from Brand leadership on guidelines for using the web to build strong brands:
One: Create a Positive Experience A Web site should deliver a positive site experience by having three basic characteristics. First, it should be easy to use; the visitor should not get confused or frustrated. It should meet expectations with respect to the information it contains and the activities that it supports. Second, it should have a reason to be visited. It needs to offer value in terms of information, a transaction, entertainment, or a social experience. Without motivation to visit, bookmark, and revisit, the site will not be worthwhile. To the extent that the site can offer real substance, it can actually augment the brand by providing an enhanced level of functional, emotional, or self-expressive benefits. Third, it should exploit the unique characteristics of the Web. In particular, it should strive to be involving and interactive (e.g., the Pepsi site), personalized, (e.g., the Amazon site), and timely (e.g., the CNN site).
Another Aaker on our side of the Bay also focuses on brand. Jennifer Aaker, professer here at GSB did a great presentation a few months ago on how the design of a website can influence users' perception/expectation of reliability and trust.