If you are charged with designing youth websites, there are several things to bear in mind if you would like to make these designs successful in general. To begin, it should be noted that youth websites can be directed to any of a number of different demographics. For instance, are the youth websites you are charged with directed at an elementary school demographic? Perhaps the middle and high school demographic? Once you have a solid idea of the particular age group or groups you are designing for, you can then incorporate some solid ideas for success.
First of all, for youth websites directed towards very young kids, bright colors are almost always a winner. That can be a great hook to draw them into the content of the website, which should be easy to navigate and understand. Make sure that all of the content in your site is fairly G-rated in nature, and your youth websites for young kids should have a fairly solid foundation.
For youth websites directed towards older kids and teens, a bit of an edgier vibe is necessary to grab and hold the attention of most people in this demographic. There are certain themes that tend to repeat themselves in this age group, so aiming your content towards these shared experiences is a great way to keep your youth websites for this group popular for quite some time to come. Make sure that any youth websites that are designed for this demographic refrain from hokey or condescending content, and the foundation for this type of site should be quite strong, as well.
In general, youth websites should try to speak to the group in question at a level they can understand, without being patronizing. If you can strike a balance between relatable content and excellent graphic design, your site should be a perennial favorite!