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In this paper we describe an original model for evaluating and designing the quality of web sites. The model, called 2QCV3Q, has been developed using classic rhetorical principles and can be used to single out elements which, when suitably combined, permit evaluation of the quality of a web site and provide suggestions for improvements. Symmetrically, the model provides guidelines for the design of a site and allows identification and classification of the owners’ and users’ requirements. During the two years since development of the 2QCV3Q model, we have applied the model to sites of various kinds, in sectors from tourism to education and the banking sector. The results of these applications highlight the flexibility of the model, which can be used as a framework for the analysis and evaluation of web sites independently of their goals and domain. The first step in the application of the model is its customization in order to take account of the goals of the site’s owner and the needs of users. For evaluation we used support tools which yielded data for analysis of some of the model’s given attributes. In accordance with out predictions, the level of support was higher for items of the 2QCV3Q closely tied to syntactic aspects and less dependent on contents. To exemplify the application of the model and to illustrate its characteristics we present two different applications, relative to university sites and a ski consortium.