Simple design vs. "Standard design"

TheGodfather · 12-17-2009, 10:54 AM

Hello fellow warriors,

I am working on a web site lately doing all the coding and stuff... and although I'm good at designing my own site I'd like to hear a second opinion on this dilemma:

I want my future costumers to be distracted as less as possible while they are using my site, this is why i have decided to make a simple design that is easy to use for all those that are not that computer savvy and that need to focus their attention to the tasks at hand.

So my question is: will the overall "popularity" of my site be determined by the design itself or not. I'm mainly asking simply because the site gumtree has a fairly simple design and yet they make cash with their site....

So what is your position on this topic?

Richard Whyte · 12-17-2009, 12:22 PM

Hello

To keep it simple and too the point....

Content is King...

Sure it is nice to have a flashy graphic interface, but it is the words that sell everything..... So, depending on your market, I would suggest that alwasy go for content first and then see how it goes.

Hosting is so cheap these days that you may want to run a mirror site.... Meaning try one with no flash, just content and the other with lots of flash and see which does better for you..... You can get both groups this way..

Have a Great Day!

TheGodfather · 12-17-2009, 12:24 PM

yes that's a great point... thanks for the insight... ma head is so crammed up with info right now that i didn't think of that one...

Aronya · 12-17-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

So my question is: will the overall "popularity" of my site be determined by the design itself or not.

In a word, Google.
They became wildly successful because the site worked better than the competition's, and not because of marketing or flashy design or anything else.

If your market is not-so-computer-savvy people, then the simpler the better.

krazysarah · 12-17-2009, 01:34 PM

The instructional design and content writing in any website is always the first and foremost thing that increases overall website popularity and ranking. There is nothing called standard,simple or fancy design. Its all the technique and the principle of instructional design that holds good. Easing user interactivity,limiting numbers of internal links clicks and providing large set of information on web page is an art. Logically arranging,categorizing and placing user personalised information plays a pivotal role of any website success.
The top banner,footer and menu placement decides the area of information that can placed in content panel. The wrong sizing of any of this will hamper overall webpage look and feel.

TheGodfather · 12-17-2009, 01:50 PM

the main thing is that less is more... especially in this case... I don't want the users to be distracted by any flashy effects, any banners that "demand" attention or any other type of animation that catches the eye... although several Google ads won't hurt since they will be text based... and mostly used in the article section...

jjreview · 03-19-2010, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aronya

In a word, Google.
They became wildly successful because the site worked better than the competition's, and not because of marketing or flashy design or anything else.

If your market is not-so-computer-savvy people, then the simpler the better.

Agreed. And I agree with the "Content is King" guy. Because Google will also uprank (is that a word?) sites that I click on.

So when possible use content. Guys like me who are looking for very particular results will find you, even on page 10, and click on your link. I only go to results on the first page when I don't know what I'm looking for...

Orlando Web Design · 03-20-2010, 11:37 AM

Websites are marketing models that so many people misuse. You need to have a nice balance between looks and content.

When designing, I think from a consumer perspective. If I'm building a corporate site selling corporate products, I'm going to put of a lot of emphasis on the way the site looks. I want the site to look professional as people that are paying for services want to know the company they are giving their hard earned cash to is reputable. There are so many internet scams out there, consumers are extremely wary. That is why most of the affiliate market sites sell small amounts of products / downloads.

It sill amazes me that some websites convert as the pages look so scam orientated. It would be very interesting to get "real" numbers about what percentage of websites actually make money. Doubt we will ever get these numbers as people aren't too honest about how their websites are "really" doing.

Yes, sometimes more is less if it's done in the right way. Each project should be looked upon case by case.

12-17-2009, 10:54 AM	#1
TheGodfather HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 371 Thanks: 52 Thanked 21 Times in 13 Posts	Simple design vs. "Standard design" Hello fellow warriors, I am working on a web site lately doing all the coding and stuff... and although I'm good at designing my own site I'd like to hear a second opinion on this dilemma: I want my future costumers to be distracted as less as possible while they are using my site, this is why i have decided to make a simple design that is easy to use for all those that are not that computer savvy and that need to focus their attention to the tasks at hand. So my question is: will the overall "popularity" of my site be determined by the design itself or not. I'm mainly asking simply because the site gumtree has a fairly simple design and yet they make cash with their site.... So what is your position on this topic?
	TheGodfather Perception is reality

12-17-2009, 12:22 PM	#2
Richard Whyte HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 319 Thanks: 12 Thanked 51 Times in 44 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Simple design vs. "Standard design" Hello To keep it simple and too the point.... Content is King... Sure it is nice to have a flashy graphic interface, but it is the words that sell everything..... So, depending on your market, I would suggest that alwasy go for content first and then see how it goes. Hosting is so cheap these days that you may want to run a mirror site.... Meaning try one with no flash, just content and the other with lots of flash and see which does better for you..... You can get both groups this way.. Have a Great Day!
	Richard Whyte - Website Design, Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing - WebYabber.com, Read my Blog - richard-whyte.com, Easy Sales Page Creator - Power Sales Page Creator

12-17-2009, 12:24 PM	#3
TheGodfather HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 371 Thanks: 52 Thanked 21 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Simple design vs. "Standard design" yes that's a great point... thanks for the insight... ma head is so crammed up with info right now that i didn't think of that one...
	TheGodfather Perception is reality

12-17-2009, 01:34 PM	#5
krazysarah Warrior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: America Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Simple design vs. "Standard design" The instructional design and content writing in any website is always the first and foremost thing that increases overall website popularity and ranking. There is nothing called standard,simple or fancy design. Its all the technique and the principle of instructional design that holds good. Easing user interactivity,limiting numbers of internal links clicks and providing large set of information on web page is an art. Logically arranging,categorizing and placing user personalised information plays a pivotal role of any website success. The top banner,footer and menu placement decides the area of information that can placed in content panel. The wrong sizing of any of this will hamper overall webpage look and feel.

12-17-2009, 01:50 PM	#6
TheGodfather HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 371 Thanks: 52 Thanked 21 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Simple design vs. "Standard design" the main thing is that less is more... especially in this case... I don't want the users to be distracted by any flashy effects, any banners that "demand" attention or any other type of animation that catches the eye... although several Google ads won't hurt since they will be text based... and mostly used in the article section...
	TheGodfather Perception is reality

03-20-2010, 11:37 AM	#8
Orlando Web Design Laurence Samuels War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Orlando, FL - USA Posts: 357 Thanks: 63 Thanked 44 Times in 41 Posts Contact Info	Re: Simple design vs. "Standard design" Websites are marketing models that so many people misuse. You need to have a nice balance between looks and content. When designing, I think from a consumer perspective. If I'm building a corporate site selling corporate products, I'm going to put of a lot of emphasis on the way the site looks. I want the site to look professional as people that are paying for services want to know the company they are giving their hard earned cash to is reputable. There are so many internet scams out there, consumers are extremely wary. That is why most of the affiliate market sites sell small amounts of products / downloads. It sill amazes me that some websites convert as the pages look so scam orientated. It would be very interesting to get "real" numbers about what percentage of websites actually make money. Doubt we will ever get these numbers as people aren't too honest about how their websites are "really" doing. Yes, sometimes more is less if it's done in the right way. Each project should be looked upon case by case.
	Orlando Web Design: This 'aint your typical web co. Tax Deed Foreclosures : Build $1 million of real estate wealth. I will show you how Relationship Stories: Avoid the Altar.com-A million reasons to avoid marriage Snowshoe Rentals - acne wash - acnefree