Website beauticians!

by mjbmedia

Posted: 12 years ago 18 replies

OFFLINE MARKETING

Jeez what is it with people,

web designers, oh the site looks crap, it's ugly, I can make a beautiful looking site, whoopee doo.

WTF

Go open a beauty parlour.

Whilst beautiful people might just be able to get away with beauty on the surface and emptiness inside (and that's just a reflection of how shallow 'we' are getting in the world), a website can not get away with looking great on the surface but not creating engagement, new leads /sales at some point down the line.

Any of you website beauticians looked at Google.com recently, ain't it pretty, I'm sure you'd all be proud of the design, the colours, the layout, jeez you could sit there admiring it for hours, stunning right!

Hey guess what, it works!! it makes them money, shed loads of money, the beauty is happening where you can not see.

So next time you do a 'beautiful' web design critique, who gives a damn, does it work, does it engage, does it create leads/sales, does it do it's job?

I sit with clients/prospects and they may show me example designs from other people and I say great how will that work, how many leads will that bring in for you, how will that give you a great ROI ? Often those basic questions are met with silence , they have been duped into focussing on the looks and layout of the site, not the effectiveness of it doing what it's needed to do, are they really paying for a pretty looking site or paying for new clients to be creating in some of many ways?

Come on , stop ripping these naïve business owners off.

#beauticians #website

ewenmack

12 years ago

Not only is this site ugly, it's a major distraction with sight,
sound and all the movement plus slow loading.

CAR LEASING CHEAP LEASE CARS SALES CAR LEASING CHEAP BUSINESS HIRE DEALS

Yet in 2008 this crazy oriental chick did 38 million Pounds Sterling.

Granted, she has had newspaper and tv exposure.

Maybe being crazy is the secret?

Best,
Ewen

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Nail Yener

12 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

Not only is this site ugly, it's a major distraction with sight,
sound and all the movement plus slow loading.

CAR LEASING CHEAP LEASE CARS SALES CAR LEASING CHEAP BUSINESS HIRE DEALS

I couldn't believe what I just saw. It will take some time to clear that website image from my mind

Thanks

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Mystery777 12 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

CAR LEASING CHEAP LEASE CARS SALES CAR LEASING CHEAP BUSINESS HIRE DEALS

No way... just no way.. What's wrong with humanity?!

.
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- mjbmedia 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Mystery777
  
  No way... just no way.. What's wrong with humanity?!
  
  .
  
  OK I know you're being joking, but this is my point, this site works, I know Ling, shes rolling it in and was before Dragons Den , of course the TV etc helped loads too, but the site was like this before then , but what designer in all honesty would have put that forward as their example? Nobody, yet it works. and is not beautiful at all unless you're on crystal meth! , but it converts and makes profit.
  
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  Mystery777 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by mjbmedia
  
  Nobody, yet it works. and is not beautiful at all unless you're on crystal meth! , but it converts and makes profit.
  
  You sure about that? That the success she's having is because that site converts? I doubt it. There are many other possibilities behind her achievement.
  
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  iAmNameLess 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Mystery777
  
  You sure about that? That the success she's having is because that site converts? I doubt it. There are many other possibilities behind her achievement.
  
  I agree with you. The website isn't exactly meant to convert in my opinion, though I bet it does have some decent conversions. The website has generated other press and marketing because it's so bad. Along with a crazy amount of backlinks.
  
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  jimbo13 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Mystery777
  
  You sure about that? That the success she's having is because that site converts? I doubt it. There are many other possibilities behind her achievement.
  
  Correct.
  
  Originally Posted by iAmNameLess
  
  I agree with you. The website isn't exactly meant to convert in my opinion, though I bet it does have some decent conversions.
  
  Correct.
  
  Originally Posted by ewenmack
  
  Yet in 2008 this crazy oriental chick did 38 million Pounds Sterling.
  
  You are incorrect. She has not done £38 million at all. She leased out that value in cars which is not the same thing.
  
  She could have 2000 £20000 value vehicles sitting in a Northern wasteland of a car lot and only leased out each one for one day for all you know.
  
  Originally Posted by mjbmedia
  
  I know Ling, shes rolling it in and was before Dragons Den.
  
  No she wasn't and still isn't. That is why she went on the programme to ask for money. She made £30k net profit on the £38 million of leased cars.
  
  And that was 5 years after the company started and after she had been on Dragons Den.
  
  Accounts are filed with CH in London like all Ltds.
  
  Web Conversion is less than 1%. Her words: 100 sales a month from web from 1 million annual views.
  
  That is 0.12% which considering the majority of views were from people actually wanting to lease a car tells you what?
  
  So whilst your OP is along the right lines this lump of crap is an awful example apart from the be different and inject some personality into what you do.
  
  Dan
  
  PS: I know you did not bring this up.
  
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  savidge4 12 years ago
  
  I always find this topic of interest. Ideally as a designer I sell sites to make the client money. That is my job. But I understand the asthetic nature of most if not all clients ( to an extent ) I can with confidence say "if not all" because anyone that knows "ugly" works, is usually building their own.
  
  I ALWAYS make it very clear that Form Follow Function. I honestly think that designers that know how to make clients money is a rare breed. With WordPress running around everyone thinks they can go out and sell $400.00 websites all day long. And unfortunately they usually do.
  
  So speaking from my own experience. I am now trying to close a client that paid $400.00 for the site and is paying $80.00 a month for the site, and I am basically trying to sell a $2000.00 upgrade. Its not an easy sale!
  
  So then you have to get in there and break down how the current site is failing. ( pain points ) Why and how I would fix it. ( I usually don't hide much here. No reason to really, if the existing web person knew how to do this they already would have. ) I start migrating the communication from a $2000.00 purchase to a $2000.00 Investment, and any time the existing sites expense is brought up, that is the price for the learning experience.
  
  Its a process, to win clients over. Its a process for them to see that the function of the site is far more important. There is a reason this should be here, and this there.
  
  By the end of the road however, If you have listened to your clients "wants" and developed all of the "NEEDS" You should have a clean Functioning site, that in the clients eyes has good looking FORM. It will only look better when the conversion rate doubles and triples if not more!
  
  I believe it is MY JOB to create good looking custom tailored sites that just so happen to convert. It really does not matter if your squeeze page is wrapped with a nice dark blue wrapper or a nice pleasing light green. It really comes down to the words on the page, and the arrows pointing to the call to action!
  
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  mjbmedia 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Mystery777
  
  You sure about that? That the success she's having is because that site converts? I doubt it. There are many other possibilities behind her achievement.
  
  yeh youre probably right there mate to be fair
  
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Rus Sells 12 years ago

I think part of the problem is that small business owners have in their minds eye what they want their site to look like and then mistakenly think that's what those who are visiting their site wants.

Many times the two don't work together.

I do believe that good design is a part of the function and that good design compliments the copy as well. I think you need a great combination of both, not just one or the other.

Ling's site is obviously a huge exception to the rule and she's created a brand that's crazy and the people who lover her are probably just as weird and crazy as she is. haha
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iAmNameLess

12 years ago

I agree with you to a point, but we have to keep in mind not all web design projects are created equally.

What problem does a redesign solve? What is the purpose of the website? Is the purpose of the website to drive leads, or to assist in the sales process? Is the website in existence just for ego? Does the website exist for internal purposes? There are different reasons for having a website, that doesn't involve lead generation or really even outside user experience.

Most of the ones we do, are for lead generation purposes... but I do enjoy the occasional ego boosting beautifully designed website that takes a bit longer to load. LOL. Really though, I think the most important thing is to build a website to convert traffic. That doesn't mean that design needs to be sacrificed.

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mjbmedia

12 years ago

Originally Posted by iAmNameLess

yeh but Ian? (I think that's your name ) you are one of the exceptions and I know you are, you will ask those questions genuinely. many clients I speak to haven't previously been asked the types of questions you raise in paragraph two of your reply and that really doesn't surprise me.

Regarding design of course look etc is important, first impressions etc, Im on about where the designer/client is focussed seemingly totally on the look and disregard the actual functionality, what action the user should be led to do depending on where they came in/ from etc etc , the overall strategy of the website , they transfix on the look and prettiness of it and begin to judge the buying decision on that because 5 out of 6 of the people who spoke with them also focussed on that, luckily they can and do get changed.

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Mystery777 12 years ago

Originally Posted by mjbmedia

Come on , stop ripping these naïve business owners off.

We're not ripping them off. Sometimes they *do* actually look for only a beautiful site. Nothing else. No matter how much you explain.

I've done sites that I'm embarrassed to include in my portfolio, due to the numerous re-design tweaks requested by the clients, ending up turning them into complete piles of **** to be honest. Yet, clients couldn't have been much happier! -_-'' Go figure.

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akazo

12 years ago

I'm going to agree to a point as well. But there is a difference between a local welder having a "Disney" site and having something that is professional.

In fact a BrightLocal study showed that 75 percent of consumers will base their opinion of a local business on its website.

66% feel that a nice clean professional website gives a local business more credibility.
9% of those surveyed would refuse to do business with a business that had a bad or ugly website.

But without examples of what you consider ugly but functional, it is all theoretical and moot.

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ewenmack

12 years ago

Originally Posted by akazo

In fact a BrightLocal study showed that 75 percent of consumers will base their opinion of a local business on its website.

66% feel that a nice clean professional website gives a local business more credibility.
9% of those surveyed would refuse to do business with a business that had a bad or ugly website.

There's a gaping void between what people say they will do and prefer,
to what they actually do and pay for.

Surveys are an example of people saying what seems the right thing
to say.

We've been in business long enough to recognize people saying they will buy, will pay, but don't...same with surveys.

Best,
Ewen

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quick_silver 12 years ago

I like really your post, and to add, design, usuability, and SEO should all overlap when building a website.
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dave147 12 years ago

That's just a part of the web design business isn't it?. It doesn't matter how well the original converts, a web designer will still pitch a "beautiful re-design" it's part of that business, and most will focus on leads and conversion too.
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bizgrower 12 years ago

A lot depends on the back ground and training of the website designer.
I knew an artist who spent a lot of money to learn web design at
an art school - like the Art Institute. Her assignments were to learn
to do pretty. Such as a Flash design of a functioning aquarium.

I know of another web designer who was very much a business person.
He would study a businesses' finances for as long as a month and then
build accordingly. In one instance he redesigned from pretty to something
that looked like an order form. It was for a business that sold auto parts
for classic cars and hot rods. Customers were mechanics who wanted to
find parts and order as fast as possible to get back to turning wrenches.
Sales increased tenfold.

The original website was the standard 'Home' 'About' ... that most business
owners are familiar with.

Which brings up another point. You have to convince the client to go from
the site they think they want to the site they need. Maybe a site that gets
new business and a site for existing customers?
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Website beauticians!

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