Do surfers actually care about nice site design?
 

Do you think the average surfer just wanting to have a five knuckle shuffle care about how flash your site looks? Basically do 'ugly' sites sell as well pretty ones.

I know its all down to the content but does the surfer think about how nice the site looks when considering getting his credit card out?

I'ts not about the site being ugly or not, it's about ease of use and navigation. Those things are very important.

Its all about content

no they dont just put a "sign up here" on a blank page for a month and youll notice the increase in sales :)

Not a bit! Content is king!

Ease of use, Navigation, Quality Content, Believability.

Simple websites seem to work well, but not 'ugly'. A lot of webmasters try to create a piece of art rather then focusing on the basics of marketing.

If you are buying traffic to your website then its best not to have tuns of links off your site...

Cheers for the replies guys.

Yes, they DO care about design.

Exactly.

:2 cents:

:thumbsup:thumbsup

a nice design grabs the surfers attention for shure :2 cents:

agreed! :thumbsup ... plus the combination of ease on navigation and quality content! that's make a lot of sales... :2 cents:

it is not important to be something fancy, but it is a bonus, as a easy navigation and quality content

I think your surfers rather care about quality of content and navigation than the design itself. A lot of plain looking sites work really well

They don't jerk off to the design that's for sure.

Design is important to surfers, but not nearly as important as content, speed and easy navigation.

I think the affiliates are more interested in design than the end user. It shows the potential affiliate that you are a professional company, thus resulting in more affiliate sign-ups, which in turn results in more traffic and revenue, so that (in my opinion) is where design really IS important.

You can have a meaningless product (like the Chia Pet for example), but with proper packaging and marketing it can turn a profit. The old "judge a book by its cover" concept.

Again, just my 2 cents...

Blacksonblondes used to have the "worst" design of all paysites and they dominated the single website market with that design.

Content is king, but never under estimate a first impression. It can help seal the deal.

I would say it plays a part. If a site looks shity, might not instil much confidence in the surfer. Meaning that if it looks shady, it might be shady kind of mentality.

If a site is put together so it looks good and functions properly, it will do better.

When it comes down to it really though, ugly nasty broads don't pull in the money that good looking girls do. So content rules all.

What most people think of as great designs usually = slow pages = less sales.

I always belived that a guy with his dick out aint thinkin about the cool text effects but design plays a role, especially the navigational flow of a site is critical.

Id be curius to see a site soley focused on content with zero design principals whatsoever...white background, 12 point times new roman font and a join button. Ill bet it does as good as a high end design with the same content.

personally i think it is both .. design gets them questioning if it is worth that second click into what the content via trailers looks like .. if the second click was easy to find and worked quickly they're happier .. then they glance at the content .. a full package will get them to pull the card .. like when you see 2 girls together .. you usually choose the better looking one to look at .. if she is in a short skirt and tiny top .. you know you have quick access ..2 of 3 strikes down .. knowing full well they probably both have vagina's

I find a lot of the new young surfers do want a good design. Personally with me i want something that looks good and is easy to navigate. The young surfers, college students have been making websites since they were 13 they want something that catches there eye and doesn't look like something they could put together. You have to adapt to your new market and the young market that is coming up wants something that catches there eye.

Sometimes a good design just enhances the quality of content. Using design tricks to draw attention to certain areas of the site, creating a nice flow. Gives a better user experience and can help with ad clicks.

Quoted for truth.

Avoid offering clutter and crap, cause no "confusion"...
The way to the join should be short & simple - it's actually not good just for us, but in many ways for the surfer too.

all depends on the kind of site...

:thumbsup

And I'll add a nice design = a successful sales presentation

Not something that has all the bells and whistles that nobody hears

Nice and simple to use = :thumbsup

I think it is about 80% content, 20% design.

average client doesn't think a lot about the design of the site, but client who above average like VIP client he needs nice design, easy clear navigation and of course quality of content

affiliate care more about nice site design than surfers do....

Simplicity is the key.
Keep it simple, easy read, easy to navigate and you cant go wrong.

Just to echo the others.....simplicity is most important thing. The site also needs to convey some sense of professionalism though (not necessarily meaning a flashy design though), in order to instill confidence before the surfer whips out his CC.

:thumbsup they don't care

http://annabellecrush.com

simple

Thehun has done fine for a number of years without concern for glitz & glamour..

A clean design + ease of navigation + art of marketing!

Content helps in keeping memberships active.