If you are running or considering starting an online business then your website design and content are key factors. Before you spend thousands on a Flash monstrosity come take a look at the underwhelming visuals of big name sites and why you may wish to go their route. In today’s line-up we have the following multi-billion dollar companies, all of which have no problems affording flashier graphics:

• Google
• Amazon.com
• e-Bay / PayPal
• Royal Bank of Canada (Canada’s Most Respected Corporation of 2005)

Wow, where is the flash? I’ve been mulling this simple look over and have come up with some key points that may answer the question.

1) Information Has Made a Major Comeback

For a while there the internet was trying very hard to be like the TV, and graphics often came before information, compatibility, and usability. However the intention of the original HTTP web was information based, and that’s how HTML was designed. This is what the web is returning to and for some companies it’s really paying off.

Google’s claim to fame is being able to intelligently deliver the content that people want. This technology extends to AdSense, which is making a fortune by displaying advertising that visitors are actually interested in. Amazon has a similiar story with their incredibly aggressive and effective delivery of personalized recommendations in various forms. They also have an associates program that capitalizes on the power of human beings recommending books that they have read, enjoyed, and wish to share with others. Both these companies are ultimately connecting visitors with products and services that they desire in a way that is a feature rather than nuisance.

A simple layout makes information easier to find and highlights it as the star of the show. More and more people familiar with the web know what they are looking for and are used to being able to find it easily. The graphics take a step into the background, working to provide a calm and pleasing experience, enhancing important information, but never trying to become the star of the show.

2) These Companies Realize People are Human

A slick design that makes you go “ooooh”, but which makes the information you are looking for difficult to find is for an art exhibit. If you are attempting to turn visitors into customers then content should (almost) never suffer for aesthetics. Web users give you a very short period of time during which your site either convinces them to stay or go elsewhere, so you better be easy to use and easy to understand.

Instead of focusing on creating complex graphical layouts, successful information-focused businesses are coming up with complex ways of making it easy for users to find the information that they want. Again, Amazon and Google are phenomenal examples.

3) Devices of Every Shape and Size Are Now Connected

It used to be that creating a mostly-compatible design meant designing for a minimum resoluton of whatever the current version of Windows came with. This is no longer the case, with alternative and widely different devices such as PDAs, cellphones, and televisions all connecting. Simplicity pays off in a big way for easy compatibility and a uniform browsing experience across all technology.

With so much of the world now using the net on so many different devices and in so many different configurations, leaving out a relatively small percentage of users can translates to large dollar figures.

4) A Certain Air of Legitimacy

This may be a controversial point, but I firmly believe that in some lines of business having a website that is too nice can cost credibility. Now that everyone can purchase a graphical template for $60 and have a site up, seeing masses of gradients can actually be a warning sign - just like a salesman that looks a little too slick. Again it comes down to context, but accounting and legal firms have long adopted a dull and professional look over colorful eye candy. There’s a lesson in that.

Get excited about simple design, but don’t forget the business basics - know your market!

Universal advice and universal truths are very rare. I have named some very successful companies that use simple layouts that put content at the centre of attention. Don’t read this article blindly and immediately revamp your looks. Each business and target market is unique, and for some products and demographics it makes perfect sense to be flashy. How boring would a hot new toy look if the website design consisted of a single image and tables with assorted pastel backgrounds? Put some thought into where your business fits and what strategy may work best for you!

These days having a great looking site can be as simple as purchasing a graphical template and customizing it to meet your needs. Never has it been so easy to have a slick looking website… just like everyone else. Brings you back to the old days of MS Publisher templates, where everything from brochures to invitations to paper airplanes could be made just by clicking through a wizard.

Before I start on my rant I would like to say that the intent of this post isn’t to dismiss templates as always being a bad idea. At the time of this writing this blog is using the default WordPress theme, and in the future I intend to find a great WordPress theme and customize it to meet my needs. That’s right - I’m using templates. What I would like to address instead is why you should avoid using templates on your company site, and points to consider if you do go this route.

Your Website: Your 24/7 Storefront

Websites are increasingly a major extension of your company’s storefront, or in the case of online businesses they are the only storefront. It is now typical for a consumer to search for a company’s website when looking for more information before picking up the phone. It is often the first impression that a consumer receives, and it damn well better be a good one. Would you keep your physical storefront or client meeting area a mess? Would you save costs by not hanging up a sign or forego a logo? Would you leave your walls and windows bare, or take the time to display your latest promotions and offerings? How many sales opportunities would you lose by taking the lazy and cheap way out?

These same considerations apply to your website. Many modern marketing books make the point that your website is your 24/7 salesperson. Every visitor that comes to your website is a potential new client, and no brick-and-mortar storefront can ever approach the cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and ease of administration that an online front can. You want to make the best possible use of this tremendously powerful technology and to maximize the new business and ultimately the new revenue streams that your website opens up.

The Template Look and Feel

If you haven’t browsed through templates already, go ahead and do a Google search. After browsing through as little as 20 “typical” templates, you begin to notice a few things. The typical template recipe is as follows:

• Find a generic image tied to your template theme (computer hardware, coastlines, mobile phones, etc) to build template around.
• Add excessive gradients.
• Animations, Flash, and sounds are all a bonus.
• Create a flashy layout.
• Sell for $60.

As with everything in life there are exceptions. However this is the overwhelming majority and with good reason. People are buying these by the droves. After all, who wouldn’t want a “modern high tech” site with all the bells and whistles?

So What’s the Problem?

Designs that are made using a single recipe are ultimately all the same. Sure the layout is different, the images are different, but once you’ve seen a few templates it is very easy to tell who is using them. That generic flash animation, the soft gradients on absolutely every layout item, that “slick” omni-corporate look, the template is often easy easy to spot.

“Coincidentally” the industries with the least barriers to entry are the most susceptible to template sites. Take web hosting for example. There are now millions of me-too hosting companies out there slashing prices and offering insane resources in order to secure your business. How many of them are basement operations? It turns out web hosting also has an incredibly high proliferation of template websites. So many that template vendors have a separate “web hosting” category!

At the end of the day do you want to look different and be memorable or look like everyone else? How easily recognizable is your business if it uses the same stock photography and Flash sound effect as 20 other sites?

When Templates Are Great

If you browsed through website templates a few may have caught your eye. There is some fantastic graphical work out there, and once in a while it is possible to come across a design that speaks “this is for me!”. In that case if you don’t mind the possibility of your customers encountering a competitor with the same design, or if you are willing to buy exclusive rights at rates that could get you custom work, then it may be the answer for a tight budget or deadline.

The real areas where templates are great are when they act like templates. Take web forums for example. It’s hard to find the time or talent to come up with an entirely unique theme for a forum that actually looks good. It’s much more efficient to find a template with a user interface style that fits and then customize the major graphics to meet your needs. Blogs are great candidates too, especially since they are meant to be easy to use.

Leaving the Dark Side

Ultimately your website is a reflection of you and your business. Regardless of application, nothing will ever beat having that unique and recognizable look that comes from being your own design. It shows time and attention was put into your site and that you are serious about what you do.

You don’t need to listen to me and take my word for it though. Just have a look around and see how many successful sites have their own look and how many template sites are mediocre. Then decide which category you intend to fit into.