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It’s been an ongoing debate for years. Does design really matter? Specifically, will a nice professional website design make a difference for your business?

I’ve been wanting to write a post about this for so long, I couldn’t remember if I actually did or didn’t and had to search through our archives just to check. Turns out, I did! Back in March 2006. Woo, how time flies! I find it funny and yet kind of sad that this is still such a hot topic. But, now I want to expand more on my earlier thoughts.

First of all, a lot of popular websites are pretty darn ugly. Google, MySpace, Craigslist, anyone? They’re not the worst designs ever. They’re functional and useful.  But, let’s be honest. They’re no Mona Lisas either.

I still agree with Andy Rutledge on this one, even more than 3 years later. These sites are successful despite their ugly designs, not because of them.

Nathan Bowers has a different viewpoint about it in his blog posts Web Design is Dead and Web design is dead (part II). I think his general point that the design should be based upon user expectations is a good one. The part I’m not quite in agreement with is that visitors to community sites want them to have a “mi casa es su casa” type of feel.

That mostly depends on the type of community you have, in my opinion. A community site focused on electronic music should look a lot different than a crafting community site, for example. So, maybe it does center around user expectations, as he says.

I’m getting off track though.

Here’s my general theory. I think most of the websites that are typically used as successful examples of ugly design we launched before the “change”. This change I’m referring to seems to me to have really taken place just the last few years or so. Some people call it web 2.0, but I hate that term because it conjures up bright colors and big glassy buttons and that’s not at all what I’m referring to.

I’ll explain.

When we started doing web design professionally in 2003, I remember distinctly that there just weren’t that many good web designs out there. Every once in awhile you’d come across a nice one, but those sites were few and far between. Now that css galleries and other showcase galleries have been around for a few years, the bar has really been raised. I mean, some of these galleries add 5 or more designs to their gallery per day. I’m not saying they’re all great or even effective designs for that matter, but that’s quite a lot if you think about it.

There is also a lot more knowledge out there to be had about good design practices and most web designers have finally caught on to css. The web is a very different place than it was 4 or even 2 years ago.

If there was another Amazon that started right now that looked like Amazon did a few years ago, do you think it’d be just as successful? I’m not so sure myself. I mean, people know Amazon and trust it, but it was one of the first guys if not the first guy on the scene. People have had plenty of time to learn how to use it.

My point is, if your site is going to have a mediocre design, your site itself had better be pretty darn good. It needs to do big things and mean big things to a lot of people. Steve Pavlina‘s site gets a pass because, well, he’s Steve Pavlina. That doesn’t mean you get a free pass too. Your website design makes a distinct first impression about your business, good or bad.

Would you go meet a prospective client in person wearing torn jeans and a t-shirt? Maybe if you’re a tattoo artist or rock musician. Otherwise, no pass.

People often fail to realize how important credibility is any time you are presenting your business in whichever media or atmosphere you are doing it in. A good web design helps push you to the next level. Even better if it’s unique and stands on it’s own.

I am a web designer by profession. I design to the best of my ability and experience on everything I work on. That’s not why I’m saying this though.

I’m saying this because it matters to me and it should to you too. Design still matters.

Don’t believe me? Check out some of these resources:

• Visitors form first impressions of website in as little as 1/20th of a second. - Notice the use of the words “credibility” and “buying decisions”.
• The Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility - See point #6 “Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).”
• “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell - Why first impressions are so important.

What do you think? Does design still matter or should all of us web designers quit griping about the sad state of things already?