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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    972
    If you're browsing for a new host, do you care about the design of the site you're looking at? Would you be put off a host if their site was poorly designed and ugly?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Fairborn, ohio
    Posts
    923
    I won't get too into the psychology of sales (for example, I own a food place in a mall, and supposedly, reds/oranges/and blues make people want food more), but of course it matters. Nobody wants to look at something that's not enjoyable to see. There are exceptions though. If the ugly site offers the same thing for $4 with a better review history from customers than the pretty site that charges $25 for the exact same stats, then of course I might stay on the ugly site a bit longer.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Here Today - Gone to Maui
    Posts
    9,966
    I won't get too into the psychology of sales (for example, I own a food place in a mall, and supposedly, reds/oranges/and blues make people want food more), but of course it matters. Nobody wants to look at something that's not enjoyable to see. There are exceptions though. If the ugly site offers the same thing for $4 with a better review history from customers than the pretty site that charges $25 for the exact same stats, then of course I might stay on the ugly site a bit longer.
    Same take here (for example, I own a salon in a professional building with lots of colors in a tropical theme - does it help with walk-ins? Absolutely!). In a marketing sense, content is generally 60 percent of the value though. On a website, your challenge is to get prospects to read your content! If I happen upon a website that's difficult to read - small type in light colors blended into the background - I move on immediately.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    3,490
    As a web hosting consumer, I am definitely very sensitive to the design of a web host's (or any company for that matter) site. The way I see it is this: if they don't put any effort into the design or functionality of their site, what are the chances of them putting forth effort in customer service or another important aspect of the company? The company website is the first thing a potential new customer sees, so it should make a good impression. If a site is sloppy, it makes the company seem unprofessional.
    Sure, there are great services with crappy sites and crappy services with great sites. But why take the risk of being labeled crappy before anyone even tries your services?

  5. #5
    I am actually the type of person who would pay more for a company with a better looking website. I believe it is more professional and since your whole business is based off of your website, I feel it is a must. You don't want your customer to get a bad impression from one of the first things they see. It can easily attract customers or... make them go elsewhere.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Fairborn, ohio
    Posts
    923
    Sure, there are great services with crappy sites and crappy services with great sites. But why take the risk of being labeled crappy before anyone even tries your services?
    Very well put.

  7. #7
    Ecotours Guest
    The sites that all use the same template turn me off for some reason. If a company is going to be better or different than the rest it needs to look different than the rest (IMO).

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    671
    It has to be professional.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    2,222
    I am actually the type of person who would pay more for a company with a better looking website. I believe it is more professional and since your whole business is based off of your website, I feel it is a must. You don't want your customer to get a bad impression from one of the first things they see. It can easily attract customers or... make them go elsewhere.
    What gives me a good impression is a website where I can find what I'm looking for.
    If the website doesn't make me confident I will find it, I just quit it and look somehere else - it's not as if there is any shortage of suppliers ready to take my money.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    EU - east side
    Posts
    21,920
    I try not to judge the hosting service by the site's design, first of all because "ugly" is very much a matter of personal taste. I may simply have different likes and dislikes than the hosting company's owner/designer.
    But, as much as I try, I'm sure I still am influenced by looks. You can't fight your instinct and win 100% of the time.

  11. #11
    PlexxStudio Guest
    Yes ugly and poorly made sites are definitely a turn off, but then again pretty sites can still be poorly made, in terms of content arrangement and navigation. If a site look really good but I can hardly find what I'm looking for, then I'll move on. A site should have as much as the info as you would need displayed in an organized and eye-catching fashion!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    829
    One big thing in hosting is information. "call for pricing" is bad. Make sure pricing and plan info is on the site.
    I seen lot of dedicated/colocation providers not provide price and require to call because they don't want to code a section to add their plans. I skip right over such hosts and move on.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,052
    My personal opinion, a companies website shows how they dress.
    If you were a judge in a court of law, two men walk in: one wearing jeans and a oiled down shirt, and one in a highly professional business suit. Who are you more likely to believe and listen to?
    There are those rare cases though, so just be careful in choosing a company.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    San Francisco
    Posts
    7,325
    It may not be required to succeed, but it absolutely doesn't hurt to have a great looking design. In such a tight market, you want to have every possible edge.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    637
    I'd be VERY inclined to sign up with a host having a clean (valid xhtml and non flash based) website design and has useful info within my 2 seconds glance.
    You can tell a lot about the host owner from the design of their main page.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Houston, Texas, USA
    Posts
    3,262
    Interesting discussion. A blend of functional design and good looks is key. But we all know that beauty is subjective.
    Best

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    323
    I like a site that presents the offers in a no nonsense manner. If they have a lot of flash I assume they are trying to impress the newbie.
    Ugly doesn't bother me if the facts are easy to find. There is a certain type of "cookie cutter" site that screams new low budget reseller using a template that causes me to pause.
    I'd be VERY inclined to sign up with a host having a clean (valid xhtml
    And just to yank Zsev's chain; how many of you validate a site before you consider using it. Though he and I are saying the same thing about flash.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    647
    If you were a judge in a court of law, two men walk in: one wearing jeans and a oiled down shirt, and one in a highly professional business suit. Who are you more likely to believe and listen to?
    I've been lied to and exploited by more folks in suits than I have folks dressed like humans!
    I wouldn't apply my next statement to just ANY type of business, but with web hostin in particular I would not git services from a company with a crappy site. It's all about context. Web hostin is a highly technical thang, so it sorta calls fer a nice, slick site.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    637
    And just to yank Zsev's chain; how many of you validate a site before you consider using it. Though he and I are saying the same thing about flash.
    You're right, validating html is a null point but I give credit to site layouts that render well under firefox + minimum font size enabled. Getting old and having a high resolution monitor is bad for the eyes

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    358
    Of course if you get into all that psychology stuff, having Valid XHTML or incorrect grammar or ugly designs or whatever, you could say that they reflect on the personality of the person that made it.
    For example (no, I'm not a psychologist, and this is probably wrong), you could say that someone who uses valid XHTML likes to follow the rules or something like that.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    176
    If you're browsing for a new host, do you care about the design of the site you're looking at? Would you be put off a host if their site was poorly designed and ugly?
    For me if I can't read the site well. I have visual problems and that requires enlarging of text and if the site doesn't format well that I probably won't be a customer.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    829
    Oh and VERY important, this is a bit beyond design but worth mentioning, is broken links. Broken links is a big sign of disregard or carelessness. So is other "mistakes" like a javascript error, or something more along the lines of this (http://support.galileo.com/Canada/).
    Yes, that's code that probably should have parsed on the server, but they messed up, exposing their SQL password to the world.
    If I saw something like this on a provider's page I would immediately move on to the next candidate no matter how promising their plans seem.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    2,222
    If I saw something like this on a provider's page I would immediately move on to the next candidate no matter how promising their plans seem.
    Yes.
    So, a well-done web site might not bring me in, but a badly-done web site will drive me away.

  24. #24
    I will immediately turn away from any host using one of those horrendously crowded web hosting templates. A web host's design should be clean, succinct, and above all, original. Vector Level and A Small Orange are two great examples of this.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Above The Clouds
    Posts
    7,223
    There are many psychological factors involved when making a purchase. The more you have covered, the more chances you are going to make a sale. How a site looks is part of the psychological process. Doesn't matter if it's a small part, if you have it covered it's another step on the path to making a sale.
    (yes, our site is horrenduosly outdated and is being redesigned and will relaunch probably end of next week)

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