It is important to understand that people make a lot of their decisions based simply on visual cues. That is how we are biologically hard wired. Unfortunately there is no way around this. If we have no existing information about a company/organization we associate credibility, quality and value – and ultimately who we want to do business with from what we observe visually. In many cases this is true even if a lesser visually appealing company indeed offers a better product or service. Have you ever decided not to pick up a product from a shelf simply because the box may have a scratch on it – even though you know the product inside is perfectly fine? Have you ever decided not to buy a product online because the company’s website was too difficult to use or looked ‘tacky’ or unprofessional? Back when people used the yellow pages – we had large full colour ads and smaller print ads. Which companies did you automatically perceive as being more reliable and credible?
If you are running a personal blog, a hobby website or already have a loyal following for your business with excellent word of mouth growth, you may not need a professional site (or at least it is not a priority). But if you do not fall into those categories and want your business or organization to be taken seriously and grow then we do recommend a professional site. Contact us for more information.
Restaurants are a good analogy for a website's 'look and feel'. If you were in a new city looking for a restaurant would you prefer to eat here? (click for larger view)
Or would you prefer to eat here? (click for larger view)