The Surprising Truth About Ugly Websites

April 6, 2006 by Dane | 4 Comments
In Branding, Ecommerce, Marketing

Mark Daoust has more about ugly websites, and Plentyoffish.com’s success:

Ugliness has never looked better. I have spent the last few days examining a surprising trend in web design that has made ugly websites look absolutely irresistible. No, its not the bolded, 18 point Times New Roman font shouting at me as I access the page that has me excited, nor is it the harsh colors that have actually managed to make my eyes hurt and distort my vision. In fact, its not even that logo which is so pixelated from being processed, resized, saved, and edited so many times that it appears to be blurred to protect the identity of the company who owns the website that has me singing the praises of ugly websites. What is it?

Ugly sells.

That’s right – ugly websites are surprisingly effective in making money. As a person who puts business before technology, a profitable website is a website is an unbelievably attractive website to me.

I linked to Robert Scoble’s take on this earlier in the week.

Comments

Chris McMahon on April 6th, 2006 at 10:02 am

This story has gotten a lot of links and they always seem to leave out the part where he says not to confuse causation with correlation.

You’ve done just that, leading people who only skim to get the wrong impression.

The sites are not successful because they are ugly, but in spite of it. They offer a service that has demand and do it well.
Art on April 7th, 2006 at 10:45 pm

I disagree, I think that the lack of splash adds a type of street credibility to the site. It appeals to the folks who have lost faith in the “system”…the Gen X.
Robert on April 8th, 2006 at 2:26 pm

I disagree. It’s successful NOT because it’s ugly, but because:

1. It’s an entirely FREE dating service, unlike all the others.

2.It offers a service that has A LOT of demand.

Do not confuse causation with correlation.
Natalie on May 10th, 2007 at 6:23 am

I think its a little disconcerning to hear that “ugly sells.” When I see an ugly site, I leave, I do not give them the benefit of the doubt that they will be able to produce whatever it is I’m looking for.