The utter importance of good design is difficult to overstate. Design can and will make or break a website. While this little fact may seem self-evident to many people, it is a surprisingly easy fact to overlook, especially at a time when free web design software or templates are available to anyone with passing interest. Such tools are great for encouraging more people to use the Internet and develop new skills, however, if you are looking to establish a ‘serious’ presence for you or your organization you will be best served by finding someone with the education, tools, and talent that go into good design.
The look and feel of your website is a reflection of your entire business. The more professional your website navigates, reads, and looks, the more professional your organization will appear to the person doing the navigating, reading, and looking. If the navigation is needlessly confusing, the look ‘off’ or immature, or the content lousy, the conversion from visitor to customer is far less likely to take place.
There is an abundance of literature on the web regarding what constitutes good design, and why good design is so important. An...