sometimes page navigation just doesn't count

i am reviewing a site i know in advance sells and retains very well. the member area is a nightmare of 404 content, 404 pages, no way to search the videos, you can only search models by letter of first name and to sign up for the forum requires not one but two registrations - one of which must include your home address and phone number.

there is no way to know when you click a video whether it will be hardcore or solo jackoff. there is no way to know when you click a video whether it is new or old - and the older videos are smaller and much lower quality. and did i mention the semi blind link upsells to sell DVDs?

on the other hand, this site has a lot of content - as far as i can tell without going through each letter's models - which seem to number hundreds. there are very regular updates, too.

so it appears that navigation really isn't anywhere near as important as content. i've never seen a site so frustrating to figure stuff out in but this puppy retains better than most.

Hello,

I know I don't post often. I have been a lurker here for a while, and of all people, the post that max power made kind of made me rethink lurking :)

I find navigation vs content discussions here amazing. This is another example of it. We have some websites that we host at Badpuppy, I won't mention names, but there are some that (to my eyes) are HIDDEOUS looking. Some of those sites, however, turn over amazing amounts of conversions. Their covers and free tours are a collage of text and skin. Usually the colors are over-bright and to me, annoying. Yet these sites continue, month after month, to convert.

I just don't get that. Are people really that starved for content that they will sift through absolute crap design, absolute poor programming, to get to that one pic they thought they saw?

i don't have the answer to that but i will say that i have now seen two sites you can get lost in forever that retain very well. this one was more irritating to me because it looked so well organized at first.

To be honest this doesn't surprise me, as I've always felt that content was not only the most important factor, but to a degree immeasurably greater than anything else and that surfers would be guided by content moreso than anything else.

Content is the core of what is being offered on a paysite.

It outweighs anything and everything else profoundly.

Likewise, what is the KEY factor in whether someone buys Coca Cola? It's the taste. Whether or not they like it. That is the core factor. It doesn't matter if you sell it in a 2-liter plastic bottle, an aluminum can, a glass bottle, or from a fountain. If someone really likes Coke, they'll buy it. It's nice if they have options... a neat little "fridge-friendly" 12 pack... 20oz bottles that fit in to their car's cupholder... all those are supplemental, but not the CORE selling point. What's INSIDE each of those containers is what really gets someone to buy or not buy.

Frankly I all too often find myself shaking my head when I see people preaching the paramount importance of navigation and neglecting to add in a disclaimer that for things like navigation to matter, the content still has to already be there. Surfers would much rather have a rough go of navigating through a site that has stuff they still find insanely hot and are able to get off to without fail, than easily navigate through stuff that doesn't come close to inspiring a boner.

i've always believed that content was king - and even more so after seeing one messy amateurish site with 500 videos retain members for an average of over 5 months.

on the other hand, corbin fisher has good content AND good navigation. that's what i like to see :)

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Originally Posted by basschick

i've always believed that content was king - and even more so after seeing one messy amateurish site with 500 videos retain members for an average of over 5 months.

on the other hand, corbin fisher has good content AND good navigation. that's what i like to see :)

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That's why I've always liked the approach you take to reviews. There's so clearly a good understanding of what works (especially helps given your experience operating and pushing paysites yourself, to experience what does and does not sell).

Navigation is important, but it's the content that will determine whether or not anyone ever gets around to appreciating the navigation in the first place! And, on the whole, it's the content that will be the dealbreaker if there is one, not the navigation.

hehe and thanks for the kind words!! :D

I think a big part is whether the surfer stops to look at your tour. Some of these high end paysite tours probably get the surfer thinking "paysite" and clicking out. If they stop for a minute to look at the pics, they may get interested and part with cash to see more. No expert here, just a thought.