Amateur or pro designs. Which is better?

[marcjacob]

I was wondering if you have any view on which type of design generally converts betters - high end or amateur looking? Im wondering if amateur looking may work better as surfers are more likely to stop to look at the pics, whereas with high end they may just think "paysite" and click back?

Any thoughts?

[Lee]

It totally depends on the niche and the type of content being primarily offered.

Also, it depends on the source of traffic, if you are generating your own traffic, you should try to see which type of tour works best on that however, for affiliates, many prefer to have 'pro' looking sites for some reason [shrug].

Regards,

Lee

[Rimmates.com]

Personally, I hate the look of most professionally "designed" paysites. They look more like professional cookie-cutter templates with some different colors and text styles thrown in the mix.

To me, anything that says "Thousands of Photos," "Unlimited Access," or "Click Here for Instant Access Now" more than a few times on the same page is just following the same old recipe. It should be something that stands out as different.

Another thing I hate are statements that can't be proven or are just untrue. "The nastiest boys on the net!" "The biggest dicks you've ever seen!" "The raunchiest amateur action anywhere!"

Ugh. Anything that flashes or has a starburst on it gets my vote as being overused as well.

[Rimmates.com]

Marc, sorry for throwing my opinions out there like that. I know you asked what converts better, and not what looks better, but this was on my mind and just wanted to get it out there.

[marcjacob]

Marc, sorry for throwing my opinions out there like that. I know you asked what converts better, and not what looks better, but this was on my mind and just wanted to get it out there.

No no no, thats really interesting and usefull. Im trying to decide to i spend $400 - $800 on a pro site or do it myself.

This came about because i saw a great site in a designers portfolio, checked out the real site, and the client no longer uses the pro version, but is using a more amatuer design. I assume from that, the pro version may not have converted as well.

[basschick]

my personal experience is that even "amateur" sites are usually done best by pros who have experience with that kind of site UNLESS you are skilled with that kind of tour and have experience making ones that sell.

[marcjacob]

So you think pro is best for me? I can design to a better than amateur standard but no where near most people on this board.

I wonder if what the cost would be in getting a consultant to advise. Would be money well spent if it means getting a site that converts well.

[basschick]

there's no way to know what's best for you without seeing your previous work and knowing what you have in mind for your tour.

here's a well-done "amateur" tour that was actually laid out by a pro:
http://www.projectadult.com/tonyandcam/
it's simple, attractive, and what really makes it stand apart from most sites designed by real amateur designers is that it's well organized.

[Bec]

there's no way to know what's best for you without seeing your previous work and knowing what you have in mind for your tour.

here's a well-done "amateur" tour that was actually laid out by a pro:
http://www.projectadult.com/tonyandcam/
it's simple, attractive, and what really makes it stand apart from most sites designed by real amateur designers is that it's well organized.

I like the look of that Patti -- but Tony no longer has an "outie" LOL -- maybe a new pic up top is in order??

[ArmpitLover]

Well from my experience so far with Armpits its been a really weird ride...

My first version: http://www.armpits.com/pits/ converted really well for me personally and did fine for affilliates but I wanted it to do better.

Then there was an intermediate amateur design that was crap for both me and affiliates (it stayed for 9000 uniques) and then was burned.

Then there is the current version, which is doing great (& I mean GREAT) for me personally but to be honest is sucking for affilliates....so to counteract that, there is a pro design coming, one being tested next week (hopefully)

I truly love and respect my affiliates, as I mentioned to one WM recently, affiliates are treated by me, the same way I treat a 1st time member....I want them to get the best possible experience, stay with me and get exactly what they are looking for and will try to go all out to acheive that.

Basic rule of business, Its far btter to keep a customer, than find a customer.

Anyway back to your question, it really does depend on niche, color scheme, traffic and how you want to be perceived....test the water and keep testing the water, for as you say $400-$800 is all you are risking & thats only 10-20 recurred memberships. If you hit it right that will be done in less than a day.

Hope my 2c is of some use....
Dave

[marcjacob]

There are so many angles to this. Im begining to wonder if im doing it too soon. Not doing a thing till january/february. I have a lot of reading and questions to ask i think

[CorbinFisher_BD]

We had an interesting experience with that here. CorbinFisher originally launched with a very amateur-looking site. It had a very clean design and simple navigation, but was also as boring as can be. Black and white with the absolute only color being photos. I think that actually worked in favor of the site though, as early members shared with us that they simple, clean design encouraged them to sign up because we looked like a straight forward site with no gimmicks or tricks. Since they were seeing us for the very first time, they liked the idea of a down to earth, straight forward site.

As our name grew and people began to expect more of us, design definitely had to be updated in order to keep up with expectations and reputation. So design updates were more in response to growth.

In the early days, a common sentiment among members was "I like how simple your design is." In later days, it was more along the lines of "Your design really needs to keep up the pace!" Which brought about the redesign in July.

All the while, though, presenting teh content first and foremost was key, rather than trying to impress with flashy fancy artwork.

[marcjacob]

I like the idea of your design as its not typical paysite but more a portfolio of what you offer. Its pro but friendly. I think usual paysite designs are ten a penny these days. Both yours and Exploaded are great examples of what id love but i think i need a ton of content to deliver on what that tour promises. May be wrong.

[markwolff]

First off design is a very subjective thing,it seems everyone has there own idea on what makes a good site, and what features it should have. I have seen sites, mine included that have received rave reviews, and then someone comes allong and say's i think the design is lacking and needs work?
So you need to do your homework, look at as many sites as you can, buy a few design, fashon magazines to get inspiration there are ton's of web sites devoted to design, one of my favorites is mocoloco.com That being said the first step is getting a designer, when you are first starting out and your site is small, you will only need a basic site, so amature or home made design, may be all you need, i would suggest go with a clean, minimal design, the site basschick points out is good, it is very similar to one of my blog sites www.jockblog.com i did the design of this site myself for nothing, as it is not a pay site, and i did not need anything too fancy. However once you start to build your sites content, you are going to need a more professional looking site, if you want to take your sales to the next level, it's just like CF said, eventually your customers will demand your site be up to par with your content. However here's where it get's tricky, over the past 10 years, i have worked with dozens of designers, who have built my sites, designed brochures, DVD box covers, print ad's etc I would say that 75% of the so-called designers out there, really are not that good, and lack the creativity you are going to want in a nice site, So you have to take your time and look around for the right designer, this can take some time, but it is important. I would first try nd get someone local, because the design process requires allot of fine tuning face to face with the designer. I should point out you can find the best designer in the world, who has done some amazing work, if you just drop off your content and a few ideas to him, and tell him to design your new site, it will more than likely look great from a visulal standpoint, but more than likely it will not convert very well with your surfers. This is why you will have to be in on the design process at every step. No one knows your content better than you, and what your customer/surfers want or are looking for. You will need the designer to take this into consideration when designing the tour pages, the photos, the navigation, everything. In otherwords you will have to know exactly how you want it to look, and then work face to face with the designer to create that look. Have a look at my 2 new sites www.jockbutt.com and www.markwolff.com hey if you don't think your own sites are fantastic then your in the wrong business, each of those sites took about 2 months back and forth with the designer until i got the home page and tour pages the way i wanted. Both those sites are 100% custom right down to the type fonts, the reason being my content is exclusive, i want my site design to create the same impression. These days 99% of the sites all look the same, if you are serious about building you web site and brand, you need to invest the time and money into a good custom site design. The bottom line with any site is how it converts, and that you see a increase in conversions from your last design, but you also want to create something that is different from every other cookie cutter design out there. So getting back to your question, i would use pro design however get the right designer, and one you can work face to face with. I should point out other than for banners i have never used a designer that works in adult, i have used allot of designers, that work mostly in the fashon and music business, i feel they have fresher ideas, but you need to know exactly what you want, and the look you you are going for, no designer can read minds or know how to convert traffic better than you. Hope this helps

[Rimmates.com]

Trixie, I really like the look of your site trixieshouseboy! It has a very nice clean look to it, and this is what I had in mind when comparing the amateur look to the pro look. What do you guys think of the design?

Trix, do you have a tour for the site, or just the "free pics" link?