Question on the look of a website
I have a question for you. I have been under the impression that for websites to do well, they should be visual. To make money the site should have affiliate links, and ads to earn revenue.
I was just on a site advising the opposite. He was saying that there should be more content (which I agree) and nothing else to distract the reader. No photos and just one affiliate link at the end of the post.
My photo site has to stay the way it is because of the subject matter. I am wondering if I should change my child care site to all content and see if I get more traffic. I also have adsense and other affiliate links. I like my site colorful because it deals with kids. But... if it helps bring traffic and income I will change it.
What do you think? Thanks in advance for your advice!!!
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I think people are attracted to bright and shiny things. Images also break up a wall of text making it easy to follow. Of course content is very important also, but it depends on your niche. As your site is photography based, it would be bizarre to not have images!
So, in a nut shell, it's all about relevance, but not overdoing it :)
Hi PHX2, Pardon the abbreviation. I think images/photos are good, but it depends on the topic of the site. I think bright and cherry for your child care center would be appropriate. My site (wakebill.com) is an aviation with articles and photos. The photos give the viewer an idea what the aircraft looks like. Best wishes.
Bill & Sue
Turns out Kyle has a whole lesson on it (maybe about lesson 7 or so?) within his Build Traffic Tutorial.
Thank you for posing this question. I enjoyed reading the replies, and it seems to me that the answer is as diverse as the members of the community. I do think that the content has to be strong on an all content site- but I also know that that the pictures do not always load quickly, and sometime lose the significance on a smaller screens-
Yes, I think it's true that it loads slower, but I have a photography site as well, which would not look right without photos!
Know that your resolve will take this site far. Is it not great to have so many with so much experience to bounce ideas off of?
Sami
Like Andelane has mentioned and both your sites deserve to stand out with good content mixed with different sized images here and there.
I liked your sites and I personally have no use for straight text content on any site.
Personally, I think there is a way to do both– give the reader in-depth, stellar content. But make it easy to read, by breaking it up with short paragraphs, even one-line paragraphs. A couple of bold, large font sub-headings. And a photo here and there. Think back to an article that you last read and enjoyed. I bet there were "prompts" that led your eyeballs to move down the page to continue reading. Blocks and blocks of black and white copy can be a snore, even if the content is dynamite. Just my humble opinion.
I agree. When I see tons of copy, and nothing else, i am not as likely to read the whole thing.
If I went on a site that just had text, I am not sure I would stay. Unless it was for a class, or research, or something along those lines.
Content is the most important thing. The ideal situation is to gain followers that trust you and the information you are sharing in your own unique way that people will remember. Once you have followers, people will buy products just because you say they are good products. This opens you up to an endless realm of possibilities. If you master this, you could sell ice to an Eskimo. Good luck.
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I think Kyles advice about taking inspiration from other sites in your niche - esp the ones doing well is great advice. Keeping it simple but engaging and not going to crazy with colour/fonts. I think photos, images etc, even ads are most appealing when presented with a simple background.
Thanks Hostelgirl! It can be a little much when there are so many things going on.