A website that is beautiful but hides basic information, such as how to contact the business or what something costs, loses the sale to a plainer competitor that simply works. Design exists to serve the visitor’s task, and every choice that makes the task harder is a design failure regardless of how the page looks.
Judge every design decision against what the visitor actually came to do.
Design for the promise your brand makes
A brand is a promise to the customer, and the website is one of the places that promise is either kept or broken. If your brand promises straightforward service, a confusing website directly contradicts it before a customer has bought anything.
Consistency across the website, packaging, social media and customer service is what makes a brand feel trustworthy. A polished website next to inconsistent service creates more doubt than a plain one would.
Design for the people who actually visit, not for yourself
The people interacting with your website are not you, and their priorities are rarely the ones a founder assumes. They want to find what they need quickly, understand what it costs, and know how to act next.
Test the site with someone unfamiliar with the business and watch where they get stuck. What feels obvious to you after months of looking at it is often not obvious to a first-time visitor.
Never hide the basics
Contact details, pricing or a clear way to get pricing, and how to actually buy or enquire should never require more than a click or two to find. A visitor who cannot find these quickly assumes the business is hiding something or simply leaves.
A visible, working way to take payment or capture an enquiry is worth more than any visual flourish, since it is the entire point of the page existing.
Keep it light and keep it working
A heavy, slow-loading site loses visitors before they ever see the design, particularly on mobile data. Compressed images and a simple layout usually outperform an elaborate one.
Test the site properly on a phone, since most visitors will arrive on one. Our guide to setting up an online store covers the technical side of getting this right from the start.
Any contact or enquiry form collects personal information
A simple enquiry form that captures a name, number or email still triggers obligations to protect that information properly, under requirements set by the Information Regulator. This applies regardless of how small the site is.
Frequently asked questions
Does a beautiful website guarantee sales?
No. A beautiful site that hides basic information loses sales to a plainer one that is easy to use.
What should a website design actually serve?
The brand promise and the visitor’s task, not the founder’s personal taste.
What should never be hard to find?
Contact details, pricing or a way to get pricing, and a clear way to buy or enquire.
Does page speed matter for sales?
Yes. A slow-loading site loses visitors before they ever see the design, especially on mobile.
How do I know if my website design is working?
Test it with someone unfamiliar with the business and watch where they get stuck.
Further reading
Originally published in October 2018. Updated September 2026 into guidance on designing a website that actually helps sell a brand.
