Substance With Style vs. Form Over Function

We’ve all seen this author website: You plug in the URL, excuse the loading time (usually just a second or two), and up comes a high-concept, Flash-built homepage. Maybe the author’s name is animated or the navigation dances when rolled over. Or perhaps a little less cartoonish, the homepage is high design, featuring just a cover, author name, and navigation—big, bold graphics with very little, if any, text—in short, an entry page. No examples accompany here; we’re not looking to bash the competition, just discuss a philosophy.

If you are visiting this site for the first time, you might be impressed, even seduced, by the animation, or how it fills the browser window like a big, beautiful postcard.  But over subsequent visits, seeking information about the next book or an author event can become annoying in a “flash.”

As attractive as these Flash-based, high-concept websites might seem at first, we regularly counsel our clients against them. Consider that you’re trying to establish an enduring relationship with your readers, and your homepage needs to function as both a first introduction and an on-going and compelling welcome.

Here’s the problem: If your visitors become bored with the homepage that doesn’t change, or if they become irritated with a gateway/splash page that needs to be skipped over every time, what will bring them back? If confronted with a home page devoid of news and book info, what propels visitors onward?

Another factor to consider is that Flash is not good for search engine optimization, nor is it supported by sexy and fun mobile devices like the iPad. Limiting searchability and accessibility in favor of flourishes here will not support your ROI.

Bottom line, your website is a communication tool, not solely a high-concept art piece. Certainly, your web presence should convey a pleasing aesthetic, but rather than sacrifice your business goals in favor of stylish bells and whistles, we strive to build sites that offer substance with style and function beautifully formed.