Obviously the answer is a combination of both, and this is a highly fought over and debated topic.

How can you approach a company with a poorly designed site and tell them they need a new website, when you know they are getting very low bounce rates and they have a very profitable website? This is a lot harder to do than approaching someone who has a beautiful site but is not converting any traffic.

The Trust factor is an important element of the design. If I come across an old looking website, even if it is very easy to use, I am hesitant to enter my personal details when purchasing.

Just this week I was browsing the web and came across the Cape Town Lodge Hotel website http://www.capetownlodge.co.za/. Whenever I drive pass this hotel I always think wow, that looks like a trendy vibrant place to stay. So I was very shocked when I saw their website. I expected my impressions of the hotel to be reflected in the look and feel of their website.

However, I cannot complain about the usability. On every page the navigation is clear and actionable, and all information that you would require is on the site. The only thing I noticed was once you leave the home page you can not get back there which is a shame as the homepage has all the pictures of the hotel on.

Once again the dilemma has appeared, If this website is profitable for them (because of the usability) why would they want to change the site?

At World Wide Creative we take the approach of a site storm before any website is designed and built. The whole team comes together and ensures the design will reflect the brand and marketing objectives as well as compliment the usability of the website. I believe we have some of the best website designers and web marketing experts in South Africa and with this combination we do not even have to choose between usability or design? (Shameless self promotion, I know)

- Nicola

Read more posts by Mike Perk

Mike is the Managing Director of digital marketing agency World Wide Creative and co-founder of The Heavy Chef Project. A video blogger who happens to know a fair amount about web marketing; presenting on SEO, Usability and Analytics at digital conferences and marketing courses worldwide. A passionate Spurs fan, Mike also co-hosts the popular football video blog: Free-Kick.tv.

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeperk

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