When starting acmeWebResources, I spent a lot of time making it look good.  I used a website template and made many modifications – until it became my own.  The template was the springboard.  However, while studying other very successful sites, I discovered something interesting about information sites, affiliate sites, and sites selling ads: no one seems to care about "flashy" design.  Some of the most popular sites out there have very simple layouts.  They are not flashy in the least.  I have found that, at the core, the internet is just about information – and getting it fast.  In fact, I toned down acmeWebResources quite a bit – but I had put so much effort into it that I couldn’t abandon it entirely - until now - now I am using a simple template - simple is better.

Keep Your Website Simple

The point is: if you are creating a site to market information and make money with ads (like AdSense), don’t get caught up in making your site look like an award winning graphics artist built it.  Put that energy into giving your readers really solid good quality content.  THAT is what will make your site a success.  Of course, the previous statements hold true mostly for folks who want to build a site that will generate income off of ads and affiliate programs.  It also applies to sites that sell certain e-books and other electronic media.  And sometimes it applies to sites selling products – but it depends on the products.

Simple Websites are Not a Rule

Keeping your site simple is by no means a rule.  If you have a site selling high fashion clothing, you WILL want a site that looks fantastic!  The site makes the first impression.  So if you are selling high end stuff or trying to drive customers to your brick and mortar store front, you will want to make a professional and really nice first impression.  Then it is well worth the effort.  But for a site like the first version of this one, I could have saved hours and hours and hours.  C’est la vie.