The Scientific Reason Simple Websites Are Better

Did you know Google found that visually complex websites are consistently rated less beautiful than simpler ones?
Simplicity is KEY when it comes to website design. We naturally prefer sites where we instinctively know where everything is and what actions we’re supposed to take.
But how do we know what those are when we’re building our site?
In this video, I’m sharing exactly what you need to achieve a simple, clean, beautiful website design. But it won’t just look great - it will work!
🎬 Register for the FREE On-demand video masterclass training, "The Automated Clients-on-Demand Website Blueprint for Service Businesses" Just go to: wesmcdowell.com/training
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[@WesMcDowellInc]

Click here to be the first to know when the doors open again to the Profitable Website Launch Pad and take your website to the next level! - wesmcdowell.com/launch

[@darndarn99]

Wes I would just like to make a comment here. I purchased your course in December last year. I followed your design process to the letter and I must say, my website is absolutely beautifully simple and to the point. Now I have been building websites on Wordpress for years now, mostly niche sites targeting specific niche topics from travel to technology. Learnt seo to rank those sites pages for their keywords and actually did very well at it. That’s when I found my passion, SEO. Decided that I should build a business website to offer my seo expertise but just didn’t feel confident enough to build out a business type website. That’s when I found your channel. After watching a lot of your content I decided to buy your course. Here I am today with my seo business website built out and actually beginning to bring in leads. Right now I have 4 happy clients !!! Thank you Wes !! IOU so much for getting me to this point.

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Hey Mark, thats so inspiring to hear your story! So glad I could help you get there in some small way! But YOU did the work and it looks like its paying off! Cheers!!

[@IAmJaidaSteele]

Hi, I am looking for someone to help me with my SEO.

[@d4will]

Correct. The brain wants simplicity. Attention span is 8 seconds. Too unique = confusion = bounce. Plus simpler loads faster (SEO) when you add compressed pictures and correct spacing.

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Exactly Megan 👍😊

[@kiranwicksteed3972]

There's a diagram in a book called "The Universal Principles of Design" that covers this: modelled after Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs it covers the needs users have when it comes to design. At the base of the hierarchy are things like functionality and reliability and at the crest is creativity. This informs my opinion on the matter: creativity builds on top of fundamental properties like usability. Many people sacrifice UX for creativity which is obviously wrong. But sat pretty atop solid fundamentals, there's absolutely a place for creativity. In fact this is where really great design happens.

[@WesMcDowellInc]

That's very interesting Kiran - good to know! 😀👍

[@simonkensington-fellows6142]

Thank you, hallelujah, I’ve been trying tell business owners and design teams this exact same thing for over a decade!

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Well I am glad I could help you out Simon! 😀👍

[@Gongodler]

Personally I don't like most casual corporate Design websites. They lack information and are kinda boring. Sometimes it's difficult to find the info/product I'm searching for. I prefer a good mixture between oldschool and modern websites. Give me enough text to read and show a few not exaggerated pictures, but not more. I want to get enough info at the first view, not scroll down years to get the actual info. Straightforward centered websites are my favourites for normal. Maybe they aren't the best in design, but I get what I'm searching for.

[@ValentineOficial]

Hard agree

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Get onto the waitlist to be the first to know when the doors open to The Profitable Website Launchpad wesmcdowell.com/launch

[@relentlessslog]

"Don't make me think." That title says it all. User experience in most cases should reflect our mental models and be intuitive with the target user in mind. I admire developers/designers who try to reinvent the wheel but it's pretty rare when anyone makes a breakthrough that's widely adopted.

[@WesMcDowellInc]

That's a good point 👍

Such a great content!

[@navigatingsideways]

This is why my Dad’s website is no bueno. He has so much information and images that you must read 5 minutes or more per type of work they do.

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Enrollment for 'The Profitable Website Launchpad' opens this Monday for just 5 days! Learn all about it here 👉 wesmcdowell.com/launch

[@ToddRock16]

🗝️Wes is a Godsend. I've been up against design over- think for weeks. This video is the cure. Thanks! Thank uou

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Thanks Todd! 😀 🙌

[@Spanglish360Academy]

Love your content. TYSM!

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Thank you for watching 👏😃

[@darndarn99]

Wow !!! Absolutely loved this video!!!

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Thanks Mark 👏😃🙌

[@joemortimer6114]

Hi, do you have a link to the Google source you used?

[@crooker2]

Becoming hyper critical of my own sites is SO true. I have to take a step back and ask... Is this site doing what I want it to do. I've always been more into the KISS rule. As much for simplicity of design as for build speed. Too many moving objects or 'wow factor' elements ends up detracting from the site's impact. Nice to know that my penchance for simplicity is not PURELY due to laziness... (ahem). I mean efficiency. :)

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Sometimes it can be hard to take a step back but you got this! 😀

[@willarias]

Simplicity is king, yay, thanks. Binging your videos as we speak. Thanks. However, Since about 58% of people use Mobile devices to search online (I googled that percentage 🙃) , how to set up an “idiot proof” layout for mobile phones?

[@eya5760]

Hi, how do you see current fast CTV's, smarttv's affect website design, since there is a lot of happening there?

[@StreamlineRoofingTx]

Wes, are you building this out with Elementor?

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Yup! We use elementor in the course

[@plantifulalexandra]

5:00 omg, yes :D

[@thepramodgeorge]

The research that you cited is over 10 years old. Does it still hold true today?🧐

[@WesMcDowellInc]

The way our brains take in information woukdnt have changed in 10 years, so yes!

[@kiranwicksteed3972]

​@@WesMcDowellInc But design trends and web technologies have. People doing crazy stuff in flash is different from super elegant Javascript micro-interactions (to take but one example)

[@ediths1784]

Are you supporting also HubSpot CMS?

[@justindaydigital]

Couldn't be more true. Simple = selling

[@WesMcDowellInc]

thx Justin 😀 👏

[@ryleylamarsh]

So one thing I stuffier with is how to design my website with simplify but hit those keywords so people land on our website. What’s your take on that? Blog posts?

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Hey Ryley - check out this SEO playlist (kzbin.info/aero/PL2MA6QzfYgVqU4cYlPABdPxkig4-eR_Sc) for all my tips about SEO and keywords 👍

[@HumanRestorationCareRegulation]

Hi Wes, Do you work with start ups? I am told Shopify is best for a retail start up but it seems Shopify "owns" the site and not sure what comes along with that? Also being told that the other ecommerce platforms such as Woo commerce or Big commerce, SS or Wix give the biz owner more control but are harder to make changes due to programming. Its so much esp if youre new and just need freaking nice site, but also need to be wise about costs b/c just starting out! Can you help make sense of it all? Do not have a big budget so if you do not work with small biz' totally understand. Thank you

[@topdev_tech9156]

shoulda use TopDev I do one-time fee's unlike Shopify and wp agencies

[@molive018]

this is fax

[@plantifulalexandra]

As a webdesigner I prefer simple websites, clear structure, minimalistic design. Yes, creativity is great but to me all those super fancy websites are just too much. They're nice if you look at them as art but not if I wanna have information, book a call and so on.

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Totally agree Alexandra!

[@fijigang6732]

How do i sign up for your course?

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Enrollment just closed 😕, but join our email list to hear about it opening up again this fall! 👉 wesmcdowell.com/waitlist/

[@JaneNewAuthor]

I'm a writer, and writers' websites are boring. They are usually catalogues. I want to do something less boring!

[@fanreymysterio619]

Is the audio around 1:25 AI generated? It sounds slightly off.. Love the content btw! Just something i noticed 😅

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Thanks for the feedback Paul 👍 I'll take a look

[@fotofigures]

Could I use your simple site methods to create and build an affiliate one-product niche website? Realistically, I need to build 25 websites as soon as possible. Thank you.

[@rugeleystaffs]

I hope he gets back to you on this as it’s something I’m looking at

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Hey Peter, yes you could come pretty close with it. Selling a product is always a little different than selling a service, but most of the principles are the same. Cheers!

[@nataliaturner4845]

"Highly prototypical sites" reminds me of the studies that average faces are the most attractive lol :)

[@WesMcDowellInc]

haha 😆

[@SamLazier]

It's because normies can't navigate the web if there's more than 4 link-buttons. All the charm and creativity gone bc impatient learners demanded minimalism..

[@WesMcDowellInc]

Creativity is for art projects not business tools.

[@rajunaidu7751]

Mental schemas