Web design is like architecture, but web designers are not like architects

What's more important, the way a website looks, or the way it works and behaves?

To the vast majority of commercial web designers, their answer is very definitely "the way it looks". They are web designers, they design.

However, to us, and to the developers of the world's most successful websites, the focus is very definitely on the way it works and behaves.

Imagine a building.

A good architect will make sure that the building looks stylish and pleasing to the eye. However, being able to do that isn't what takes at least 5 years at University and countless more years of experience.

When employing an architect, most people will be more interested in the way the building looks. This isn't because they think this is the most important factor, it's just that all of the other things are a given. They are assumed. You assume that the building will be structurally sound, it will be accessible for the disabled, there will be enough toilets, there will be enough fire escapes, you assume that it will keep the rain off your head.

The same principles should apply to your website. You want it to look good and that will be quite an important factor. All of the other stuff you just assume will be fine. After all, that's why you're employing a professional web designer to create it and not the teenager next door who just happens to have a good eye for design.

You assume that it will work properly, that it will be legally compliant, that it will be accessible for the disabled, that it will be search engine optimised and follow the established industry standards.

However, web designers haven't spent 5+ years at University studying their vocation and they certainly haven't spent years running their own e-commerce websites learning what works, what doesn't work and what makes a website a success.

If this wasn't true, the entire search engine optimisation industry just wouldn't exist. SEO would be a given when the website was designed in the first place.

Try running your website through the W3C validator as a very easy test to see how professional your current web designer is. If your website fails this test, the designer is amateur. There's no other way of putting it. This should be a given!

OpenGlobal are different. We take your website seriously. We know that it's not just a case of making your website look pretty. Making your website a success is paramount, the aesthetics come afterwards.

The truth is that making a website look pretty is easy. The difficult part is making it successful. Any kid can draw a pretty building, but it takes years of study and experience to make it structurally sound. And any kid can create a pretty website, but it takes years of study and experience to know what will make it successful.

Contact OpenGlobal on 0845 269 9624 if you want your website to be "structurally sound" rather than just a pretty little site that costs you money and brings you nothing in return.