Choosing between the design or the content of your website

When you visit a website, what is the first thing you notice? Probably the design: colors, layout, images. But will you stay? That often depends on the content. In this article, we discuss what is more important for user experience: a beautiful design or good content. You will get practical tips, examples and insights to find the right balance.

Why design is important

The design of a website is like the window of a store. It attracts attention, inspires trust and invites you to click further. A good design ensures:

• First impression: people judge your website within 0.05 seconds
• Professional appearance: building trust is crucial
• User-friendliness: clear navigation and overview
• Responsiveness: clearly visible on mobile, tablet and desktop

A bad design can quickly put people off. Colours that are too busy, unclear buttons or messy layouts cause visitors to click away. That is why visual design is certainly important.

Why content is even more important

Content is the reason why people visit your site. They are looking for information, solutions or products. If your content is not relevant, clear or valuable, visitors will still drop out, no matter how beautiful your site is.

Good content ensures:

• Better SEO (higher findability in search engines)
• Trust and authority (you know what you're talking about)
• Conversions (visitors take action after reading)
• Connection with your brand or company

A beautiful site with bad content is like an empty package. It looks good, but offers nothing useful.

What does research say?

According to Nielsen Norman Group, users find content more important than design, especially when they are looking for information. Google also increasingly rates websites on content quality rather than appearance. See also Google’s guidelines for helpful content.

Example: Who wins?

Imagine two websites about healthy eating.

1. Website A looks great with large images and a modern layout, but contains vague text.
2. Website B has a simple design, but provides clear, reliable, and well-structured information.

Most visitors stay longer on Website B. They find what they are looking for and come back. Website A is impressive, but lacks content.

The power is in the combination

Design and content must work together. A good design supports the content and makes it easy to read. Think of:

• Clear headings (H1, H2) and short paragraphs
• Good contrasts for readability
• Mobile-friendly design that doesn't hide content
• Buttons and calls-to-action that enhance the content

Practical tips

1. Start with content strategy

Know what your visitors want to know and deliver value. Think of blogs, FAQs, product descriptions, customer stories.

2. Let the design support the content

Use white space, typography and structure to make the content clear and attractive.

3. Avoid design tricks without content

Fancy sliders or animations don't add anything if your message is weak.

4. Optimize for speed and mobile

Both design and content should work well on all devices and load quickly.

5. Test and measure

Use tools like Hotjar or Google Analytics to see how visitors behave on your site. Do they drop out because of form or content?

Examples of strong content-driven websites

• Thuisarts.nl: simple design, but reliable information
• Consumentenbond: clear texts and tests, supported by a clear design

Conclusion

Beautiful design attracts visitors, but content keeps them. For a good user experience, you need both. Put content first and use design to present it powerfully. This is how you create a website that not only impresses, but also really works.

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