Actually, let me quickly qualify what I mean by website design is overated. The term web design is ambiguous because it could refer to the way a site looks or how it functions. Functional design is very important because a website must behave in an intuitive and predictable manner, otherwise you can kiss your readers or customers goodbye. In this instance, I am talking specifically about the look of a website.

We're obsessed with creating flashy websites that look like something from the deck of the starship Enterprise. To a fault, far too much time and money is spent on designing and implementing complicated graphic interfaces that:

I suspect that what drives people to waste resources on this particular aspect of a website is either a kind of oneup-manship or a fear that if the site doesn't look like money has been spent on it then customers won't trust it. Without a doubt, a site needs to look professional. In other words, images should align, the HTML should all work, links should actually go to where they are supposed to and so on. Above and beyond that, a pleasing look and feel is great but not critical.

I'm not saying that you should settle with a hideous site for all eternity - it's actually quite difficult to make a hideous site these days when you're using open source platforms like Drupal or Site prebuilder - but, focus on the meat of the site first, worry about it's look later.

Think of it like running a business. If at all possible, it's better to obtain orders for a product before buying masses of stock and leaving it in storage. In the same way, it's far better to build your online business or build up a readership using the substance of your ideas. Once you know that your ideas are working, or are going to work, then, if you really want something flashy, go ahead and invest some time and money.

People visit websites because that site meets a need, such as providing a few giggles, reviewing books, finding great deals on holiday packages, and so on. I'm not sure if anyone returns to a website time and time again simply to behold it's beautiful color scheme (this is the Internet, so anything is possible I guess). Meet a demand for something and you will succeed. Spend all your time and money making a flashy web design and you will get a flashy website and possibly nothing more.

I thought I would strengthen my argument by pointing to a few sites that have done brilliantly without any pretence at aesthetic appeal:

There are plenty more websites that have conquered the Internet without worrying about design. These websites now have the resources to implement the most beautful interfaces money could buy, but they don't. Why? Because that's not why people use them.