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Ask HN: Can a poorly presented startup website do well?
Does a startup website need to be highly professional in order to be successful?
Have we passed the day when websites like these[1] can be looked at legitimately?<p>[1]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/6125914/How-20-popular-websites-looked-when-they-launched.html
- tsally 17y agoTarsnap has reached profitability with a website that has no style. http://www.tarsnap.com/ http://www.tarsnap.com/ Of course, the crowd he is catering to doesn't really care about frills. Heck, frills can actually be dangerous in the security world. And Colin's got the reputation to back his company up. For your average case though, a lack of presentation is going to hurt you.
- jacquesm 17y agoThe question is how much better it would have done if it had been presented in a nicer way. People sort of expect that. A layout like that has its advantages though, it is going to 'select' just the right user as well. Less income, maybe. But for sure less hassle.
- cperciva 17y agoTarsnap has reached profitability with a website that has no style. Yes, but I've had enough comments from potential tarsnap users about the lacking website that I'm currently working on building a real website -- and as you point out, tarsnap is an unusual case. While I think many sites are overly flashy, I wouldn't recommend tarsnap's minimalist approach except in very rare situations.
- aditya 17y agoIt does not have to be highly professional, but it isn't that hard to make something that's not half-assed these days. Even if you don't know HTML.
- RiderOfGiraffes 17y agoIt depends entirely on your audience. My parents hate almost every web site they go to, and the only ones they like are clean, clear, spare, minimal graphics, minimal color, and have a real "empty" feel. Anything that current people call "professional looking" sends them away almost instantly. Compare that with a largely text-only site that I'm involved with, and almost every other comment is "it needs graphics to interest the students/youngsters/surfers/whatever." Do you call HN "professional looking?" Half the problem is that it takes virtually no effort to make something shiny, and most sites have that, and no content.
- nsrivast 17y agoCraigslist?
- pclark 17y agoplenty of fish?