Well, sort of. The ease of building a website didn't change the fact that if you had NO CLUE how a website's visual layout affected a visitor's perception of you and your product, your website would still fail to convert (get people to buy).
Let me explain what I mean.
Rule #1: Use open space to keep a clean, professional look.
Plus, there's no breathing space in the paragraphs. A blog post is one solid block of text, rather than short, skimmable paragraphs with clarifying headings.
Just to make you feel good about yourself, I freely admit that my early website versions blatantly disregarded this rule. Pretty much anything you build now will be better than my first website.
Rule #2: Use graphics to engage and appeal.
So I taught myself how to use GIMP (sort of like a free Photoshop) and other available graphics programs in order to spice up my posts visually. (Try PicMonkey or Pixlr or Canva if GIMP scares you.) I made sure every post had a header graphic. More recently, I've added graphics throughout my post to break up the text and provide a more engaging experience. I get those pictures from Pixabay, Stocksnap.io, FreeImages, FreeRangeStock, StockPhotosForFree, and other free sites.
Just a note: If you pull some text out of the post and make a quote graphic, that graphic is, statistically speaking, the most looked-at part of your post.
Rule #3: Organize.
NOT THIS:
Men's T-shirts, Women's T-shirts, Men's Pants, Women's Pants, Men's Dress Clothing, Women's Dress Clothing, Dresses, Socks & Scarves, Accessories, Men's Coats, Women's Coats...
THIS:
Men's Clothing
- Tops
- Dress Shirts
- Coats
- Bottoms
- Professional pants
- Shoes
- Accessories
Women's Clothing
- Tops
- Dress Shirts
- Coats
- Bottoms
- Professional pants
- Shoes
- Accessories
Organize all the information under large categories and provide a drop-down menu or scroll-out menu of some kind to show the headings underneath each category.
Rule #4: Put your most important information "above the fold."
For example, instead of having a "how this company started" or rambling "About Me" section, have your biggest selling point. "Do you or someone you love have a chronic illness? Sign up today for my '12 Steps for Making Peace with Chronic Illness' e-mail series, and learn my tips for having a happy, fulfilled life despite all the physical limitations." BOOM! Product pitched, benefits revealed... You've got their attention and they didn't even have to scroll down to find the best part.
Rule #5: Include an e-mail opt-in form.
For example, you likely don't go to LandsEnd periodically to find out what sales are being offered. No, you get an e-mail in your inbox and think, "Forty percent off all shoes? Hot dog! I'm going to go buy those sandals I've been drooling over."
Bottom line: E-mail sells, people.
(This would be a great line for one of those "Commas save lives" observations. If I had removed the comma, the message would be "Email sells people," which sounds like a sci-fi story about some evil artificial intelligence making a profit from marketing unsuspecting people online as slaves for unscrupulous buyers. Creepy...)
Rule #6: Have a cohesive design and color scheme.
Pick a color scheme. It could be blue and orange. Make sure that your header graphics and other important imagery reinforces those colors, so that your brand becomes associated with a particular palette. For example, when people look at red and yellow, they think of McDonald's. When they see orange and white, they think of Home Depot. Why? Because those companies have associated their whole brand with a particular color combination.