Spoiler: You can.
Actually, you can make millions of dollars with an ugly website. But that’s no excuse for bad design, so let’s unpack this a bit more.
Every once in a while, you come across a website that makes you go, “Really? This… makes millions of dollars?”
And this is no shot at Ladyboss; we think they do many things right—including design, for a reason we’ll get into shortly.
Their site had lots of problems…
Multiple CTAs above the fold, long blocks of small-text copy, formatting issues, color issues, functionality issues. Most design agencies would have ripped it apart.
And yet… Ladyboss was making millions in revenue each year.
Here’s why they got away with such “ugly” design: Their audience doesn’t care about modern design.
Ladyboss isn’t selling to 20-something fashion divas or experienced marketers. They’re mostly selling to moms, many above the age of 40 or 50.
And most people in this audience aren’t going to judge Ladyboss for an awkward design. In fact, many brands that market to this audience have similarly-designed sites.
They’re selling to people who didn’t grow up with “modern” websites.
Insight: Good design is important. But design is subjective, and what’s ugly to a team of marketers that spends all day looking at the newest websites isn’t necessarily ugly to a group of moms on a weight loss journey.
So before you judge, think about who a brand is selling to, and why.