The short answer is that both are required to successfully convert a website visitor to a customer, contact or subscriber. But that having been said, it is the aesthetics (visual appearance) of a website that will make the first reaction one of interest or disinterest. The article below is not extensive but makes very valid observations and points regarding how a websites design and elements will make it a success or failure excluding the one-off exceptions.

Original Article Credit: Brad Chacos  | 7/11/2011

Your mom may have warned you not to judge a book by its cover, but if Jersey Shore has taught us anything, it’s that people will eat up anything as long its wrapped in an attractive package. As it turns out, shiny objects trap the attention of computer users, too. A new study published by Australia’s University of Melbourne suggests that even though malware and botnets rear their ugly heads more and more frequently these days, computer users are more likely than ever to trust websites – as long as they look pretty.

The author of the study, Dr. Brent Coker, claims that people are 20 percent more likely to trust a website now than they were just five years ago. “As aesthetically orientated humans, we’re psychologically hardwired to trust beautiful people, and the same goes for websites,” Coker says in the University’s press release. “Our offline behaviour and inclinations translate to our online existence… With websites becoming increasingly attractive and including more trimmings, this creates a greater feeling of trustworthiness and professionalism in online consumers.”

We’re not just suckers for a pretty face, though; even attractive websites get the boot from consumers if they don’t give us what we want right now. Coker’s study found that if a website loads slowly or doesn’t make it easy to find information on the page, online shoppers find what they want elsewhere. Even though we’re more trusting than ever online, online brand loyalty has decreased by 32 percent in the past five years.

Despite all the low-fi doom and gloom, we’re doubtful Craigslist is going belly-up anytime soon. The final version of the study is due to be released at the 2011 World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Applied Computing, held in Las Vegas July 18th through the 21′st.