Simple websites are generally better. That’s the short version.
They load faster. You find what you came for. You read. You click. You buy. You leave. That’s conversion.
As much as page builders try to sell you on unlimited design flexibility, having a more complex design just for the sake of it doesn’t solve anything.
Of course, sometimes you want more on a site than a simple text and some images. You as a user want to feel something. Apple’s product pages do that beautifully. The animations. The scroll effects. It storytelling at its core and a simple text document just wouldn’t cut it.
But here’s the catch: most sites aren’t telling a story. Especially in industries like food, local services, or events — design often gets in the way of true content. A restaurant site with ten full-screen sliders, a cookie banner and giant popup doesn’t bring anything to the table if the user ends up searching the opening hours for 5 minutes. That’s confusion.
Design should follow purpose. And most websites don’t need to impress — they need to work.
That doesn’t mean they all should look plain or stripped down. The web thrives on personality. Color, playfulness, creativity — all good. But when form hides function, people leave.