By Peter Berton

HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. – In the world of online adult content distribution, good website design is an absolute must. After all, the most gorgeous of XXX models won’t attract subscribers if the model’s charms aren’t front and center. Likewise, if subscribing is too much hassle, lusty consumers will turn to any of thousands of options that are only a mouse click away.

Zuzana Designs has satisfied more than 12,000 clients — including Playboy, Vivid, Hustler and MindGeek (formerly Manwin) — with eye-catching, easy-to-use virtual digs. Headed by owner, lead designer and creative director Sarah, the firm has received multiple awards for its work, including the 2013 YNOT Award for Best Web Design Studio.

Sarah is a married mother of three with a background in the U.S. Army’s Military Police, which she credits for building her work ethic. As YNOT.com learned, she got into the adult website design business by accident.

You began building adult websites by accident? Really?

Sarah: I actually started in the business as a webcam model for Video Secrets, which I did for a couple years. During that time, I started doing some promotional galleries for my own sponsor accounts and found it very interesting.

I really wanted to learn more and build on what I thought to be an emerging talent I never knew I had. I’ve always been artistic, and this was just another avenue to express that. The idea of turning that creativity into a real business was very intriguing.

I stopped doing webcam at that time and really dug my feet in doing tutorials and experimenting with design.

What services does your company offer?

Zuzana Designs offers a wide variety of services to our clients. We can handle large-scale projects including consulting, design, CMS and billing script integrations to take a site from concept to completion. We are happy to cater to smaller needs like banner and gallery designs.

We also offer responsive HTML5 and Bootstrap coding to allow for optimal performance and viewing across all platforms. We evolve with the times to offer the latest in programming and design trends.

What are the key qualities of an effective website design? Do those qualities vary depending upon whether the site is for a porn star, a content niche, dating, etc.?

A clear identity is key. Know what kind of site you are creating and focus on what makes your site unique.

Don’t overcrowd your design with anything that doesn’t lend itself to selling your site. Don’t make the surfer think too hard or jump through hoops to join.

Design does vary from a niche content site to a porn star site. Surfers want to learn about a porn star, and they are invested in that person. These sites tend to be a bit more graphical and have more text areas. I believe niche sites should be clean and simple with the focus entirely on the content itself.

Can a design motivate people to subscribe?

It’s important for potential site owners to understand the importance of what surfers expect in today’s market based on the type of site they wish to run.

You just can’t compete with the big sites out there, not to mention all the free porn available on tubes, and hope to rake in the sales if you don’t have the proper game plan from the beginning. Focus on what makes your model or your content different, or you’ll get lost amongst the competition. The surfer wants quality content or to fall in love or lust with a model.

I like to think a good design is like a runway model. Very attractive, but not distracting from the product you are trying to sell. Let the surfer know every advantage of joining your site and make sure you are offering them enough in the members area to keep them rebilling every month.

What design mistakes kill websites?

Some common mistakes include outdated coding — which results in improper viewing for the surfer — lack of mobile compatibility and heavy graphics, which don’t lend themselves to [search engine optimization].

Another mistake is the lack of a clear message to the surfer about what kind of content or model they can find inside the site. Often a design is so distracting or contrary to the type of content that it sends a confusing message to the surfer.

Asking a client for selling points about their site seems to be a step some designers miss, and it’s so important in the success of the site.

What are some of your favorites among the designs you’ve created?

It’s hard to pick specific sites as my favorites, as I’m equally invested in each of them during the design process.

I’ve always liked the design we did for HDNewbies.com, as this was done back in 2009 and was a very clean and simple design for its time. I remember being really excited about the direction of that site and waiting for more clients to follow that format. We also did the first tube design for YouJizz, converting it from a TGP into a tube.

Some of my latest favorites include a redesign I’m currently working on for Beshine.com, Aspen Martin — which hasn’t launched yet — and a redesign of PureCFNM that just launched.

You have won many design awards. To what do you attribute your success?

I think this is where customer service really comes into play. We really do everything we can to keep every client happy, and in turn, we have a strong backing of satisfied customers in our corner come awards season. We are professional, deliver on our promises and conduct ourselves the way clients expect.

Trends in design constantly change. How do you stay on top of something like that?

The Zuzana Designs team stays current with all the latest technology and has decades of combined experience in both the adult and mainstream markets. We offer our clients integration into all the latest and most popular scripts, in both adult and mainstream. We also offer responsive HTML5 for mobile compatibility.

I personally like very clean designs with a focus on content, and it’s great to see mainstream style starting to emerge in the adult market. Content and functionality sell a site, so our main focus is an effective design with complete functionality.

You’ve mentioned mobile several times. Where does mobile fit into this mix?

Mobile usage is such a big part of our world today, and it’s naïve for a potential site owner not to consider it. In the past, people were more turned off to mobile because of the added cost of a separate mobile design rather than considering the money that could be lost in sales by ignoring it.

That’s an advantage of coding your site in responsive HTML5. Your site will look perfect across all platforms without the need for additional designs. Code once and deploy everywhere. We can even take a current site and convert it to responsive HTML5 so the look and feel don’t change, but the design will be current with the web’s ever-changing mobile trends.

Mobile is the future of the industry.