“I realized that the ultimate measure of quantifiable performance was extremely simple. If it doesn’t make money, it sucks.”“I realized that the ultimate measure of quantifiable performance was extremely simple. If it doesn’t make money, it sucks.”

Building effective adult websites. You know, I feel like I could really write a book on this subject. I could write a book because I’ve lived and breathed the internet for a good chunk of my adult life. A little history is in order.

In the last four years, I’ve personally built or directly assisted our team in the construction of dozens of large adult sites, hundreds of free sites, interactive adult tools, resource sites, and the list goes on and on. Before that, I spent a couple of years building web sites for ‘mainstream’ clients — search engines, comparison shopping agents, and branding sites for clients ranging from beer companies to governmental agencies.

These experiences were a good grounding for entry into the online adult industry because I learned how to meter website performance from various perspectives. In some cases, performance was all about impressing the client so they felt they got their money’s worth by hiring my company. In others, we studied traffic patterns and the impact of switching one interface for another, and we improved performance from usability standpoint. When we reached the point of designing for online retail, I realized that the ultimate measure of quantifiable performance was extremely simple.

If it doesn’t make money, it sucks.

Okay, pop out that old videotape and return with me to the present. In the on-line adult industry, we enjoy the ability to clearly and easily measure the results of our efforts. Since most of what we do is presented to the customer on a web page via a browser client, that means our efforts consist of building a money-making mechanism which happens to be popularly refered to as a “website.” In adult, there are very few (practically zero) sites which don’t aim to turn a profit. So there is no question that every page you design is, in effect, a cash register.

Okay, so anyway, here I am talking about writing a book. After I gave this subject some thought, I realized that a full sized “book” wasn’t necessary. Effective adult design can be broken down into the ‘Ten Commandments.’ The reason I chose to call them commandments is simple; these are fundamental rules that simply shouldn’t be broken. Ever. For any reason.

And without further ado, here they are:

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF ADULT DESIGN:

1. Keep it Simple.

K.I.S.S. – keep it simple, stupid! The customer’s attention span is brief. You only have a tiny slice of time to make your sales pitch. Ever notice that when you see a television commercial, the 30 seconds of air time is not crammed to the gills with facts, figures, numbers, and details? For example, automobile commercials. I love watching these because they represent a very high level of marketing expertise. Although Honda makes a great all-round line of cars that are reliable, have a certain model of engine, have a specific list of features, etc., the commercial might consist of nothing more than the word “Simplify.” with a picture of the car against a white background. You see, Honda knows that in order to sell more cars, they have to make a simple sales pitch that appeals to the customer most likely to match their demographic. Think about it — how do you make your sales pitch? Chances are, you’re overdoing it. When it comes to adult, you’re have to keep it simple.