ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and submicron aggregates (SMAs) were synthesized via a simple precipitation method by changing the amount of zinc acetate di-hydrate in absolute ethanol and synthesis time. Synthesized NPs and SMAs were characterized by FE-SEM, EDS, XRD, PL, and DRS and were used to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The SMAs synthesized at moderate concentration (0.022M) and with poly-dispersed distribution of the aggregates showed lower density of deep localized trap states as well as enhanced scattering features in comparison to NP-based electrode. As a result, power conversion efficiency (η) of about 2.56% with improved current density (Jsc) of 8.51mA/cm2 were achieved under AM 1.5, which were considerably higher than those of mono-dispersed distribution of SMAs and NPs photoelectrodes.