February 21, 2010 by ian
This is part of my ever-growing list of tips for developers building e-commerce sites. I cover a lot of territory in one list, so be gentle folks. Use SSL only within your cart. There's a hell of a lot of debate around this. But one fact is clear: SSL page requests require more server cycles than non-SSL page requests. If your site gets tens of thousands of page and file requests per day, it adds up. Plus, if your whole site's in SSL, things like Google Webmaster Tools won't work. So only use SSL for pages that need it: Your…
Continue Reading 24 E-commerce development tips »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 30, 2009 by ian
Lessee, so far we've talked about creating a basic web page, working with headings and paragraphs, and creating links. On to lists: If you can work with lists in HTML you can make your blog look better than 90% of your competition. Here's how: Learn to create ordered and unordered lists, and why you need lists, in this lesson. Note: This is part of my series on basic HTML, and part of my mission to beautify the blogosphere. If you can learn just the simple stuff, you can create blog posts that look professional. If you don't bother, your blog…
Continue Reading HTML Basics: Working with lists »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 22, 2009 by ian
Now you hopefully know how to do headings and paragraphs. Time to move on to links, which are not nearly as scary as they may seem. If you're blogging, a well-placed link can draw folks deeper into your site, get you more attention and make a post more 'sticky'. As with previous topics, I made a 10-minute video on the subject. Have a look-see: Learn to create links - the heart of how the web works. Part 3 of an ongoing HTML training series. Related Posts HTML basics: Creating your first web page HTML basics: Headings and paragraphs A copywriter's…
Continue Reading HTML Basics: Creating Links »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 20, 2009 by ian
I've been helping the middle school class at my children's Montessori learn to write basic HTML. The goal: Get them to the point where they can work comfortably in WordPress. The result is a slowly growing series of videos on the subject. If you're a wannabe blogger/geek and don't know the basic HTML tags (headings, lists, etc.) these videos might help. Here's the first video: The ultra-super basic lesson for building an ultra-super basic web page./ You can also see the entire channel here: HTML Basics on Vimeo I am horrifically, utterly behind on this training. If anyone from West…
Continue Reading HTML Basics: Video Tutorials »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 27, 2009 by ian
Reading online ,10-15 words on a line is best. Don't take my word for it anymore. I'm tired of arguing with you. Just go over and subscribe to the Designer Bookshop Newsletter. They're design geniuses, and they say stuff like this: It is important that the columns are set to a length that is "proportional" to the type size. A practical guide to find the right length is that a columns row should contain approximately 10 words... K?…
Continue Reading 10 Words on a Line, Please »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
May 21, 2009 by ian
First, I apologize. If you are the person who designed any of these, I know full well you created something great. Then your client came and said "It needs more text" or "I need to explain the entire history of my company in a 730 x 90 space". And your dream project was ruined. I am not being sarcastic. We've all been there. So, if you designed any of these banners, please don't take this personally. The Tiny Print For some reason, financial companies seem to think they need to cram essays into their banners: If your lawyer is making…
Continue Reading 4 Truly Awful Banners, And What We Can Learn From Them »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 30, 2009 by ian
Don't take my word for it. Jakob Nielsen said it best in 2001. Of course you can try a focus group. Do your design. Then put 10 strangers in a small box, give them free candy, point 10 cameras at them and start firing questions. Oh, and don't forget to make sure there's a painfully obvious slab of one-way glass on one wall so they know they're being observed. You know you'll get their natural reaction in that situation...…
Continue Reading For Design, Focus Groups Suck »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 4, 2009 by ian
I'm lazy. It's a good property in a geek. So I try to avoid repetitive work. But in my line of work you end up launching lots of sites, most of which don't have to win design awards. They just have to be super-easy to use. Here are a few tools that, whether you're just starting out as an internet marketer or you're a veteran, can help you launch great sites fast: BluePrint CSS: Never Code CSS From Scratch Again BluePrint CSS is a CSS framework. That's a fancy way of saying it's a pre-built CSS template. If you're creating…
Continue Reading 4 Cheats For Faster Web Site Rollouts »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 25, 2008 by ian
At conferences, three things are a constant: Lack of healthy food. Overabundance of alcohol. Really godawful Powerpoint or other slide presentations. I've spent a long time huddled alone in the dark, thinking I was the only one who hated seeing 25 bullets on a slide, individual animated letters and various other forms of visual vomit up on the big screen. Then along comes Nancy Duarte, a brilliant presentation designer, and her book slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. Her book is stuffed with great information, from grid layouts to presentation brainstorming. Plus her examples alone will help…
Continue Reading Create Better Slide Presentations: slide:ology »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 16, 2008 by ian
If you take the time to build a web site, you'd like most folks to stay on it for a while. Visitors who show up and leave 3 seconds later aren't generally helpful. You want to lower your bounce rate. Here are a few tips for doing just that. What's Bounce Rate, Anyway? Bounce rate measures the percentage of visitors who visit a page on your site and then leave without looking at any other pages. It's a good way to tell if that page is keeping visitors' attention or not. The bounce rate on your home page is particularly…
Continue Reading 7 Ways to Lower Your Home Page Bounce Rate »
comments (16) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 10, 2008 by ian
Finally. With a lot of help from my staff, I've got a blog that's W3C standards compliant: I know you're saying "So?" right now. But I have to get my little victories where I can. My CSS would be compliant, too, except for the stupid hacks we have to make for Internet Explorer. Bill, Bill what are we going to do with you?…
Continue Reading Conversation Marketing: Now Standards Compliant »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 3, 2008 by ian
In internet marketing, you have to design something, eventually. When I'm stuck I do what any good creative does: Steal. Here are 15 blogs from which I regularly steal get ideas. A List Apart A List Apart is an old favorite of mine. The design is one of the best examples of a 3-column layout and Divine Proportion. They also have brilliant articles, by the way. Subscribe. Copyblogger CopyBlogger.com's got a lot going on but keeps the chaos under control. I look at it whenever I need to figure out how I'm going to handle information overload. CSS Addict CSS…
Continue Reading 15 Blog Designs That Inspire Me »
comments (6) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 30, 2008 by ian
Stock photos don't kill campaigns. Campaigns using stock photos kill campaigns. I just found a very smart (and funny) article about stock photos on Information Rain. Chris's point: Most stock photography is just awful. But fear not! You can use stock photos without looking ridiculous. Here are a few tips: Choose Photos With a Purpose Don't pick a stock photo because you need to fill some space. Select a stock photo because it serves a purpose. It should communicate your message. This image, for example, might communicate "I know how to point at something": ...But I'm not sure what else…
Continue Reading Stock Photos Don't Have To Suck »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 20, 2008 by ian
Web typography is an art that I've never totally grasped - I have to be honest. But I have learned some basic rules worth remembering: 1: Line Spacing Always use at least 1 full line between lines of text, like this: On my blog, I use 1.5em. Reading online text is a pain - wider line spacing makes it less so. 2: Headings Should Be Closer to the Following Paragraph Headings indicate what the next paragraph(s) will say. So put the heading closer to the paragraph below than above: I tend to create twice as much space above the heading…
Continue Reading 5 Easy Tips for Web Typography »
comments (4) | trackbacks (1) | permalink
February 19, 2008 by ian
We just launched a new look for my company, Portent Interactive. I lost the battle to keep my picture the hell off the site. I did win the typographical battle though, so we opted for a larger typeface. We've also added a (gasp) blog where the Portent team can dwell on everything from design to PPC to my unusual taste in desk paraphenalia (currently including model Mark VI Viper, a little wind-up spring loaded thing that skitters around my desk like a spastic squirrel, and a duck tape holder). Have a look and let me know if you have any…
Continue Reading A New Look for Portent Interactive »
comments (7) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 24, 2008 by ian
Jill bravely volunteered her site aldebaranwebdesign.com for a review and six recommendations. In internet marketing, like any other form of marketing, the simplest message that communicates, wins. The poster with one compelling sentence will do better than one with a so-so photograph. The web site that attempts to do the least wins, too. The Aldebaran site is far too complex: So, one word: Simplify. First, change your background. The blue glow is too 1990s. Use a light colored background throughout the site. Use dark text over the light background, no more light text on a light background. Next, fewer columns!…
Continue Reading When In Web Design Doubt, Simplify: Aldebaran Web Design Review »
comments (5) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 15, 2008 by ian
Hey! I'm not doing this any more. Click this link for my nifty new video site reviews. Once, a long time ago, I contacted Alan Weiss of Summit Consulting. I asked him if I could review his site on my blog. He replied: NO. YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION. In all caps, just like that. Since then I've steered clear of unsolicited site reviews. So here's your big chance: If you'd like me to take a look at your site and make 5 suggestions to improve it, leave your site address in the comments below. The only condition: I get…
Continue Reading Get Your Site Reviewed For Free (Only Cost: Public Humiliation) »
comments (41) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 17, 2007 by ian
Amazon needs to read GrokDotCom a little more. When creating links, use the words that call for action - the trigger words. Amazon failed to do that here: If you're going to sign in, which words would you click? 'Personalized recommendations'? Or 'sign in'? Personally, I'd click 'sign in'. But Amazon linked from 'personalized recommendations'. I actually spent a few minutes trying to figure out where to go to log in - I assumed that the personalized recommendations link described how those recos worked. Restore my faith, oh great Lord Bezos. Fix your usability gaffe...…
Continue Reading Amazon Flunks Usability 101? Say it ain't so... »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 4, 2007 by ian
Have you tried to buy a Wii lately? Target stores apparently doesn't want you to. Ever. I visited a few major retailers' sites, found by searching for 'Nintendo Wii' on Google: To me, the Target ad means 'buy a Wii from us'. So I clicked on the ad, and got this page: No console. Lots of accessories available for purchase, but that's it. And no information about when I might purchase one, or why there aren't any available. That's OK though. I can wait. I figured I could at least pre-order, or put my name on an e-mail list so…
Continue Reading Wii Want to Buy. Target Doesn't Care? »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 1, 2007 by ian
As you can see, we've just redesigned the Conversation Marketing blog. While the feedback I've received has been mostly positive, I also noticed that pageviews have dropped a bit in the last week. So, if you have a moment, please post a comment with your thoughts/likes/dislikes about the new design. I appreciate your feedback.…
Continue Reading Feedback About the New Look, Please »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 27, 2007 by ian
I regard 'captcha' - those crazy letters and numbers you have to type in before submitting a form - as a necessary evil. But it's definitely evil: I mean really, is that a 'w'? Or a 'u' and a 'v'? It's a usability nightmare. Then I saw this on Anders.com: I love it! Technorati Tags: captcha…
Continue Reading Great Version of 'Captcha' »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 11, 2007 by ian
Sage words from Seth Godin: “Fire the committee. No great website in history has been conceived of by more than three people. Not one. This is a dealbreaker.†Web design by community never works. The 2-3 times I've seen it tried, design stretched out for months, my designers started developing nervous twitches, and the final product was either bland or downright lousy. Please, take some leadership: If you're in charge of marketing, you decide how the site should look.…
Continue Reading Key to a Great Web Site: Fire the Committee »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 20, 2007 by ian
You have a company. You want to grow it online. But, for whatever reason, you still want to design your own site. You could hire an internet marketing professional, work with an agency, or hit Elance and get a design for $500. But this looks easy enough, and you've got that free copy of Fireworks you downloaded from Adobe, so why not go for it? “Yeah, but it was cheap†I have lots of reasons, but let's assume I'm not going to change your mind. In that case, here's how you design a site that might still help you…
Continue Reading 5 Steps to Design a Not-Ugly Web Site »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 4, 2007 by ian
It's “cuteâ€. It's “cleverâ€. It's useless! I don't want 'clever'. And I don't necessarily want cute, unless you're selling me teddy bears. Have a look at this design (blurred to protect the innocent). This site sells 800 numbers: What I need - the button descriptions - is totally shouted down by what's cute: The numbers on the buttons. I'm not saying this just to beat up on some poor designer. There's a way to avoid this kind of mess: Look at your web site navigation: The buttons that let people move around the site. Write down the first 10…
Continue Reading Traffic Cop, Not a Clown: Good Web Navigation »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 10, 2007 by ian
I made some tiny changes to CM: Made the font size larger, and the line spacing wider. Any feedback? Better?…
Continue Reading Small Design Changes to Conversation Marketing »
comments (2) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 7, 2007 by ian
I don't gush. Ask any of my friends. Coming from me, “Not bad†is high praise. So know that I'm in no way trying to apply my lips to Steve Jobs' fanny here. But I call 'em like I see 'em - Apple's new home page, launched in its final version a few hours ago, is a great demonstration of some key design, branding and internet marketing principles: No Trends Their home page is not 'Web 2.0', 'Web 3.0' or 'Web 1000000'. It's just what it needs to be. Awareness of Audience: No Begging, No Featurespeak Apple is aware…
Continue Reading Apple, Unwrapped: What We Can Learn From The New Apple.com Home Page »
comments (1) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 20, 2007 by ian
Really stupid error messages on web sites: The web site encountered an error. Someone showed me this today. “Encountered†an error? In a dark alley? Not only is this message totally unhelpful, it also manages to sound wishy-washy. An error occurred while executing service “blah blah†in category “blah blahâ€. Huh? Should I be scared? Web page cannot be displayed. Wow, thanks. I couldn't figure that out on my own. 500 internal server error. Totally unhelpful, like the first three, yet even more ominous. And, my personal favorite (this error appears on the web site of one of Seattle's…
Continue Reading "Sorry", not "Bite Me": Good versus bad contingency design »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 13, 2007 by ian
Oh Steve, I expected so much more. I just went to the Apple.com site to drool over their Cinema Display. I used Apple's browser, Safari (not the new version they just released - the old, solid one). The top navigation bar broke: The above page is here. Then I went back to the store and saw this: I recommend hiring a certain company in Seattle whose QA department doesn't typically let stuff like that get by.... Technorati Tags: apple…
Continue Reading Apple Store (slightly) Busted in Safari »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 30, 2007 by ian
Six Apart created the popular TypePad and Movable Type blogging systems. But Movable Type isn't just for blogging. It's also a solid content management system. You can create templates and pages within Movable Type and have them act as 'normal' web pages, rather than blog entries. Then the site editor can log in and edit those pages using the system's intuitive interface (And no, I have no relationship with Six Apart - they just deserve a shout-out here). I'm tooting my own horn a bit here, but we just launched two sites using Movable Type, and I couldn't be…
Continue Reading Movable Type: Not Just For Blogs »
comments (4) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 22, 2007 by ian
I've seen far too many projects derailed by a single feature - the one thing that the developer or client feels they must have. But is that feature really that important? 37Signals has a fantastic piece about it: Don't Be A Hero: Giving Up Is Good Technorati Tags: internet marketing, tools…
Continue Reading Don't Be A Hero »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 15, 2007 by ian
“It'll cost $X to build your new site.â€, I say. “WHAT?!â€. Your mouth drops open, “Why on earth would it cost that much?!†Here we go. These are the steps it takes to create a website that will look cool and actually (gasp) help you do business: Step 0: Why? Why do you need a site? What do you need to do? Get more leads? Sales? Votes? Look cool? Will search engines be important? If you can't answer, better wait until you have a strategic plan for your company overall. Step 1: Audience Before anything else, you have to…
Continue Reading 10 Steps In Good Web Design »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 20, 2007 by ian
I've gotten great comments since I put my book online. One of the best was: “As I continue reading, I am hoping for insight on how to respectfully convince the ego-driven website owners to convert to a conversation-based approach. Can it even be done?†They wrote that to me after reading about how to dress appropriately. The key to dressing appropriately is designing a site for your audience, not for you. The former is great design. The latter is ego-driven design. Ego-driven design leads to sites that may be 'cool', but definitely aren't 'appropriate'. So, how do you avoid…
Continue Reading Ego-Driven Design »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
January 13, 2007 by ian
My firm just re-launched ColdHeat's web site. The team did an amazing job. But the most remarkable thing about the site is a bunch of little things that make it a pleasure to use (I can brag like this because I had almost nothing to do with the new design). My favorite example. Here's the shopping cart icon: And here it is if you've added something to your cart: Little things can make a big difference. The folks on the design and implementation team didn't have to add the glowing icon to indicate something's in your cart. No one…
Continue Reading Usability Is About The Details »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
December 14, 2006 by ian
Why is it that so many people believe my company is a development firm? I suspect it's because we work with numbers, and code, as well as all that 'typical' creative marketing stuff. Well dang it, we are creative. Here's a little holiday fun to prove that we are, indeed, creative folk: http://www.portentinteractive.com/peng Beware, it's a huge time waster... Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Yes, We Do Creative Stuff »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
November 27, 2006 by ian
Barry sent me a great example of horrifically bad usability: If You Have to Ask the Price You Can't Afford it? He states the problem quite eloquently. Very briefly: If there's no price, and no way to find out the price, and no way to buy online, would you pursue the matter any further, or just call a competitor?...…
Continue Reading Usability Smackdown: Simply Accounting »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
October 30, 2006 by ian
Seattle24x7 just published a piece I wrote about simplifying your web site. If you want to read my theory as to why the ugliest web sites are the best, check it out. Technorati Tags: internet marketing…
Continue Reading Web Site Diets (Fat Free) »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 10, 2006 by ian
I just went onto the American Express web site to buy something using my points. The shopping experience was great, right up until I tried to complete my purchase. Then I got a screen that looked like this: Really helpful, guys. Thanks. At that point, I gave up. I'll have to call them, taking up their time and mine. When you build a shopping site, make sure your error messages make sense. That will immediately vault you into the top 5% of all web sites.…
Continue Reading Usability: Error Messages »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 8, 2006 by ian
Given the hubbub about NFB v. Target I though it'd be a good idea to provide a basic checklist. In the case, the judge found Target liable for a site that didn't comply with ADA accessibility guidelines. I read the ruling, and the case turns, in part, on the judge's ruling that the ADA applies not only to brick-and-mortar stores, but online sites that provide goods and services, too. But note that the judge's ruling is not the final one. This ruling simply denied Target's request to throw the entire case out. Now the case will proceed, and we'll…
Continue Reading Analysis, and an ADA Checklist »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
September 8, 2006 by ian
Is your site accessible? Better check. According to PRNewswire, Target stores lost a lawsuit in which the plaintiffs charged that the site was inaccessible to the blind. The suit alleged that the site violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the California Disabled Persons Act. Why? Because the site lacks ALT text (the ALT attribute is used for images, so that if the image doesn't appear, the text does) and has other stuff, like image maps, that render the site useless for those using assistive devices. The implications are wide-ranging. The judge…
Continue Reading Legal Precedent For Web Accessibility »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 17, 2006 by ian
I go to an airline's web site for two reasons: To make a reservation, or check on my flight status. It's easy to make a reservation from Alaska Airlines' home page. But try to find the flight status link. It's there, I promise. It's just really well hidden. Why not at least make it a tab, like United Airlines or Continental? Or, even better, give it equal real estate and attention, right on the home page? If part of your brand is providing easy access to the country, and the world, I suggest providing easy access to information about…
Continue Reading Usability Smackdown: Alaska Airlines »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
June 1, 2006 by ian
UPS, you have a loooong way to go when it comes to usability. If you want some free advice, in the form of a rant, read on.…
Continue Reading UPS, Get A Clue About Usability »
comments (3) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
February 1, 2006 by ian
Previously, I talked about the moment when a web site visitor decides to stay or leave. Seth Godin has another great post about it: Wait!. Be smart, be focused, and don't ignore the needs/wants/questions of your audience, or they'll end up ignoring you.…
Continue Reading Judging, 2: That Cover Thing Again »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
April 30, 2005 by ian
Last year Portent Interactive (that's my company, in case you didn't know) redesigned Dessy.com. It was our second iteration of the site in four years, and we really liked it. Turns out some other folks did, too - Dessy.com won Macromedia Site of the Day yesterday, proving that you can conduct a fundamentally sound Internet marketing campaign and still look cool, too. And proving that sometimes it's OK to brag, just a little...…
Continue Reading An Un-modest Brag »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 22, 2004 by ian
When you picture your web site, who is it for? You, or your audience/customers/clients? Seems obvious, right? A web site is built to address the needs of someone else. You want visitors to buy your product, get your message, support your cause, etc. and the only way to do that is to build a web site that appeals to them. Yet most web sites I see are clearly built to appeal to the tastes and egos of the CEO, the marketing director or the VP of sales. These sites don't address the needs of the customer. 'Selfish design', as I…
Continue Reading Unselfish Design
Building a site for your audience, not yourself »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
July 19, 2004 by ian
Ever had a miserable customer experience, but walked away smiling? The lousy dinner that was followed up with free dessert? The terrible phone service compensated by two months free? How about a free First Class upgrade after your flight was delayed? Why did you walk away happy? The meal sucked. The phone company drove you nuts. And you got to your destination 9 hours late, after eating lousy terminal food. You walked away happy because someone said, "We're very sorry, and here's how we're going to make up for it." They showed a little respect, and yah, they bribed you.…
Continue Reading Contingency Design: Learning to Say You're Sorry »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 28, 2004 by ian
Here's a radical idea: The Internet would be better if designers worked to make it graphics-free. Whoa, you say - I like all the pretty pictures. If there aren't any graphics, it'll be boring! True enough. A graphics-free web is a goal, and like a lot of goals, you set it with the idea that your approach to that goal will be asymptotic. You'll never get there. But we can go back to the days when graphics were used only for presentation, and not as a layout or structural tool. Most web pages today use dozens of invisible 'spacer' gifs…
Continue Reading Towards a Graphics-Free Web »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
March 23, 2004 by ian
I just finished reading Designing with Web Standards - re-reading it, actually. It's a must-read for anyone who builds web sites. I also strongly recommend reading the first one or two chapters if you're looking to hire a web design firm. Why? Because Zeldman makes a great argument for why HTML code - all that hidden stuff that no one sees - is really important. Clean code is universally viewable, fast-loading and gives an overall impression of slickness. Clean code is never noticed by your visitors. And that makes you sound smart.…
Continue Reading Sound Smart: The Value of Good Code »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
August 24, 2003 by ian
Web site design is an exercise in compromise: Usability versus Pizazz. Of course we all want to have animated menus, video, and wide, rich designs that fill the highest-resolution monitors. But you have to take three factors into account: Your users. The average Internet user is a novice. They may understand the basics of their web browser. But they work in a conventional web world: Web pages that scroll up-and-down, with mostly text. And they don't typically have to download and install additional gadgets just to use a site. Keep it in mind. Their computers. Most Internet users have computers…
Continue Reading Keep It Simple »
comments (0) | trackbacks (0) | permalink
