This section includes articles on general business website design. In our Web Commerce Today E-Commerce Research Room you'll find articles specific to designing web stores to optimize sales. Also consider Ken Evoy's Make Your Site Sell for a carefully researched sales optimization system.

Category Listing:  Business Website Design

1. Redesigning Your Site  by Jason Burby, ClickZ Experts , 05-20-2008 . The best way to ensure a successful site redesign and launch is to build testing into the process. Plan to split test the new site against the old site during the launch, as well as testing individual elements of the new design.
2. 15 Ways to Nail Your Landing Page  by Jason Lee Miller, WebProNews , 05-21-2008 . There's an art to landing pages but the end goal is the same for all of them: Getting the prospective visitor to take a desired action. Miller compiles 15 tips from several experts.
3. Design Contests Made Me A Better Designer  by Matthew Magain, Site Point , 05-09-2008 . The topic of design contests is a polarizing one. Those who are against them are really against them, maintaining that they exploit designers and devalue the design industry. Magain explains why he enters design contests.
4. OK–Cancel or Cancel–OK?  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 05-27-2008 . Should the OK button come before or after the Cancel button? Following platform conventions is more important than suboptimizing an individual dialog box.
5. Avoiding Navigation Pitfalls  by Susan Esparza, SEO Newsletter (Bruce Clay LLC) , 05-15-2008 . Recommends: defining your structure carefully, use absolute links, check for broken links, avoid overlinking, keep it consistent, and stop drop-down and forms abuse.
6. The Best Contact Form Ever?  by Andy Beal, Marketing Pilgrim , 05-13-2008 . Review of BestContactForm.com that includes captcha as well as useful analytics. It is an easy-to-install WordPress plugin. A free version is good for 20 submittals a month. $19.95 gives you 100 submittals, $49.95 allows 500 submittals and SmartZone that collects useful data.
7. Link List Color on Intranets  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 05-13-2008 . Lists of links are an intermediate case between content-embedded links and menu items. Showing listed links in blue or in the site's main link color is the recommended design — and the one most intranets follow.
8. How Little Do Users Read?  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 05-06-2008 . On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely.
9. 10 Tips to Finding Great Web Design and Development Services  by Molly E. Holzschlag, CIO , 04-23-2008 . Holzschlag explains how to gain a better understanding of what to look for in a Web design and development company, how to ask for it and how to ensure that what you pay for is really what you need.
10. The 19-Hour Website Analysis, in 20 Minutes or Less  by Stoney deGeyter, Internet Search Engine Database , 04-30-2008 . One of the hurdles many people have in performing a usability review of their own site is that they don't know where to start, says deGeyter. Discusses 19 steps for a quickie usability review.
11. Right-Justified Navigation Menus Impede Scannability  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 04-28-2008 . Users scan lists by moving their eyes rapidly down the left edge. Menu items that are right-aligned make scanning more difficult. For menus: left-justify, start each item with one or two information carrying words, and avoid starting with the same few words. All caps reduces legibility by about 10%.
12. Successful Site Architecture and Design, part 2  by Danielle Sahiner, SEO Newsletter (Bruce Clay LLC) , 04-15-2008 . Consider keywords and key phrases actually represent the content on your pages. Look at navigation, a return link to the homepage. Offer securing ordering pages, etc.
13. Four Bad Designs  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 04-14-2008 . Bad content, bad links, bad navigation, bad category pages... which is worst for business? In these examples, bad content takes the prize for costing the company the most money.
14. 13 Reasons Why CSS Is Superior to Tables in Website Design  by Matt Jurmann, SiteReference , 04-08-2008 . CSS is superior to tables: (1) faster page loading due to less code, (2) lowered hosting costs due to lower bandwidth required, (3) more efficient and (4) less expensive redesigns, (5) visual consistency maintained throughout the website, (6) better for SEO, (7) accessibility, (8) competitive edge (job security), (9) quick site-wide updates, (10) easier to maintain, (11) increased usability, (12) more complex layouts and designs, and (13) no spacer GIFs.
15. Bridging the Designer–User Gap  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 03-17-2008 . Depending on how representative designers are of the target audience, a project might need more or less user testing. Still, usability concerns never go away completely. Remember: Designers are not the target users.
16. Company Name First in Microcontent? Sometimes!  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 03-08-2008 . Typically, you should deemphasize your company's name in links, but a new guideline recommends frontloading the name for search engine links under certain conditions: when both (1) the search results page is full junk links AND (2) you have a widely recognized and well-respected company name.
17. Xavier Mathieu On The Design Of 99designs.com  by Matthew Magain, SitePoint , 04-11-2008 . Magain interviews crowdsourcing site designer, who shares some of the early mockups that shaped the site's design, describes the process he followed, and shares his thoughts on "design contests".
18. Building Reader Loyalty, One Bracket at a Time  by Robert Niles, Online Journalism Review , 03-20-2008 . Niles reviews sites, inspired by online professional sports, offering features that engage readers and inspire them to return to a news website, day after day.
19. New Google site search feature raises concerns among retailers , Internet Retailer , 03-25-2008 . Google's Search Within a Site enables searchers to conduct site searches from a Google results page. Some retailers, however, fear that competitors' ads on site search results pages could mean lost traffic and sales.
20. Tomorrow's CSS Today: 8 Techniques They Don't Want You To Know  by Tim Wright, Site Point , 04-09-2008 . Each browser works off a rendering engine that translates your code into what you see when you visit a web page. Wright tells how to know which ones to adapt your development strategies to, listing "the big four."
21. Middle-Aged Users' Declining Web Performance  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 03-31-2008 . Between the ages of 25 and 60, people's ability to use websites declines by 0.8% per year — mostly because they spend more time per page, but also because of navigation difficulties.
22. Brand vs. Usability  by Jack Aaronson, ClickZ Experts , 03-21-2008 . Designing your website for strong brand awareness is generally at odds with ease of use. Branding demands a unique look and feel, while usability requires adherence to common best practices. How to negotiate a sweet spot that meets both goals.
23. 15 Ways to Get Your Website in Gear  by Lisa Wehr, iMedia Connection , 02-11-2008 . f your website isn't working as you envisioned when you first drove it off the lot, it may be time to examine its usability. Offers 15 tune-up areas.
24. User Skills Improving, But Only Slightly  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 02-04-2008 . Users now do basic operations with confidence and perform with skill on sites they use often. But when users try new sites, well-known usability problems still cause failures.
25. 3 Reasons to Ditch Your Microsites  by Sean X Cummings, iMedia Connection , 03-03-2008 . Microsites are the bane of the online space, says Cummings, produced by those who do not comprehend the implications of launching them and do not understand the underbelly that they leave behind.
26. Online Usability Questions That Need Answers  by Laura Ruel and Nora Paul, Online Journalism Review , 03-13-2008 . If your home page has a rotating menu of featured stories at the top, do users look at it, understand how it works and use it to navigate the site? Ruel and Paul discuss issues, present images and video examples.
27. Let Visitors Design Your Site for You  by Ronald Patiro, Future Now , 02-13-2008 . Recommends using A/B and multivariate tests to see how customers collectively prefer your site to be designed. Testing hears the customer's voice.
28. Top-10 Application-Design Mistakes  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 02-19-2008 . Application usability is enhanced when users know how to operate the UI and it guides them through the workflow. Violating common guidelines prevents both.
29. 10 Best Intranets of 2008  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 01-07-2008 . Consistent design and integrated IA are becoming standard on good intranets. This year's winners focused on productivity tools, employee self-service, access to knowledgeable people (as opposed to "knowledge management"), and better-presented company news.
30. Finding the Right Clothes for Your Words  by Reid Goldsborough, Information Today , 02-01-2008 . Choosing which font makes the most sense for any given work is much like choosing which clothes to wear to work, a formal party, an informal gathering of friends, or a workout at the gym. You should aim for image and utility.
31. Usability ROI Declining, But Still Strong  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 01-22-2008 . The average business metrics improvement after a usability redesign is now 83%. This is substantially less than 6 years ago, but ROI remains high because usability is still cheap relative to gains.
32. 14 Usability Tips for Login and My Account Pages  by Stoney deGeyter, Internet Search Engine Database , 02-06-2008 . To avoid potential visitor confusion and the possibility for errors, it is important that any login process requires little or no thought on the part of the site visitor.
33. A Simple Design Fix for Your Website  by Brandt Dainow, iMedia Connection , 01-25-2008 . Poorly performing forms and poor management of the processes behind these forms are costing many people a great deal of business, says Dainow. Discusses abandonment and improving the form management process.
34. Don't Leave Interested Parties Stranded on Bad Landing Pages  by Karen J. Bannan, B to B , 01-14-2008 . Tips to help draw readers in and make the most of your landing pages: create a campaign-specific landing page, stick to a theme, include an opt-out request, test and test again.
35. Do visitors read your primary navigation links?  by Nick Usborne, Excess Voice , 12-11-2007 . Do visitors read your primary navigation links? No, according to eyetracking studies. Eyes go directly to the central area beneath the header and to the right of the left column. From the homepage, the main proposition should be concluded with a couple of "next" links, or the visitor may be left hanging.
36. Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous...  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 12-17-2007 . AJAX, rich Internet UIs, mashups, communities, and user-generated content often add more complexity than they're worth. They also divert design resources and prove (once again) that what's hyped is rarely what's most profitable.
37. Top 10 Reasons Why You Might Want to Redesign Your Website  by Rajesh Tavakari, SiteReference , 12-09-2007 . Why do a site redesign? 10 reasons: attractiveness, organization, right style, promotion, SEO, appealing wording, good graphics, ease of use, more professional looking, and matching the competition.
38. Disabling the Submit Button Until a CheckBox is Checked  by Scott Mitchell, ASP.NET.4GuysFromRolla.com , 12-19-2007 . Here's a very technical article on how to disable the submit button until the user checks a checkbox -- probably indicating for legal purposes the acceptance of an agreement. Includes ASP.net code.
39. Search-Engine-Friendly Content Management  by Julie Batten, ClickZ Experts , 12-10-2007 . What to look for in a content management system, if you want to control search optimization factors on your pages.
40. Modern Art: In web site design, technology and art come together  by Mark Brohan, Internet Retailer , 01-01-2007 . As the online retail industry heats up, competitive design excellence becomes more important. This article looks at the process.
41. Creating a Web of Worlds  by Erica Naone, Technology Review , 01-11-2008 . Naone reports expert's view that virtual worlds are just a new medium, that like other media such as pictures, audio, and video, virtual worlds are eventually going to start being ubiquitous on all sorts of Web pages.
42. How easy would it be to "go Web 2.0" with your existing site?  by Nick Usborne, Excess Voice , 11-27-2007 . Makes suggestions about adding Web 2.0 features to traditional sites that want to become more open and interactive.
43. High-Cost Usability Sometimes Makes Sense  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 11-05-2007 . Computing the net present value (NPV) lets you estimate the most profitable level of usability investment. For big projects, expensive usability can pay off.
44. Intranet Information Architecture (IA)  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 11-26-2007 . In analyzing 56 intranets, we found many common top-level categories, labels, and navigation designs, but ultimately, the diversity was too great to recommend a single information architecture.
45. How to Build a Web Design Business  by Peggie Brown, WebReference.com E-Commerce Watch , 11-30-2007 . Discusses planning, tools, software, graphics, graphic design tools, business savvy, contracts, and legal and accounting advice.
46. 5 Easy Ways to Make Your About Us Page More About Your Customers  by Stoney deGeyter, Internet Search Engine Database , 11-14-2007 . The About Us page can play an important functional role in the process of providing visitors comfort and assurances in your company and your ability to meet their needs, says deGeyter.
47. 6 Ways to Get Your Visitors To Contact You From Your Contact Us Page  by Stoney deGeyter, Internet Search Engine Database , 11-23-2007 . Even if the rest of your site succeeds in the goals, if visitors fail to find the information they need to contact you then you will bring their shopping experience to a screeching halt, warns deGeyter.
48. How a Pretty Face Can Push Visitors Away  by Bryan Eisenberg, GrokDotCom.com , 10-04-2007 . Though people are attracted to pretty faces, since our eyes tend to meet the model's eyes if she's looking at the camera, we may not see the rest of the page. Shows an eyetracking study of the model looking at the reader vs. toward the product. Startling.
49. Intranet Usability Shows Huge Advances  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 10-09-2007 . Measured usability improved by 44% compared to our last large-scale intranet study. The new research identified 5 times the previous number of intranet design guidelines.
50. Multiple-User Simultaneous Testing (MUST)  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 10-15-2007 . Testing 5-10 users at once lets you conduct large-scale usability testing and still meet your deadlines. Explains how to test many users simultaneously, train facilitators, prepare users, conduct automated testing. Shows examples of large and small test labs.

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