E-consultancy - Web Design - Internet Marketing News and Blogs

Six things that annoy me about newspaper websites

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:00:00 UT

Many of the UK's newspaper websites have been redesigned over the past year or so and, in general, most are pretty good.

However, there are still a few annoying features of these sites which can spoil the user experience and�could be improved upon.

Here is a selection...

Guardian revamps its blogs

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:45:00 UT

The Guardian has updated its blogs section to bring it in line with the rest of the site, while navigation and comment functionality has also been improved.

At first glance, the new design looks pretty good, but we've taken a closer look to find out more...

Site review: Grooveshark Lite

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:50:00 UT

Online music community Grooveshark has recently introduced Grooveshark Lite, which lets users search for and listen to music on demand.

�

There are a number of useful music sites out there, so let's see how Grooveshark compares with Last.fm, Deezer, Imeem and other rivals....�

Site review: Oasis revamp

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:27:00 UT

Fashion retailer Oasis has just launched a redesigned version of its website, with the stated aim of making the purchasing and checkout process smoother.

We've had a look through the site to see if Oasis has managed to improve on the previous version...

BBC finally experiments with in-text 'links'

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:29:00 UT

The BBC�is experimenting with the idea of linking out to external sources from within the body text of its news articles, in a trial which will last for four weeks.

Obviously this is a good idea, though why it has taken a decade for the BBC�to roll out a 'trial' is anybody's guess (though it won't have done any harm to The Beeb's own Pagerank).

However, the way it is going about this is, well, a little bit Noddy...

Web optimisation: the ultimate conversion insurance

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:49:00 UT

The days of deploying your site changes to production without first testing functionality and cosmetics are long gone.�

So too will the days of deploying website changes that are not conversion tested.�

Used car search tools... suck!

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:29:00 UT

I have been looking for a used car recently across a selection of manufacturer and third party sites, and it seems there is plenty of room for improvement in the way their search tools work.

Ideally, a search tool should be easy to use, but still allow users to choose between complex features and sort the results effectively.

So how do some of the major�car�manufacturers�perform?�

Q&A: Comet�s Content Manager Robbie Tutt

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:39:00 UT

Electrical retailer Comet has this week introduced a new beta version of its homepage, asking for user feedback on the new design.

We talked to Comet�s Content Manager Robbie Tutt about the thinking behind the new homepage.

Q&A: Royal Mail's Stephen Mitchell on online customer service

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:45:00 UT

Royal Mail has recently introduced a new online customer service system, 'Ask Sarah', which aims to give customers immediate answers to their queries online.

We talked to Stephen Mitchell, Royal Mail's Digital Operations Manager, about the introduction of the new customer service system and the impressive early results...

Tips on site search box design

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:30:00 UT

While many web shoppers may prefer to browse through a website using the navigational links, the importance of the search�tool should not be overlooked.

If shoppers arrive at your site with a clear idea of what they want, then�using the search box�is the obvious option. This also indicates a clear intent to purchase, so the�tool has the potential to�convert well.

Does beta mean anything to the average user?

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:15:00 UT

One of the most common words to be found on sites that might be defined as being Web 2.0 is beta.

But does this mean anything to those who don�t work in the tech space and should there be a time-limit on how long a site can remain in beta?

Site review: Signposter.com

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:30:00 UT

Launched recently, Signposter.com is a site from WPP�which allows businesses to buy and create outdoor advertising in the UK.

The service, which makes good use of maps to pinpoint billboards, buses�and other locations, aims to make it easier for small businesses to get involved in the outdoor ad space.

News of the World gets a new look

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 08:31:00 UT

The News of the World is launching a new look website next week, with more of a focus on blogs and video content.

There is a beta version of the site online now, so�are the changes an improvement?

Comet introduces new homepage

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 08:00:00 UT

Comet has released a beta version of its homepage this week, allowing customers to give feedback before the new�design officially goes live.

We've taken a look to see what has changed...

Site review: Like.com

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:28:00 UT

Like.com launched back in November 2006, with a shopping comparison site that enabled users to search for clothing and other fashion items by using both text and images as queries.

Since then, it has been redesigned completely, so we've taken�a�look to�see how it has developed...�

20 colour tips for website design

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 10:08:00 UT

Choosing the right colours when designing a website is something that requires a lot of patience and experimentation, and � ideally � a minimum of guesswork.

Thankfully there are some useful rules of thumb to follow when it comes to working with colours, as well as some truly excellent sources of inspiration out there to help you make the right colour choices for your brand, website, and audience.

Let's start off by considering why colour matters, then I�ll list 20 colour recommendations for web professionals, followed by some pointers to my favourite tools at the end of this article.

12 PPC landing page tips

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:15:00 UT

Effective landing pages are the key to converting customers through paid search. There is little point in spending money attracting people to your site if your pages aren't doing the job properly.

Taken from our newly updated�Paid Search Marketing Best Practice Guide,�here are twelve landing pages success factors which should help improve your landigng pages and convert more vistors...

Delicious launches revamped website

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:14:00 UT

Online bookmarking service Delicious has relaunched with an improved version of its site, with improvements including an enhanced search facility.

Would you buy a diamond ring from this website?

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:15:00 UT

This week's episode of Dragons' Den featured Gloucestershire jeweller Clive Billing asking for a �255,000 investment in his website diamondgeezer.com.

Billing received an offer from three of the Dragons (the highest ever in the programme's history) but backed away due to the 40% equity the VCs were demanding. See him here via the iPlayer.

Have the Dragons missed out on a golden opportunity? Or has Billing? We have taken a look at the site to find out...

Site review: Mirror.co.uk redesign

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:50:00 UT

In a bid to catch up with its tabloid rivals online, Mirror.co.uk launched the first stage of its website redesign last week, starting with a new look for the homepage.

We've taken a look at the site to see what other improvements have been made...