Design & Development

The nuts and bolts of an ecommerce site are design and development. We address design innovation and trends — including layouts, colors, photography, logos, video, and more. We explain the basics of code — HTML, CSS, JavaScript — as well as platforms, themes, plugins, open source, and related topics.

Platforms & Apps
Stephanie Leffler, CEO of MonsterCommerce

November 1, 2005 • Michael A. Cox

Stephanie Leffler says anybody who thinks a successful ecommerce business is about putting up a website in five minutes and counting the money in their pajamas is in for a rude awakening. To her, ecommerce is a real business that requires every bit the investment of time, energy and mon...
Code
An Introduction to CSS: Part 1

November 1, 2005 • Brian Getting

Cascading Style Sheets allow designers to create HTML that is structured in a search-engine-friendly way and appealing to users.
Code
An Introduction to XML

November 1, 2005 • Brian Getting

Extensible Markup Language — XML — is a system of tags that identify discreet units of information for processing. XML was created to allow documents to be used on the web.
Platforms & Apps
Blog Platforms: Choose One that Fits Your Need

October 1, 2005 • Paul Chaney

You have bitten the bullet and decided to add a blog to your ecommerce site and make it a part of your marketing mix. You made the strategic decision of why you want to blog, determined what your core message will be and the audience you wish to target.
Design & Dev Tools
Hosting Companies: Top 10 Questions to Ask

October 1, 2005 • Pamela Hazelton

I field many phone calls in any given day. And never does a day pass where I don’t get a call about someone having trouble with their host. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue, and many would be shocked at some of the stories I’ve heard. I think it’s time to just start referring people ...
Design & Development
Understanding Common Web Error Messages

October 1, 2005 • PEC Staff

Over the years in the interactive marketing business, any consultant worth his or her salt has faced the dilemma of assisting a company whose primary issue is that its “Web site broke.” No more information than that. “It broke.” Many a parent can identify with this description as it p...
Design & Development
Securing an SSL Certificate

October 1, 2005 • PEC Staff

Overview How do you know that I am who I say I am? Likewise, how do I know you are who you say you are? And, if we can’t catapult past this initial, basic level of trust – how will we ever be able to conduct business together? In the Web world, it’s done with an SSL certificate. SSL ...
Platforms & Apps
How to Choose a Shopping Cart

September 1, 2005 • Michael A. Cox

Mark Baartse has identified 137 different shopping carts. Baartse tries to identify which are the best for the myriad applications required in the ecommerce industry.
Design & Development
Web Graphics: Why Are We So Limited?

September 1, 2005 • PEC Staff

As a Web designer and developer, I have worked with graphics in a variety of formats. Anybody who uses Adobe Photoshop – the standard for design production in the interactive business – has learned his or her way around JPG, GIF, TIF, EPS, PSD, PCX and BMP files. Those types of files s...
Design & Dev Tools
Preventative Maintenance

July 1, 2005 • Pamela Hazelton

I spend just as much time troubleshooting Miva Merchant issues as I do customizing storefronts. I've found that no matter how much you foolproof something, someone out there can, and will, find a way to break its functionality. Fortunately, users of Miva Merchant often need only follow ...
Platforms & Apps
How Does Shopping Cart Software Work?

January 15, 2004 • Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

A "shopping cart" has come to mean either an online ordering system or a store-building system. An online ordering system will do fine for a few products, but a store builder is essential for 50 or 1,000 or 100,000.
Code
HTML E-Mail: Text Font Readability Study

March 1, 2001 • Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

In February 2001 my Doctor Ebiz readers patiently answered survey after survey to help me determine what they considered the most readable fonts and sizes for HTML e-mail. While this may come as no surprise to you, it is causing me to change my standards.
Design & Development
Setting Newsletter Ad Rates

March 15, 2000 • Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

"How much should I charge for ads in my e-mail newsletter, especially a narrowly-targeted newsletter where it's pretty obvious who the interested advertisers would be." -- Charlie Darling