Every day, well-funded think-tanks and scientific research firms conduct tests of hypotheses that are no more than educated guesses. There is little skepticism about this process, and for good reason: Our modern society benefits in countless ways from our culture of testing. So why is it that the same faith in this process is not readily applied to internet marketing and website usability?

For most of the history of this new and critical marketing channel, web designers and creative agencies have put forth a vision of what a company’s web presence should be, based largely on hubris. Because of this, businesses have paid dearly — not just for the price tag of the new website, but for the lack of performance that follows the launch of the site. A business cannot benefit from a website that does not effectively transform visitors into customers. We live in a time of a great and emerging wisdom concerning the unique challenges of website usability and online marketing.

There exists among well-intentioned business owners, as well as web designers themselves, an imbalance in the perception of what constitutes good web design and what skill sets are necessary to achieve a desired website conversion. As a matter of fact, the word ‘design’ is used too broadly when referring to the act of creating a web site or presence and for most people, ‘design’ carries the impression of being primarily occupied with artistic concerns. Ultimately, a site that is created for the purposes of doing business on the web or establishing brand identity must maintain a balance between aesthetics and website user experience. Truly good web design (concerning website conversion or successful business web presence) equally satisfies the right (creative) and left (logical) brain.