GUEST BLOGGER: Amanda Acevedo, Director of Marketing and Business Development - Niles Barton

Over six months ago, I moved from a global law firm with a marketing department of 20+ professionals to a midsized regional firm with a marketing department of just one: me.

Agency: Thank you for thinking of us for your project. Is there an RFP that we can work from to provide you with the best possible answer to your needs?

Client: I am sorry, no, we do not have an RFP.

Agency: Ok, no problem, We have a few questions for you about the project that will help us answer your needs. Do you have some time to chat further?

Client: Yes, of course.

Every time I hear someone in marketing or advertising talk about "best practices" for website design, I roll my eyes.

Now granted, many of the do's and don't's of web design have merit. They've been tried, tested and proven to work. And I believe that certain best practices such as ease of navigation, making good use of white space, ensuring that site text is easy to read and building for fast loading times are sarcosanct. But I also believe that best practices are helping to hold marketers back.