Examples of Bad Websites

Wouldn't you think that a website selling organization services would itself be organized?  Having to 'page down' 9 times to get to the bottom of the home page is also not (to our untrained minds) a very good example of organization either.  Oh wait - the headline claims that January is National Get Organized month.  THAT explains it, because January is over and everything on this site has fallen into disarray...even the fonts.

When deciding how your website should portray your company, it is imperative that you sit down with a good designer and talk about the impression you want to convey.  If you sell a product, it should be prominently and attractively displayed.  When selling a service, your website should do all it can to make an impression of quality and value.  There ARE ways to do this.  If you need help with these basic best practices, give our sponsor a call or an email, and they'll be glad to help.

This very website asks the question "How does clutter and chaos make you feel?"  We all agree it makes us want to move on to another website.

Are you ready for a ride in the not-so-way-back machine? Buckle up, we're going back to 1998.  It sounds like yesterday, but in fact it was fourteen years ago.  Why are we going there, you ask?  Because that's when Netscape Navigator/Communicator was HOT.  And that's what was used to create this website.  

The world has moved on, but unfortunately this website is stuck in the past.  It's also Under Construction, as it was when submitted to us quite some time ago.  You see, we don't use submissions that are Under Construction until we've given the sites a fair chance to be updated.  This site has had quite enough time, and has now tripped the b.s. meter. 

People - if your website is truly 'under construction', there's no need to tell us about it while you work on it.  Just launch the new one when it's ready.  Leaving an animated gif of a construction worker using a jackhammer doesn't make anyone believe you are actually wearing a hardhat while programming.

A statement of quality certification for 'military specification' from 1998 is a nice historical document, but not relevant proof of any current standards.

Voters in Kansas, beware.  Or rather, beware OF voters in Kansas.  This business was voted "BEST OF THE NORTHLAND!!" - and we hope they're talking about the actual services received, and not this website.

Seriously - does anything about this website inspire you to say "Honey?  I think I found a great daycare for our little darling!  Come and look at this website!"  No.  Maybe it's the Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall notices on the landing page.  (tents, ski bindings...)  Maybe it's the lack of a consistent design or visual appeal.  Every page is a different color and theme - and we have yet to see ANY representation of happy kids enjoying their time at this Learning Center.  There is also no navigation once you leave the landing page.

Building your own business website is like choosing to do your own appendectomy.  When it comes to professional services, hire professionals to do the job. 

A show of hands, please - how many of you enjoy, revisit, and actually hire companies with cluttered websites?  Just as we suspected.  NOBODY, except for those two jokers in Hawaii.  A site that looks like this one will quickly shoo away potential customers. Messiness makes people uncomfortable, and also looks unprofessional.

If your website is not neat and clean, potential customers will assume that you won’t be either.  Additionally, a well-designed website can make your operation seem bigger than it is.  If you have a professionally developed website, your online visitors will assume that you have a professional operation.  If your website looks cluttered and amateurish, you will likely miss out on a lot of business.

Take a look at your competitors' websites.  If yours looks bad by comparison, our sponsor can help.

The user who submitted this boogersite invited us to check out the menu page, saying that the fonts are all over the place.  No kidding - and even more interesting is that the 'bar menu' is displayed, but the food menu cannot be accessed.

There's a lot wrong here - including the date/time display that was not given enough room, and the non-working "Box Pix" page in IE.  Designers - don't forget about Internet Explorer.  You may not like it, but it's still the most popular browser in use.  Figures from Wikipedia (compiled from different sources) show that browser usage as of July 2011 breaks down like this:

IE 40%, FF 26%, Chrome 18%, Safari 7%, Opera 3%, mobile 7%.  (rounded)

Anyway - in closing - we agree with the submitter's comment "WHAT is with that happy trail shot in the header image??"