Examples of Bad Websites

This website claims that "Beautiful Things Happen".  Well, we're still waiting...unless they meant in the STORE.  There is nothing 'beautiful' about this website - at all.

Maybe it's a game?  Count how many different font styles there are.  No one here can remember when that was trendy - but we all agree it was never a good idea.  The site visitor counter, which really dates a website, jumped from 5188 to 5193 while we were reviewing the site.  At an average since 2001 of only 1.42 visitors per day, that's a huge increase in traffic.

You can click on a magazine cover for Home Theater Interiors, to see the Nov/Dec 2001 issue's cover in better detail. You can watch some words scroll across the screen, a few product categories that can't be clicked on, until you get to Upholstery and Drapery repeated 19 times.  Yes, we counted.  There is also a blue and white scrolling invitation to "Let us design the look you have been looking for!"  We can only hope this company's interior design skills are far superior to their website design capabilities.

The person who submitted this site described it as having: "mystery navigation, skewed photography, roll-overs-to-negative, general badness".

"General Badness", which sounds like an awesome character in a not-yet-written movie, does indeed describe this site. This restaurant is presumed to be a great place to eat if you believe the rave reviews (from 2005!) on the site - if you can find them, that is. By the way, these reviews, as well as any site content in pdf form, should open in a new window. Needing to click the browser's back button to return to your website is no way to treat a visitor.

You might have the greatest product, service, or restaurant EVER - but if you are still depending on word-of-mouth or Facebook to attract new customers (instead of a great and well-made website), you aren't taking advantage of the most cost-effective advertising available today.

Along with the wAcKY name, we have a WaCKy weBsItE.  (see how annoying that is?)  First of all, if you are going to claim "Website Design" as something you offer...perhaps you should actually have made one for yourself that shows talent in that area.   Fail #1.

Secondly, if a company is "vastly experienced in all avenues of graphc design", you many want to get someone even slightly experienced at proofreading copy.  Psst...don't forget the "magzine advertisement lay-outs".  Fail #2

Thirdly, to show off examples of work, websites often offer a Portfolio area, as this site does.  A helpful tip - free of charge - is to actually have something to show.  Clicking on any of the categories including the intriguing MiSCALLENOUs should actually produce some examples to look at.  You guessed it - Fail #3.

When this boogersite was submitted, we thought it sounded like a drainage company.  Not so!  This website is for an electronic system that replaces the good ol' "Next, please!" human interface.

To illustrate this, there is animation on the landing page of identical lime green figures that move in supposed efficiency to the head of the line, and then get served.  Watch more closely. When the greenie at the head of the line moves forward toward an illuminated light, the rest of the greenies in line disappear.  Now, we don't know about you - but what we'd like to see is a system that makes everyone in FRONT of us in line disappear.

What can we say about the design?  It's old.  The subpages don't retain the nav, the colors/style is not consistent, and there is no way to order the product online. 

If this company is still in business, it seems to be time to invest in a new website and some new product photos.

There's not a lot to pick on here, other than the fact that this site was submitted months ago - and is still under construction.  Why put it out there if it's not finished?

Your company website needs to portray an image of quality and reliability.  Consider your choices as a consumer  - if you searched for a particular product or service, and began clicking on the search results one by one...would you linger on a website that was under construction?  Probably not. 

If your company has a website - go take a look at it.  Before you do, try to let go of your familiarity with it.  If you were a stranger to your business - would you find your website appealing and up-to-date?  Would you be able to find what you were looking for without getting frustrated?  Would you recommend the site to others?  If the answer to any of these questions is an uncomfortable 'not really', contact our sponsor.