Examples of Bad Websites

Who knew that scooter rental was a booming business in Williamsburg?   If you want to see the sights and didn't realize you needed a scooter until you arrived, you can rent one.  Why you didn't bring your own is a mystery.

There are several companies that rent scooters in Williamsburg, the website we're showing you today features a slideshow of charming photos of their product in use.  What's missing that other rental companies have is the brand, size, and price of the rentals.  

We don't see the name of the company, a location, or a phone number 'above the fold,' which is standard best practice for websites.  The website is also not mobile-friendly, which in this case is a terrible pun.

Let's just rant for a moment, shall we?  Who else is OVER the intrusive 'cookie policy' popups that are spreading like a virus?  When a business chooses to block their content with a giant notification, we just close the site and move on to another that we can READ.

Using this site's incredibly rude obstacle as an example, they are attempting to justify it by telling you it'll make your successive visits go more smoothly, as IF we'll ever be back - as well as to collect details to better serve us advertisements.  As IF anyone likes those.

So - whatever you were selling, you just lost out.  

Busy and colorful, this website isn't terrible, but it is a mess.  You can't even see the address because it's overlaid with other text.  Kind of cute misspellings abound, such as 'chipolte' and 'andoulie' which may be exactly how the locals pronounce these words.

We were confused by .mid and .aif files opening at the bottom of the screen until we realized that with each navigation menu click, a sound file was trying to play.

Oddly, the Reviews show 'guestbook' entries, not all of them complimentary so maybe no one's monitoring entries such as "WAITED FOR OVER A HOUR AFTER ORDER WAS TAKEN BEFORE RECIEVED ANY FOOD" and "Had one of the worst services and comments from any restaruant on this planet." and " The entire staff ignored us while we were there."  Oops.

Here at boogersite.com, one of us had occasion to use a portable toilet over the weekend.  Let us tell you - there is a LOT of room for improvement in these ubiquitous outdoor facilities.  Maybe the company behind today's bad website is making strides in their field, but you wouldn't know if from their dated website.  By Network Solutions, of all people!

Amusing motto (We Want Your Stinking Business) aside, the site's a mess.  We found a misspelling, an audio testimonial, a movie that won't play, and some old PDFs which may still be relevant and useful on how many units you need for your event based on length and attendence.  Those PDFs were the most modern-looking part of the experience.

In short - if your website looks dated, internet searchers may assume your company is too, if still in business at all.

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip!  If you have no idea what that references, you may be young.  Wait, this url is 'cmd-tip.'  But why?  Perhaps the web 'designer' and url-procurer is a fan of TLC. (not that there is anything wrong with that)

What IS wrong is that this website is stuck in 1992, and that's being generous.  Keywords include ball check, nozzles, screw tip, and job shop.  Hey wait - there's the 'tip!'  But it's the only place tip is mentioned.

Quaintly, you are invited to order by phone, fax, e mail, or post office.  Just step right up to the counter at the post office, and order a 'tip.'  We dare you.  :)