Examples of Bad Websites

When we see a bad website, we attempt to quantify what makes it 'bad.' Often, it's a visual mess, and easy to see why someone submitted it to us as an example of a poorly-designed website.  Sometimes we have to dig a little bit deeper.

NOT TODAY!!  

Just look at it.  We could've played the keyword game, because you would NOT have guessed that a website about meat processing tools would have keywords such as jet net, vero beach, f dick, and GLOBE.  Seriously.

Hey, we don't make this stuff up.  These websites are out there, and we thank you for bringing them to our attention.

Today's bad website sets some sort of record, but it's a record you don't want to hold. The alert internet user who submitted this website said "It's very long, and alternates between size, font, color, justification, and is a complete mess."

"Very long" doesn't begin to quantify the 130 page-downs it takes to get to the bottom.   130 pages long!  No one's got the patience to read all of that, especially the uncategorized mess that is presented here.  

When's the last time you were on a website with NO nav options at all?  Actually, if you find one, or any bad website, you should be submitting them to us for review.

Show of hands, please:  Is it a good idea to show pictures of what you are selling on your website?  Maybe right there on the home page? Don't be shy, you don't even have to be a web design professional to answer.   Let's see...YES!   All of you raised your hands.   Of COURSE you should have pictures on your website, especially if you're attempting to rent or sell properties.

Next question:  Do you like to click on a navigation option, only to have to click another link to view the content?  Of course not.

Lastly - if a company has only two things for sale - would you assume they are relevant in today's busy real estate market?  Really, there's no chance of anyone finding this website by searching.  There are no keywords at all, no evidence of optimization whatsoever.

First of all, apologies for the unusually cropped thumbnail image of the website.  It's actually the 'designer' who should be apologizing for creating a website in unresponsive landscape format!  That's just the first sin of this bad website.

The landing page is made with mostly static Flash, weird spinny nav choices, blurry photos, inconsistent style from page to page, misspelled words...what ISN'T wrong with it?

These days, mobile device accessibility is not a convenience, it's a must.  If your website can't be viewed and used effectively on a smartphone, you might as well cancel your hosting, close the doors of your business, and sit down in your recliner to read your set of Encyclopedia Brittanicas.

The website being reviewed today is a statistical anomaly.  It's pretty old, made with FrontPage, still working, and is kind of cute.  IF you like little animated gifs,  blinky lights, and white text on a black background, that is.  WE don't.

A mishmash of "styles" and fonts is common on poorly-designed websites. Your eyes just don't know quite know where to focus.  The broken/missing video is a giant red flag.  If you're going to use prime, middle of the website real estate it would be great to make sure your featured video actually exists.

At least the information on the website seems to be up-to-date.  One feature that needs to come into present-day would be the Map and Directions page.  Yes, there's a map and typed-out directions - but being able to put your starting address into the common Google maps utility would allow you to get exact directions and drive-time.