Examples of Bad Websites

There are countless examples of embarrassing website designs and development out there. These are the latest examples we have discovered. For each site below we provide a brief analysis to assist you in avoiding the same pitfalls.

After looking at the websites and critiques below, please visit our free advice area.

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Submit your own bad websites.

Talk Reason

Pop Quiz, class:  What's the number one purpose of the landing page of a website?  If you answered "To showcase what you do or sell", you are correct and may be dismissed, because this bad website doesn't do that.

Let's dig in:  The topic sentence announces the death of the company founder, in 2013.  Our condolences.  However, we'll also offer condolences to the utter lack of design whatsoever.  There's nothing to lure you in or make you want to stay, unless your hobby is to search for meaning among random paragraphs of unorganized information.  And wow is there a LOT.

The last line on the landing page says "Welcome and enjoy!"  Enjoy??

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Web Design Company

What you probably can't see from the thumbnail to the left is what caused someone to turn this bad website in to us.  The text being very small and light gray is a bad idea for any website, but for a design company it's unforgivable.  What you can't see are these lines interspersed with the 'content':

[vc_column width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] [vc_column_text width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]

[/vc_column_text] [/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/2″ el_position=”first”] [vc_column_text width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”]

and so on.  Seriously - if you can't manage your OWN website, who would pay you to make one for a business??

 

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Bauserman Group

Well that's embarrassing, isn't it?  Here we have the website for a WEB DESIGN company.  When someone submits a bad website, one of the things we often do is look at the company who created it.  Sometimes, the submitted bad website is really old, and a poor example of the design company's current offerings.

Other times, the creator's website is a hotbed of more bad websites.  But not today.  All we have is a non-working website, which is not going to inspire anyone to hire this company.

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Canadian Safety Equipment

Today's bad website sells Canadian Safety Equipment.  No idea if it's useful in other countries, perhaps we'll learn as we explore this busy and cluttered website.

Adding to the clutter is a useless 'welcome to the website' message.  Seriously?  That's as old as Hello World!  Flickering, changing pictures vie for your attention.  Underhanded technique of stuffing keywords apparent near the bottom - did someone really think that making the font light gray would hide them?  Guess what?  They are on every page.  Shame on you.

Products: spill kits, chlorine spill kits, tank puncture kits, ammonia spill kits, chlorine institute kits
Keywords: spill kits, chlorine spill kits, tank puncture kits, ammonia spill kits, chlorine institute kits indian springs, chlorine institute emergency kits
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Transformer Associates

Hey, what do you think this company does or sells?  We should have a contest.  You can't tell by looking, because someone decided that the main visual components of this bad website should be made of Flash.  Sigh.  

Well, they "provide service" to the high voltage electrical industry.  That could mean anything.  Lunch, even.  Reading further, they'll assist you with investing your maintenance dollars.  So they're investment advisors?  We've already lost interest.

Where is it?  How do you reach them?  Does it really matter?

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