While we have a lot of blog posts filled with tips on how you can make stellar-looking blogs and websites, in this article we will take a slightly different approach to educate you.
Here, we will look at 8 examples of astonishingly bad websites, discuss where they went wrong, and learn from their mistakes.
1. Suzanne Collins Books
Do you like The Hunger Games series? I certainly do.
Given the popularity of Suzanne Collins’ franchise, you would think that she would invest in having a more professional online presence by hiring a professional development firm.
Maybe she thinks she has nothing to prove anymore? I can only speculate.
What we know for sure though is that this website’s overuse of white space, odd center-floated photograph at the top of the page and a right-justified menu all conspire together among many other things to make this bad website one to forget.
2. Yale School of Art
Yale is one of the most prestigious schools in the country boasting ultra-low acceptance rates and prestigious alumni.
If any of those prestigious alumni are web developers, they might want to donate their services to the school’s art wing.
Immediately when you go to the page you see a bright yellow tiled background that jars users rather than welcoming them in.
Then, to contrast the bright background, we get grey boxes with erratically formatted text that make you feel like you’re on a scam site rather than on the Yale page you were searching for.
Rest assured this is a real Yale website.
3. Waking People up With Truth
We get it. Conspiracy websites aren’t supposed to be good.
They’re supposed to be as nutty as their creators.
Why is that though!?
You’d think that if a conspiracy theorist were trying to get somebody to buy into what they’re saying, they’d want to present it a little more credibly.
Maybe conventional taste in design is a conspiracy this website is trying to bust…
Whether or not that’s true, all our small minds can do is jump to the conclusion that from its bad background to its website description you need a magnifying glass to read at the top of the page, Waking People up With Truth is definitely among the top bad websites.
4. Head Hunter Hair Styling
We’ll admit, this website is not all that bad. It has a nice full-screen video in its banner position, a clear menu at the top of the page… it definitely checks some boxes.
The reason why we’ve flagged it among our bad websites is because of its simple yet important miss on color.
The use of blue at the top of the page invokes feelings not of style but of something more generic or unrelated like a beach.
This website would benefit big time by recoloring its menu section with something darker.
That darker palette would make the site feel more sophisticated and on-brand with a hair styling organization.
5. Electrifying Times
Electrifying times is a website that’s supposed to be all about the latest and greatest in electric cars.
Unfortunately, it looks like a website from the early 2000s advertising a local carnival.
Not only is the site non-responsive, it also uses animations to draw people’s attention to new articles and ultimately does ZERO to inspire confidence in consumers that this is a credible source when it comes to electric vehicles.
6. Irish Wrecks Online
Have you ever wanted to find a website dedicated to telling you about Irish shipwrecks?
We didn’t think so.
As it turns out, the more niche your topic of interest is, the worst the websites you find providing the information you need get.
While this site almost qualifies as a passable minimalist motif, it loses the chance of being acceptable thanks to its textured background and the fact that you have to click on a picture of a ship to enter the actual site.
Only bad websites make you solve puzzles to access their contents.
7. ARNGREN.net
Here’s a bad website for the history books. Never have we seen a site overwhelm users with TMI more than this site does.
Explaining where this site went wrong seems pointless.
Just navigate to it and prepare to go cross-eyed.
8. Internet Archaeology
This is one of the only bad websites that have given us nightmares.
We’re thinking that the site’s intent is to be unwelcoming, confusing, and then (if you dare enter the purple door) unbearable.
Still, whether its intent was to be bad or not, there’s no denying that the site’s alienating use of animation does more to scare users away than it does to welcome anybody in.
Key Takeaway
Web design mistakes can cost you dearly in terms of lost sales and customers. By taking the time to avoid these mistakes, you can help ensure that your website is successful.
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