Web Pages That Suck - learn good web design by looking at bad web design

It sucks.

Submitter’s comments: Here’s one that really sucks!

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Yes, but it sucks in such an interesting way. Here’s a screen shot of what the home page looks like to the average visitor. Here’s what I find “amusing:”

1. The focus is definitely the logo. Even so, what does that buy you? I suspect most people who end up at the site know where they’re going. The web is all about expectations and your job, as a designer, is to meet those expectations. Logos are supposed to be unobtrusively “there” at the top-left of the page.
2. If you’re using horizontal navigation, it’s supposed to be at the top of the first screen — not down in the middle.
3. I realize it’s a golfing site, but the golf clubs are not a good idea to use for your navigation.
4. Fortunately, you can read most of the text — because it’s quite large and has to be large because it’s white on a black background.
5. The TITLE tag on the home page is “home page,” which isn’t very helpful for search engine optimization purposes. Speaking of SEO, I’m taking an ADHD detour here to mention Google’s own SEO Report Card. The description is at the Webmaster Central Blog. It talks about their failure to meet their own guidelines (which include the TITLE tag) and there’s a 49-page PDF file you should read.
6. There are pictures at the bottom of the page which seem to be centered, but they clash with the bottom navigation which tries to be centered.
7. The subpages are too long.

There’s lots more, but this list is a start.

Southern Crescent Tour

Added the current, stupid version of the WPTS home page to Stupid Versions of WPTS Home Page. I call this one the Page Peel version.

Holy Mother of God! This sucks.

Yahoo! makes this mistake all the time. The text states “Shirtless Obama causes stir,” but the picture is of a fully shirted Obama. (Here’s a full-size screen shot.)

It’s a subtle mistake, but you need to make sure your picture matches the text.