The Worst Web Sites of 2007 #21-30

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! The year 2007 was a good year for bad web design. I assume you've checked out the 10 Worst Web Sites of 2007, and the Worst Web Sites of 2007 #11-20, so here are the last of the 30 worst web page designs of 2007 that appeared on Web Pages That Suck.

It's important to note that the worst web pages are not simply car wrecks on the Information Highway. Many of the sites that are featured on Web Pages That Suck have only one or just a few glaring faults.

Anybody can throw up sites like Video Sonic Labs or Rockley Park Owners. Yes, such sites are occasionally featured here, but you gain more understanding by seeing sites where the solution is more than "Let's nuke the site and start over from scratch." (Apologies to my readers in Japan.)

The following sites comprise the 2nd runner up group of the worst web sites that appeared on Web Pages That Suck during 2007.

#30. Marshall & Ogletree
— Go to Marshall & Ogletree

Submitter's comments: I just ran across this horrible site for Marshall & Ogletree, builders of digital church organs.

Some points:

1. It has an absolutely useless splash page.
2. All text on the homepage is hidden in graphics...
3. ...which are repeating themselves.
4. And do I still need to say that they use frames for their navigation?

Vincent's comments: I can't believe that in the last month I've run into two web sites that use graphics for the complete web page. What is going on here? Is somebody taken the "design your site in Photoshop" concept and forgotten that HTML is an important part of the page?

#29. UMX Lanyard Factory — Go to UMX Lanyard Factory

Submitter's comments: Here is a company I came across. WOW!

Vincent's comments: Wow! The page weighs in at 1,085,477 bytes and only 99,012 of them are text — very ugly text.

I just look at the page, shake my head, and mutter "Damn. Somebody approved this site."

The following is boilerplate for this type of site:

This is a really good example of Mistake #5 from Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 — "Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn't look like it." I call this type of design the "I haven't taken my antipsychotics in a while school of web design."

#28. Fargo Homes — Go to Fargo Homes

Submitter’s comments: Hello Vincent, I have found, sigh…, another contender that has a horrible web design.

The web site is just ugly. Long pages, large images, you name it. When you click on their links, the pain does not stop. It leads to more madness! Not only their links is uglier, guess what they have: FRAMES!  I have a bad feeling that this web site could be one of the worst real estate web sites that I have ever seen.

To sum things up, it is just a huge (Document Size: 344KB) and ugly (bad web design) web site

Vincent Flanders’ comments: With the housing industry having such horrible times, now is NOT the time for any company in the industry to have a sucky web site.

Initially, the site looks like it’s moderately sucky; however, as you click links or scroll the page it gets much, much worse. I just look at the page, shake my head, and mutter “Damn. Somebody approved this site.”

This is a really good example of Mistake #5 from Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 — “Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn’t look like it.” I call this type of design the “I haven’t taken my antipsychotics in a while school of web design.

#27. Seekonk Police Department — Go to Seekonk Police Department

Submitter’s comments: Blinky text (in Firefox), marquees, random justification, tiled background images, images in front of text (file of life page), links changing colors?, frames, etc. It’s an example of “How many annoying elements can I put on one page?”

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Don’t forget the animated divider bars.

Here’s another example of why you don’t put dates on a web page. Fortunately, the home page doesn’t have a date. Speaking of dates, I finally have proof that cops are psycho psychic. The Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics page is dated March 14, 1999. But the header says “Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics 2000.” Pretty impressive. They can see the future. I wonder if they knew I was going to make their site the 27th Worst Web Site of 2007?

Some of the other pages are dated as follows:

12-10-99 Webmaster’s Comments

05-28-02 Domestic Violence and Records Request

10-19-03 Firearm Licensing Information

It looks like only the Department Roster is reasonably current.

#26. Kafana Final Pok — Go to Kafana Final Pok

This site sounds like a TV ad or infomercial. Actually, it sounds like the stuff you hear while you're waiting on the phone to talk to a mechanic.

Scroll down the page and mouse over the engine while the voice is talking. Funny. Read the commentary.

#25. Kentucky Center for Reproductive Medicine and IVF — Go to the Center

Horribly bad. Java applet navigation and all.

When I saw the URL — kcrm-ivf.com — I thought the site was going to be a radio station. Obviously, nobody read Does Your Web Site Suck? Checklist 1. I haven't seen beveled text in a long, long time.

#24. Horserentals.com — Go to Horserentals.com

Allow me to introduce you to horserentals.com. The main page itself isn't the absolute worst I've seen, but be sure to check out one of the state's pages.

I'm so proud of myself. When I saw the home page I said, "Gee, I've seen this before." It turns out I used this site as an example of bad web design back in October 2000. Guess what? It hasn't really changed. It still sucks.

In 2000, I used New Mexico as an example. It also looks about the same today.

#23. NACO - global architecture — Go to NACO

It’s another damn architectural firm and it is pretty hopeless.

As one person commented, "The orange (on the splash page) hurts my eyes, the noise on the navigation page hurts my ears, and if you click on "interiors" it is spelled interios in the tag. Don't people have spell-checkers anymore?"

Read the commentary.

#22. DAAD — Go to DAAD

Sideways navigation is so easy on the neck.

Submitter's comments: I had to visit this site for my work.

Having to turn my head sideways to navigate made me think of your site and sure enough, this one's in the Tampax category.

Vincent's comments: Ah, yes, Tampax. One of the worst non-Mystery Meat Navigation examples we have. Gee, you'd think people would notice this is bad. Unless I'm missing something, you have to go back to the home page to get to the navigation -- the sideways navigation. Priceless stupidity.

Other comments: Every web site that starts out with unorganized navigation links ends in catastrophe and this site is no exception. This is a good example of what happens when a sufficient number of page links are not provided when the first page of the site is constructed. Multiple styles and placement of navigation links have exacerbated the situation.

The English page has at least five sets of links, one set in German. The dialogue is sprinkled with 'more' links. The vertical links add a nice touch to the scramble. After that the site really falls apart. English must be chosen again on following pages but those pages also have some German dialogue and multiple sets of links.

Ok, I've looked at 5 pages and see no point in going deeper.

#21. Alser (UK) Ltd — Go to Alser (UK) Ltd

I have been researching competitors’ web sites today, as well as reading your excellent site to get tips for when we redesign our web site early next year, and I came across this site which seems to suck quite badly.

Thank God when our competitors screw up their web site. Read the commentary.