Doing (or Redoing) Your Website? Start Here…

The good thing about the internet is that it continues to evolve. But sadly, some old habits die hard.

If you are considering a change (or just need a laugh), Vincent Flanders’ humorous and poignant website — Web Pages that Suck — should be your first stop before you begin.

What started out as a list of “The Biggest Web Design Mistakes of 2004” has turned into a full fledged “Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015.” I’ve included his list below, but you need to hop on over to the page and read his full text.

1. Believing people care about you and your website.
2. A man from Mars can’t figure out what your web site is about in less than four seconds.
3. Contrast, dammit.
4. Using design elements that get in the way of the sale.
5. Thinking your web site is your marketing strategy.
6. Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn’t look like it.
7. Navigational failure.
8. Using Mystery Meat Navigation.
9. Site lacks Heroin Content.
10. Forgetting the purpose of text.
11. Too much material on one page.
12. Confusing web design with a magic trick.
13. Misusing Flash.
14. Misunderstanding the use of graphics.
15. Mystical belief in the power of Web Standards, Usability, tableless CSS and HTML5.
16. JavaScript.

Print his list and use them frequently. While he’s not the most politically correct in his approach, this site can teach you some good lessons.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.