Web Design Mistakes: Pot Meet Kettle

Some days a picture is really worth a thousand words.

Note the title of the post on the blog in the above image. Now note the obvious mistake the blogger did when setting up his own site and “not wasting his money on web designers.” I’ve magnified it in the image so you can’t miss it.

While some web designers do overcharge as the blogger claimed in his blog post, it’s clear from the picture that this guy makes a compelling argument for why one is often needed. Forgetting to replace WordPress’ “Just Another WordPress Blog” with a tagline of your own is a common mistake but I had to laugh when I saw it given this guy’s rant. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t really even writing a post. It was more like a pitch for some instant website software. There’s also, as Rich Currie pointed out, a little humor to be found in the site owner’s Recent Posts section.

When it comes to websites, I’ve got nothing against DIY types or even automated software if you have zero design budget. But it you go that route, ask a few friends and colleagues to go through your site for you. People will overlook a type here and there but in some circumstances they can totally kill your credibility.

Think of it this way, if an expert on say, how to cut your manufacturing costs, is late to a presentation. It doesn’t look good. On the other hand, if a time efficiency expert is late for their presentation, they’re toast.