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3 Ugly But Amazingly Successful Websites

by DylanC
58 replies
Just posted this on my blog CashJournals.com. There are some sites out there that are pretty ugly and look right out of the 90s. Basic HTML, strange fonts, irregular positioning and all. But they can be very successful.

1) Craigslist.org - 24 billion views per month.

2) PlentyofFish.com - 3 billion views per month.

3) DrudgeReport.com - 250 million views per month.

What do you guys think?

#amazingly #successful #ugly #websites
  • Profile picture of the author icoachu
    Because they are BRANDS. They aren't about SEO. The people who use those sites are there for the CONTENT. If you focus on content quality enough, SEO wouldn't even be a major consideration since your READERS themselves will spread the word about you The Secret To Post-Penguin SEO Is To FORGET About SEO ~ Blog tips | blogging tips,blogger widgets,seo tips and tricks
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    • Profile picture of the author Senthilstan
      Hi.. Providing good content is also one of the main part of SEO. So every site is about SEO only.. it is ht emajor consideration in each and every site's promotion. Without the elements of SEO, we just can't do our best in promoting our site.
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      • Profile picture of the author fin
        I don't read annoying looking websites.

        My main gripe just now is with colored backgrounds and light font. Won't even bother trying if it's the best content in the world. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    I just want to add 4chan.org.... Owner (Christopher "moot" Poole) has been voted one of the most influential people in 2008.
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  • Profile picture of the author wordpressmania
    they are really ugly but they are doing their business with reputation....

    Also I want to add Warriourforum in this list as well
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    • Profile picture of the author howinfo
      Originally Posted by wordpressmania View Post

      they are really ugly but they are doing their business with reputation....

      Also I want to add Warriourforum in this list as well
      I don't think warriorforum is ugly at all, I do really like how it looks, I would rather say it is nice and simple.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jordan Rhodes
    As posters have stated before, they have created a brand. Visitors are attracted to it regardless of the appearance of the website. I do believe that improving the appearance of your site can have an impact on the number of visitors though.
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  • Profile picture of the author ArielT
    I don't see ugly those sites, I see them as trying to be just functionals
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    4chan is great - much better than what Facebook has become these days.

    It's nice that Moot hasn't sold his soul to advertising dollars. All I see on my FB feed these days are viral shit from Coca Cola and Amazon.
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    • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
      There is a difference between ugly and simple. CL, POF and Drudge are very well designed sites. It's actually more difficult to pull off a great simple design than it is a flashy design. You've really got to use your head if you are designing with simplicity in mind. The design has to be flawless. You rarely see that.


      Originally Posted by brettb View Post

      4chan is great - much better than what Facebook has become these days.

      It's nice that Moot hasn't sold his soul to advertising dollars. All I see on my FB feed these days are viral shit from Coca Cola and Amazon.
      4chan will never be able to secure decent advertising deals because of the forum's no holds barred content policy. Coca-Cola isn't going to have their ads next to a crime scene photo of a raped woman with her head blown off.

      The owner likely makes his money from paid personal appearances rather than from the site itself. Though it is heavily rumored that he still lives with his parents. That isn't uncommon here in 2012, but I would say it points to him not being worth millions as some people think.
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  • Profile picture of the author SasaIlic
    I see ugly, but that is not the point, they are unique, functional and they are brand. They don't need to be good looking they just need to serve the purpose...
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  • Profile picture of the author sara121
    Seriously, they are not so attractive sites but they gotta sticky content.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nubitol
    Well, they were one of the pioneers and they keep innovating, that's why they are now flourishing. Those sites are also very useful for the visitors and the way they encourage users' participation keeps the visitors coming back for more. I mean, do you think Warrior Forum is a beautiful site?
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  • Profile picture of the author OutsourceFactor
    It shows you that solving a problem is much more important than having a beautiful website. Sure, beauty helps. But it is secondary to value.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I like highly functional sites that deliver exactly what people are visiting them for. I never considered those sites to be ugly at all. They're highly established brands that deliver exactly what people are looking for.

    Here's some ugly ones for you
    http://cmdshiftdesign.com/ilovesmekitty
    http://www.hammerdowndesign.com/ugly/
    mizzpheonixrightxxxx
    Welcome to Calee's Place III!!!!!!!!!!!
    john010117.com: The Leading John Site on the Net
    http://www.jasongraphix.com/ugly/
    http://greatmiddlewest.com/rainbow
    Ugly site
    http://geocities.com/sudobash
    Untitled Document
    http://www.fortunecity.com/boozers/ship/337

    Here's another collection of ugly sites
    UGLY Website Collection | UGLYisNOTgood | Showcasing UGLY websites since the start of the INTERNETS.

    lol ...
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  • Profile picture of the author WiltonChu
    Simply because its beneficial to all..Craigslist has always been a good tool for both jobseekers and employers.
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  • Profile picture of the author ownergolan
    It's widely known that design is not a factor at all.
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    "Aiyyo I'm gonna be on ti-dop, that's all my eyes can see..
    Ill put in work, and watch my status escalate"
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by ownergolan View Post

      It's widely known that design is not a factor at all.
      That really depends on what you're selling. I'm not going to buy ANYTHING that looks like any of the sites that I posted.
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      • Profile picture of the author ownergolan
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        That really depends on what you're selling. I'm not going to buy ANYTHING that looks like any of the sites that I posted.
        It's a good thing to know, as your not the mass consumer market.

        It's like we all here mostly (i assume) don't hit Adsense ads, so Adsense isn't working? NO, cuz all the non internet-oriented people do click.
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  • Profile picture of the author Charanjit
    To be fair results are better than beauty, pof is a nice site to advertise on.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim3
    Yes all positively ugly but extremely profitable I would imagine.

    Surprised nobody mentioned Clickbank
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Tim3 View Post

      Yes all positively ugly but extremely profitable I would imagine.

      Surprised nobody mentioned Clickbank
      Another blog that posted about ugly but profitable sites also listed Google and
      Ebay. I agree about Clickbank. Always thought it was cheesy looking.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    One of the books I read early in my IM career was
    Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug. I think that
    every internet marketer should have this one in
    his library.

    Krug argues that functionality is more important
    than beauty, except beauty is your business.
    (My interpretation, not his words).

    Consider how simple and "ugly" the Google
    home page is compared to Yahoo! But
    when you get to Google you know you are
    at a search page--functionality.

    So you don't have to be pretty to win,
    just functional. The Good Book says that
    a living dog is better than a dead lion.

    -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    A site does not need to look good to make great money online. I know of some sites that are truly bad looking and they are like that for years. The one thing that they all do is make money and the one critical thing about them is that they have a newsletter opt in for people to subscribe.
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  • Profile picture of the author IMLearningIM
    What if sites look ugly? they are brands and serving best.
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  • Profile picture of the author grover69
    Thanks, Raydal, for that recommend. When working with clients I try to get this point across about functionality and you would be surprised at the arguments I get. I often try to get my local business clients to include their phone number prominently on the front page so folks pick up the phone, and so many argue that it should be hidden on the About Us page! Make it easy on people, right?
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
      It's was apprent that Craigslist wwas going to be listed.

      I'm not convinced that a makeover isn't due regardless of useability.

      Things should look nice too. We don't want to be surfing a Victory brand website rather than something that's nice to look at.


      Daniel
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  • Profile picture of the author marketwarrior06
    Banned
    Don't really get it. Why these sites are ugly? They are the three best sites for the online marketers and there is hardly a person who don't like them.
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  • Profile picture of the author JRat
    What's worse, a site that isn't pretty or one that takes forever to load and then doesnt work because of all the fanciness?
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  • Profile picture of the author ceenote100
    They are simple, to the point and easy to read.
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianCorcoran
    Originally Posted by DylanC View Post

    Just posted this on my blog. There are some sites out there that are pretty ugly and look right out of the 90s. Basic HTML, strange fonts, irregular positioning and all. But they can be very successful.

    1) Craigslist.org - 24 billion views per month.

    2) PlentyofFish.com - 3 billion views per month.

    3) DrudgeReport.com - 250 million views per month.

    What do you guys think?
    Almost all of the old hugh PR domains are butt ugly. Google loves them though!
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  • Profile picture of the author dbx3
    When I first came across Craigslist I noticed the basic and sluggish theme, but I thought "It's huge, everyone's using it, so it shouldn't be a problem".
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  • Profile picture of the author rabbroon
    i think it is amazing that these sites even rank as popular as to me they look awefull but like one of the posts said, it is about the content.
    I never even knew 2 of them existed. LOL
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by DubDubDubDot View Post

      There is a difference between ugly and simple. CL, POF and Drudge are very well designed sites. It's actually more difficult to pull off a great simple design than it is a flashy design. You've really got to use your head if you are designing with simplicity in mind. The design has to be flawless. You rarely see that.
      Back when I was a practicing engineer, we called that concept "elegance". The goal was always something that did what it was designed to do as simply and effectively as possible. "Feature creep" was a disease to be avoided, but extremely virulent. One of the symptoms was excessive use of the phrase "wouldn't it be cool if it..."

      It's the same with web designs. Simple functionality is considered ugly, while auto-play videos, long-loading slide shows, pops (over, under, exit, etc.), all manner of excessive fancy graphics are considered "professional" design.

      Compare the amount of information CraigsList packs into that first screen to what you see in many 'pretty' web pages. I'm not going to CL to admire the graphic artist they hired.

      Some here are saying that these so-called 'ugly' sites get away with being ugly because they have established brands. I say they established the brand by delivering what the users were actually looking for.
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  • Profile picture of the author highlander11
    Originally Posted by DylanC View Post


    1) Craigslist.org - 24 billion views per month.

    2) PlentyofFish.com - 3 billion views per month.

    3) DrudgeReport.com - 250 million views per month.
    Where did you get those numbers?

    What kind of views are they?
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  • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
    None of those three sites mentioned are ugly. They are very easy on the eyes (except for some of the profile pictures on POF :p).

    I'd rather look at sites like the three mentioned than ones that are littered with unnecessary widgets, doo-dads, and ornamentation.
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    :)

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  • Profile picture of the author Gsdlady
    Yes the sites are not flashy or eye catching but they meet the needs of the owner. I think to have a successful website it does not always needs to be flashy but should meet the needs of the visitors. Many people do not care about decked out websites, they want the info they came for so they can then move on to their next project.
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  • Profile picture of the author DylanC
    While I appreciate that appearances are subjective, I find it hard to believe most people find the Drudge Report design to be okay. I personally find it not so easy on the eyes. No doubt the content is good, but how many of you would want your homepage to look like that?



    This is the original link to my blog post:
    3 Ugly But Incredibly Successful Sites | CashJournals of DylanC
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by DylanC View Post

      While I appreciate that appearances are subjective, I find it hard to believe most people find the Drudge Report design to be okay. I personally find it not so easy on the eyes. No doubt the content is good, but how many of you would want your homepage to look like that?



      This is the original link to my blog post:
      3 Ugly But Incredibly Successful Sites | CashJournals of DylanC
      One screen, five photos and twenty-seven links to content. That's a lot of content in a small area. And the results speak for themselves.

      I'll take Drudge's traffic, engagement and cash flow all day long...

      But I get the distinct feeling that you might be more interested in people agreeing with you than generating discussion.
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  • Profile picture of the author KickAss Marketing
    They may be ugly but for those site it doesn't really matter as long as their purpose is being served. But for other sites sometimes it is necessary to make it professional if you are trying to sell something or depending what your niche or your website is all about.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Not surprised by #2 POF.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheSalesBooster
    Nothing really to do with branding. They just mastered the simple rule of K.I.S.S., Keep it simple stupid.
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  • Profile picture of the author vCr8
    Well if the sites serves its purpose well, I won't be surprised, sometimes design is not everything. (web design sites are an exemption :p
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  • Profile picture of the author footballbob06
    Another that needs to be added is survivalblog.com. Its more plain then anything but they have a decent amount of advertisers and lots of contests.
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  • Profile picture of the author easternodyssey
    Most if not all of the social bookmarking sites are ugly. Jumptags and Reddit are two good examples. However, the sad thing is its not look that counts in the end, its more content and functionality. Most of those site serve a function to every web designer, web owner or web marketer which results in their popularity.
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  • Profile picture of the author alllyc
    I don't think they are ugly website. People go there for the content, and get what they want. I believe that in terms of the functionality they are the leader in the sector.
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    • Profile picture of the author ArielT
      Originally Posted by alllyc View Post

      I don't think they are ugly website. People go there for the content, and get what they want. I believe that in terms of the functionality they are the leader in the sector.
      I agree, as the same if viewing a toad and thinking it's ughy, It's just a view point and certainly false, the truth they perform very well for what they were made
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by easternodyssey View Post

        Most if not all of the social bookmarking sites are ugly. Jumptags and Reddit are two good examples. However, the sad thing is its not look that counts in the end, its more content and functionality. Most of those site serve a function to every web designer, web owner or web marketer which results in their popularity.
        Just for my own curiosity's sake...

        Why is it a "sad thing" that content and functionality count more than looks? :confused:
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  • Profile picture of the author michellex
    1) Craigslist.org - 24 billion views per month.
    I had no idea Craigslist got this many views per month! The ugliness of the site is what's kept me away. I guess I'm in the minority when it comes to it ugliness but hey, maybe I'll give it another chance.

    I have noticed though sites that keep their look clean and simple seem to fair better than overly obnoxious ones. Less is more.
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  • Profile picture of the author zamzung
    Some people tend to say "ugly sells better"... Now, although I don't believe that's a general truth, it's a fact that some of my ugliest sites perform much better than those well designed...
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  • Profile picture of the author vjboc
    Originally Posted by DylanC View Post

    Just posted this on my blog CashJournals.com. There are some sites out there that are pretty ugly and look right out of the 90s. Basic HTML, strange fonts, irregular positioning and all. But they can be very successful.

    1) Craigslist.org - 24 billion views per month.

    2) PlentyofFish.com - 3 billion views per month.

    3) DrudgeReport.com - 250 million views per month.

    What do you guys think?


    You can add Google to the list. I don't think ugly is the word. They started out that way and worked well, why change it. Sometimes overloaded websites with flash and glitter make for slow load times and alot of people end up leaving the page.
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  • Profile picture of the author seobuzz
    They are popular because these site are 'useful' for the general internet users. Not because of their 'content'. This is a wrong conclusion. Even google.com is not impressive from the design perspective and have almost 'zero' content. But it is popular because its useful and provides value.
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