Web developers shamed by sloppy homepages

NEWS An Internet audit has revealed that the homepages of many UK Web developers are badly designed and poorly put together. Jason Finch, director at Port80, the Internet consultancy that conducted the survey, said: "We were shocked by how many Web sites of the so-called experts were of such poor quality." Badly designed Web sites incorporated dead hyperlinks, errors, bad graphics and faulty email addresses. More 50 per cent of the 911 UK companies investigated included faults of one sort or another. The best way to sort the quality service providers from the cowboys is to obtain a recommendation from a client. "Forget what the agencies say about themselves and go straight for the client," said Finch. But even this has its difficulties, according to Finch, as in the case of one site where a link to the agency's client was dead. Small companies must be doubly cautious, added Finch, because they can't afford the luxury of a brand name agency so have to risk the choppier waters where less-reputable agencies lurk.