6.5.3 Poor Page Design

Sometimes, amateur websites have less professional looking page design. A page that looks like it was created in the 1990s is OK if the page is functional for its purpose. “Uncle Alex’s Family Photos” website (a hypothetical High quality example) may have an unusual choice of font color or background, but it still functions well for its intended audience.

However, some pages are deliberately designed to shift the user’s attention from the MC to the Ads, monetized links, or SC. In these cases, the MC becomes difficult to read or use, resulting in a poor user experience. These pages should be rated Low.

Here are some examples of pages with poor page design, organization, layout, or use of space, which should be rated

Low:

• Many Ads or highly distracting Ads on the visible part of the page when it first loads in the browser (before you do any scrolling), making it difficult to read the MC.

• Repeated insertion of Ads between sections of the MC, so that the page jolts the user back and forth between MC and Ads in a way that makes the MC difficult to read.

• Invasive Ads, such as popups that cannot be closed.

• A large quantity of Ads with a relatively small amount of helpful MC.

• Text ads, placed beside or within the site's navigation links, which may confuse users.

If a page seems poorly designed, take a good look. Ask yourself if the page was deliberately designed to draw attention away from the MC. If so, the Low rating is appropriate. Not sure? Keep looking for other High or Low quality characteristics.

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6.5.4 Lacking Care and Maintenance

Sometimes a website may seem a little neglected: links may be broken, images may not load, and content may feel stale or outdated.

Irregular or infrequent updates may be OK for some websites; it depends on their purpose. For example, sometimes ordinary people set up family photo websites or personal blogs, but rarely update them. We would usually not consider such websites to be inadequately updated or maintained.

Websites with medical information, legal information, tax information, etc. must be updated frequently. Users expect information about the most current medical thinking, current laws, this year’s tax information, etc.

Other types of websites need frequent updates as well, for example, websites with sports information, celebrity gossip, news, etc. Note that we are describing websites, not individual articles. Typically, news organizations publish “new” news articles as a way to keep their site up-to- date. Other types of websites update content on individual pages as a way to keep their site up-to-date, for example, encyclopedia websites.

Important: The date on an individual news article is not a reason for a Low page quality rating. However, if a website is not being maintained and updated enough for its purpose, that is a reason for a Low page quality rating.

If a website feels neglected, look carefully. Think about the purpose of the website. A year without updates for “Uncle Alex’s Family Photos” website (a hypothetical High quality example) is fine. A few days without new articles on a major national news website is not acceptable. Use your judgment. If the website feels inadequately updated and inadequately maintained for its purpose, the Low rating is probably warranted.