I Asked Reddit Why Academic Websites Are Ugly—and Here's What I Learned

Last week I posted in #AskAcademia and #AskProfessors asking why so many personal academic websites feel unfinished or outright ugly. The answers were candid, sometimes hilarious, and occasionally a bit bleak. Here is what I learned.

Looking for a concrete playbook once you do care about your site? Revisit our academic job market website guide for a full walkthrough of what a persuasive faculty site should cover.

1. "No one reads them, so why put effort into them."

I'm not convinced the cause and effect works that way. If no one asked me on a date, should I stop showing up, getting dressed, or putting myself out there? When you signal that you do not value your site, visitors stop valuing it too.

2. "Publication and grants are the currency of academia."

Absolutely. But I never suggested pouring energy into a site instead of publishing. A website is the stage where your publications and grants can shine. Why not build a place where your achievements get the presentation they deserve?

3. "Flashy websites mean the person didn't put enough time into research."

Well, first, I never implied the opposite of "ugly" is "flashy." There is a generous middle ground of elegant, thoughtful design. Second, if polish equals negligence, then the same accusation applies to having a family, exercising, or simply having a life.

4. "No budget."

Fair. But budgets already include suits and button-down shirts for invited talks. The real issue is prioritization. If the site matters, it earns a line item.

5. "University admin changes platforms on a whim, so why bother?"

I sympathize. I've seen tears when campuses switched LMS platforms after professors invested years into their course shells. That is precisely why you need a personal site on your own domain, backed by your own GitHub repo—totally under your control.

6. "Have you seen how we dress?"

I loved this one. It made me laugh. Culture, discipline, and geography all shape how people show up. Stick with what works for you. I have a friend who wore tweed suits in college (in China!) until he found his people. Yves Saint Laurent said it best: "Fashion fades; style is eternal." Find your style in clothing, words, slides, and also an online presence.

7. "Academics don't do marketing, unlike those gross LinkedIn people."

Really? Publishing, presenting at conferences, and networking are just 1980s-style marketing. Think newsletters, fax blasts, convention booths—it all serves the same purpose. You can do it with integrity.

8. "Tenure or job committees don't look at them."

I'm not so sure. Committee members have told me they pull up candidate websites. Yes, they are not supposed to judge based on the site, but impressions still form. No one can guarantee the site leaves zero impact.

9. "Why do you expect academics to be web designers?"

I don't. I also don't expect academics to dress like Christian Dior or Coco Chanel. But I do expect the same care for your digital presence that you give your in-person one. Thoughtful design is part of that.

10. "No clear ROI."

The web and social media are still young in academic years. Maybe the ROI has not been obvious yet, but it takes a little ego to claim it never will be. The scholars who made a cultural dent in the past write columns, give talks, and show up in public. They might not have had Twitter (because it didn't exist back then), but they had a voice. Where will you put yours in the 21st century?