Lust
It's hard to imagine a website being lustful (assuming you are not in one of those industries). However, sites often attempt to be "sexy" -- trying really hard to get your attention, perhaps by being overly flashy. Like the sin of being envious of the next cool technology, we have found that many sites tend to overuse, or improperly use, technologies like Flash and video. Rich internet applications (RIAs) are certainly the wave of the future, and if used well, they can provide a truly engaging and informative experience for your customers.

Unfortunately, more often than not, these "rich" applications can distract visitors from the true goal of the site. For example, we've seen companies insert video in the middle of the shopping cart path. Imagine standing in a check-out line at the grocery store, anxious to get home and cook dinner, and the clerk tells you to "watch this short movie before checking out." Before implementing RIAs, ask yourself, "Does this help move the visitor along the intended business path?" Like the "less is more" principle outlined in the sin of gluttony, often simpler navigation and simpler presentation of content maximize conversion rates.

Pride
In religious references, pride -- the excessive love of self -- is often considered the most serious of the seven deadly sins. This is actually consistent with one of the long-time axioms of marketing: understand your customers and speak from their point of view. Yet despite this axiom, many companies have a self-focused web presence that talks about their own businesses, not about their customers' issues. Successful websites are not purely about the company but rather should speak from the visitors' perspective.

If your mission statement starts with something like, "We strive to be the best at... ," then you are already off base. Don't be in love with what you already have, and don't assume your customers know what you know. Many seasoned web designers would be surprised to learn how often customers claim it is difficult to find crucial information on websites -- information that designers always thought was in an obvious location.

Another example of pride is a bit more literal. Have you visited a website that prominently displays the CEO's photo on the homepage? Fortunately, this is not done often, but when it is, the marketer likely has little political recourse. ("Hey boss, you're great, but let's get your ugly mug off the website."). However, in multiple experiments that we have conducted with clients, every time the CEO's picture was removed, visitor conversions went up. Unless the CEO is famous and recognizable and the association with him or her adds credibility to your business, lose the ego and the photo.