It’s no secret that I’m a great proponent for responsive web design and that my two favorite tools are WordPress and Genesis. But I also have a few pet peeves when it comes to webdesign and it’s not only me – your visitors will agree. There are some things webmasters do that annoy the heck out of website visitors and we’re going to address them right here, right now.
Most Annoying Website Elements #1: Flash
Flash elements take long to load and don’t offer any significant value. When a page takes more than 3 seconds to load, visitors click away to your competitors’ page.
Secondly, not everyone can view pages with flash, because their browsers are set to block pop ups and flash.
Most Annoying Website Elements #2: Splash Pages & Pop Ups
Many people block pop ups in their browsers and will be unable to see your splash pages.
Yesterday, as I was looking for some information, I came across a site for the first time. As I prepared to read it, a huge pop up appeared, obscuring my view and demanding that I sign up to their mailing list in order to continue reading. Well, I simply clicked away, because I could not see that signing up would benefit me, apart from letting me read the page.
Splash pages distract your visitors from the most valuable elements of your site – your content. Allow visitors to sign up for your site if they want to, once they have established the value of your site.
Most Annoying Website Elements #3: Live Mascots
Have you ever opened up a web page and suddenly a person started talking and pacing across the screen? Or worse – a cartoon character in a computer voice telling you why you should buy from the company.
Most people find this distracting.
Most Annoying Website Elements #4: Sound
Sound on a website can be distracting. I know I listen to music while I work, and when I browse over to a website and hearing sound, wondering where it came from and how to turn it off, I sometimes simply close the tab on my browser. Most people will do the same.
Most Annoying Website Elements #5: Large Live Chat Windows
Most of us know that you can usually find live chat functions on the Contact Us page, so the last thing we want to do is to close the chat box on every page as we browse through a website.
Most Annoying Website Elements & the User Experience
When designing a website, it is important to consider user experience as your number one priority. Annoying website elements don’t help the user experience.
There are some universal elements that most users look for when they visit your site:
Beautiful Design: A minimalistic design that is easy on the eyes is a pleasure to visit.
Ease of Navigation: Your content and pages need to be arranged in a way that logically takes the reader from one thought to the next, answering questions and gently guiding them through your sales funnel.
Responsiveness: Your website should be responsive, so that it provides a seamless transition from one device to the next.
While WordPress and Genesis allow you to have all the bells and whistles you need to showcase your business to the full, it makes it even simpler to design an appealing website that will win the heart of your visitors.