Annoying moments on the web
Here are the top five most annoying things websites do to annoy, turn-off or frustrate visitors. If you own a website it would be good for you to avoid these practices.
1) Ad gallery
One of most annoying things a site can do is turn a page to an ad gallery. An ad here and there is okay, but do not bombard your visitors or users. Myspace is an example of this. They bombard the user or visitor with annoying dating ads.
2) Musical pages
Many of your visitors surf from their work place. Therefore, is smart to avoid creating a problem for them. It is wise for a website to avoid using musical or talking pages. If you feel you have too, provide the option of turning it off or allow the user to choose not to hear it. Do not set it to play by default.
3) All flash pictures
A page that has everything in flash is a big no-no. Peachdirect is an example of this. This website can take several minutes to download. Most visitors would not wait longer than a minute or so.
4) Oversize pages
Many of your surfers still use 800x600 screens; Smart website design should take this into account. If your site is not optimized for the standard 800x600 screens, you are making a big mistake.
5) Mail to links
Avoid using mail to links or provide an alternative. Why? Many people only want to use services like yahoo etc. Some people do not want to use their computer's default settings because they are afraid of viruses or Trojans. While other people just do not want to setup default email clients on their computer or do not know how. Avoid giving your visitor the extra work of having to deal with outlook express or the default email client. If you feel you have to use mail to links, then give them the option not to use it.
This is a short list of the most annoying things I have seen on websites. I am sure however, that one can surf and find many, many more. If you own a website, remember, what annoys you will also annoy someone else.
