Has traffic on your website taken a turn for the worst? If so, one or several of the following issues may be what is making users leave your website. Here are some basic faux pas that aggravate users.
Bad Design
Having a website that looks unprofessional is the most common reason people will leave your site. If you are a small online business or a start up having a well designed website is essential to gain your customer’s trust.
Too Many Advertisements
Advertisements are a part of the Internet, it is nearly impossible to avoid them. The problem arises when the adds start replacing the content. Users visit your site for the content, not advertisements.
Stop the Noise
There is nothing worse then going go a website and being blasted with sound because your speakers were on. When users visit a website and this occurs they will most likely immediately leave. If you want to have sound playing on your website, give control to the user and make it opt-in rather than opt-out.
Intros
Splash pages for websites are a thing of the past. They do nothing, but postpone users from getting to the content on your website. The extra load time and click to get through the intro is nothing but an annoyance.
Cluttered with Logos & Badges
This is just like having too many adds. Users visit your website for the content, therefore it should be the main priority. Websites littered with badges and logos just look messy and like you are trying too hard. A good solution is to have them all on a dedicated page, perhaps giving an explanation as to what these logos pertain to.
Unsolicited Pop Ups
This usually occurs in the form of an advertisement; be it for a product, a survey, or a subscription to the current site. When something pops up on the screen that your users didn’t ask to see, they typically won’t even spend the time to read what it was for.
No Horizontal Scrolling
It is difficult to scroll from side to side. Make sure your content fits within the width of a user’s screen.
Unreadable CAPTCHAS
Using CAPTCHAS on your site is completely understandable. With all of the spam bots roaming the web, we need some form of defense to stop them from defacing your comments section or sending you unsolicited advertisements to your inbox. It is however very annoying when the CAPTCHAS used are too difficult to read. If you make it too difficult for people to contribute, they will likely move on.
Flash Websites
Animation has its place in websites. It can be a great tool when used in moderation. HTML websites are the primary form of websites for a good reason; they can be indexed by search engines properly and work on most modern devices. If your users are viewing your site on a smart phone, there’s a good chance they won’t even be able to view your Flash website. Flash also impedes navigation on your website. Since the flash site is actually embedded into a main HTML page, users can’t utilize your browser’s built in back and forward buttons.