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You would think that some webmasters are sadists whose only goal is to torture their website visitors. Visiting their sites feels something akin to sitting in the movies while some kid behind you kicks your seat and cries that he wants his own tub of popcorn. Sure, there are some great websites out there but why are there so many that punish their visitors?
As the competition between websites continues to growth, it becomes even more important to create and maintain high-quality websites. Those that do will find more success and therefore more revenue than those who don’t seem to care about their sites.
The following is a list of the top seven ways websites torture me when I visit. You’ll notice that one thing the items in this list have in common is their lack of concern for the experience of those people who visit their site.

1. Animation

You visit a website to find information. When you drop in on a website full of animation, you feel like you’ve dropped in on a dozen five-year-olds having a birthday party. Occasionally, I see a website where the banner ad has a quickly flashing animated banner. I quickly scroll the ad off the screen to avoid the distraction. But I have visited website where it seemed like everything moved. Maybe kids like all the flashy animation but it drives most adults crazy.
Another source of irritation is when you visit a site and this long, flash presentation begins downloading. I have a high-speed internet connection and these things still take a long time. If it’s available, I click on the “skip intro” link. Otherwise, I go for the “back” button. A survey done not long ago determined that the second most common thing visitors click on is the “skip intro” link. Give visitors a choice as to whether they watch the presentation. Don’t force it down their throat before they’ve ever had a chance to see your website.
In general, avoid animation. It rarely communicates and usually distracts. Let visitors concentrate on your content. Having them click the “back” button isn’t going to improve sales.

2. Too Much Scrolling

There are two kinds of scrolling that torture me. The worst is when the page hangs off the right side of the screen. I’ve designed enough web pages to know this is totally unnecessary. So why do they do it? I don’t have a clue except to torture me. I hate scrolling back and forth just to be able to read the text. If it doesn’t have some pretty important information, I hit the “back” button and I’m gone.
The second kind of scrolling is when you have a page that scrolls downward for what seems like forever. It hardly seems worth the effort. If they really have that much information, why don’t they just break it into multiple pages. I’m developing mouse tendonitis and all the scrolling is a real pain.

3. Big Blocks of Text

Am I just lazy or what? When I arrive at a website, I want to know that I’ve arrived at the right place. If I see big blocks of text, I have to decide if the site is important enough to invest my time in reading who knows what. I know from experience that it is often easier just to hit the back button and check out another site. And the one thing I hate more than wading through a bunch of unorganized text is finding that the text doesn’t even have anything of interest to me.
Organize your text with small paragraphs of three or four sentences. Every two or three paragraphs, put in a sub-head or picture relating to the text. If you have anything suitable for a list, use bullets or numbering.

4. No Way to Contact the Company

Fifth-graders now have the technical expertise to put up websites. Before I turn over my credit card information, I like to know that I am dealing with a legitimate business. So how is it that I find websites that give me no way to contact them? They may exist in cyberspace but I want to do business with companies that exist in the real world. When I cannot find any contact information, I take my business elsewhere.

Be sure to include a page containing your contact information. You business name, postal address and email address establish trust with your potential customers. Having a phone number can often save a sale when questions arise. If you have a day job, use a cell phone. It’s like carrying your office with you.

5. Static or Out-dated Content

Have you ever known someone that tells you the same stories about themselves every time you meet them? They may have been interesting the first time. The second time you figure they didn’t remember your last meeting. The third time you suddenly remember somewhere else you need to be. The same can be said for websites.
If you want to make sure visitors never return, don’t ever change your site’s contents. Web designers refer to that as a brochure site. It doesn’t do anything but sit there and look pretty. If the website owner never visits the site, why should you?
Even worse is when the site contents become very much out of date. Not long ago, I visited a website that announced that I could “Click Here” to receive their new, 2001 catalog. Why should I want their three-year-old catalog? To me, this is carrying recycling too far.
If you want visitors to return, you must have fresh content. Change your home page often. Give them a reason to visit. Returning visitors are more likely to turn into customer.

6. Broken Links and Pictures

Nothing drives me crazier than clicking on a link for more information and being told that the page does not exist. Or I want to see a larger picture of an item I’m considering buying and the picture is not there. Why do website tease me like that? Don’t they know I’ll go somewhere else to find what I am looking for?
If you are going to put the effort into building a site, at least check it to make sure everything is working. It looks sloppy to have a site where only part of it works. This also includes being taken to a page whose only content is the phrase “Under Construction.”

7. Links that Don’t Lead to Pages

You click on a link thinking it will take you to another web page. Instead, you end up waiting and waiting for a pdf or flash file to download and open. I try to change my mind but the browser acts like it’s locked up until the download is complete. Instead of getting so frustrated at the delay, it would be a good time to take a break and go to the bathroom – except that I just went five minutes ago. Yep, another pdf file.
Why aren’t we warned in advance when a link doesn’t lead to another web page. Label the link as a pdf or flash file so I don’t have to write articles complaining about this kind of torture.
And finally, if I see another website that uses any combination of the above forms of torture, I’m going to invent a special kind of mouse with three buttons. The third button will automatically activate the “back” button of the browser. Moving the mouse in that direction gives me mouse tendonitis pains – a real form of torture.