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Design Tip:
The Top Ten Reasons Visitors Leave Your Site
by Larisa Thomason,
Senior Web Analyst,
NetMechanic, Inc.
Do your site visitors stay for hours, happily reading your content, buying your merchandise, and admiring your design techniques? Or do they take one look, then laugh all the way to the next Web site? Check out our top 10 list to see why visitors don't last long on some sites.
10. There's a whole lot of blinking going on.
It's dangerous to include browser-specific or proprietary tags on your Web site unless you're absolutely sure that all visitors will be using that browser. Browsers usually just ignore tags they don't recognize, but that can have a devastating effect on your careful page layout!
Since the <BLINK> tag in Netscape is proprietary, the majority of visitors won't see the effect, but those who do will probably be annoyed by it!
IE also supports its own proprietary tags, including <MARQUEE>, the BORDERCOLOR attribute for tables, and the BGPROPERITES attribute for BODY. Since most people usually stick with one browser, they may not realize that they're using HTML tags that other browsers won't understand.
NetMechanic makes it easy to check though: HTML Toolbox will scan your page for proprietary tags that can cause problems and Browser Photo shows you how your page displays in 14 different browser and operating system combinations.
9. They drowned in your splash page.
A splash page is like a book cover. It tries to lure visitors deeper into the site to view the real content. However, that's an invitation that many visitors are happy to refuse. Web sites that use splash pages report that as many as 25% of their visitors leave instead of clicking on the splash page and entering the site.
Splash pages hurt sites in other ways too. They usually contain large graphic images and very little text. That type of design increases page download time and confuses search engine spiders.
Internet users are busy and search engine spiders aren't very smart: get your most important site content in front of them as quickly as possible!
8. They tripped over a broken link.
Visitors hate broken links even more than webmasters hate monitoring links and correcting problems! When you link to another section of your site or to an external site, you promise to take visitors to more interesting and useful information. But a DNS error page or 404 File Not Found message is neither interesting nor useful! When visitors get them, they're irritated that you broke your promise.
On large sites though, it is time-consuming and monotonous to regularly check hundreds of links. Let NetMechanic do that boring work for you instead! HTML Toolbox includes a link checking tool that follows your links and alerts you to problems.
7. Hansel and Gretel didn't leave a trail.
Frustrated visitors who can't quickly find the information they need on your site will look elsewhere! Give them clear navigational clues and structure your Web site so that it's easy to use and understand.
There are several steps you can take to make site navigation easier for visitors:
- Get their opinion: Have people who didn't help design your site use it and critique it. What is obvious to you because you created it, is often cryptic to the user.
- Tell them where they're going: Use link names that provide users with a preview of where each link will take them, before they have clicked on it
- Be a copycat: Look at the navigational systems of successful sites. They've already done a lot of testing and tweaking. Some of the same systems might work for you too.
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Hansel and Gretel found their way through the forest by leaving a trail of pebbles and breadcrumbs. Most Web visitors just aren't willing to expend that much effort on your site - you have to make it easy for them.
6. They went blind from shock.
Colors and background images can add visual interest to your site and help emphasize important points and sections. But don't make them too shocking.
A tiling background image that looks just great as a thumbnail image may look like something out of a horror movie when it's spread across the screen. Busy background images can make your text unreadable. There are thousands of free background images available on the Web, but only a small percentage are acceptable for use on professional quality Web sites.
Your color scheme is important too: select contrasting text and background colors to increase readability. Red text on a black background is a common combination choice - and almost impossible to read! Avoid red and green combinations too, because red/green color blindness is quite common.
5. They cut themselves on broken code.
Even simple HTML code errors cause serious problems. Misplace a form INPUT tag, and your forms may never actually submit. Visitors may be treated to some bizarre font and color combinations if your code contains improperly nested tags. It often depends on how the browser chooses to interpret the code.
Browsers are picky. They want the tags used properly before they'll accurately display your Web page. Of course, wading through pages of HTML code looking for errors may take more time and expertise than you posses. If so, use an HTML validation tool like HTML Toolbox. Either way, make sure your visitors see an error-free site when they visit!
4. It looks like an old science experiment.
Is this the headline on your homepage?
Magna Carta Signed Today!
Ok, so maybe you have updated your content since the year 1215, but you'd be surprised at how outdated some of the stuff on the Web really is. One current U.S. House of Representatives member hasn't updated his Web site in over 2 years!
Visitors return to sites that are continually updated with fresh and interesting content. Use this test: if the most recent content on your site is older than the moldy stuff in the back of your refrigerator, you have a problem.
3. How much is that browser in the window?
Be honest now. Have you ever, ever downloaded a new plug-in, a different browser or even upgraded to a new version just to view a particular Web site? If so, you're a distinct minority. Most visitors are extremely reluctant to change browsers, but how many times have you seen this annoying little disclaimer anyway:
While the webmasters honestly think they're touting great products, visitors often interpret it differently: "I didn't take the time to optimize my Web site to make it accessible to most visitors. I want you to do the work instead and spend your time and energy downloading a special browser or plug-in!"
You'll get a lot more traffic if you do the work yourself when you design your site. Avoid browser-specific tags and other problems that limit your site's appeal with HTML Toolbox.
2. They got to the good part of War and Peace.
It takes 5 1/2 hours to watch the 1967 film version of War and Peace; how long does it take a modem to download your Web page?
Internet users are notoriously impatient and hate waiting to view pages. Yet many inexperienced Web designers load their pages with bloated graphics that take forever to display. Visitors retaliate by leaving the site without ever viewing the content.
You can still use graphic images on your site, but you need to optimize them first! Use GIFBot, NetMechanic's free image optimization tool, to compress your images. Reduce file size without sacrificing image quality.
Other non-graphic techniques also slow down your page. Netscape renders nested tables very slowly. Page errors can cause the page to time out before loads completely.
And the Number One reason that visitors leave your site....
1. You forgot to check the photo album!
When visitors encounter problems with your site, they'll blame you, not their own equipment or browser settings. The only way to be absolutely sure your site displays correctly every time is to check it yourself.
Big design firms do just that. They set up extensive testing labs and check their pages under different conditions. But a lab can be expensive and time-consuming. Most small to medium-sized sites just don't have the resources. A complete testing lab can cost $4500 or more!
So why not use NetMechanic's lab instead? Our newest tool - Browser Photo - gives you the resources of a complete testing lab at a fraction of the cost. Browser Photo lets you find problems before your visitors do. We'll show you screen shots of your Web pages viewed in 14 different browser, operating system, and screen resolution combinations.
Take a picture with Browser Photo and find out how your Web site really looks to visitors!
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