If you have any type of blog or website, you know the value of more users. The concept of more users is thought to be the pinnacle of success for your site. The problem is there are very few website owners and managers that are discussing their existing users, who they are likely frustrating and annoying by only focusing on driving new users to the site.
The fact is that keeping your existing users happy is much more important than you may think. These frustrated and annoying users not only leave, they also complain. This complaining reaches their family, friends and other potential users that you will now never have the opportunity to convert. What does this mean? It means that you should devote time and energy to ensuring that your existing users are just as happy with your site as the new ones that you are working so hard to attract.
If you have yet to hear a complaint from current users, there are certain things that can frustrate them in the future, which include:
Requiring a Log-In
Chances are that a visitor is coming to your site for what you have to offer. If you present the necessity to log-in for all of your visitors they are likely to become frustrated with the process. While there are some sites that have to have a log-in, (think Facebook, Twitter, etc.) it is not a good idea to implement this requirement for new sites. While not everyone will be turned off by this requirement, it can cause a higher bounce rate than you would have without the log-in requirement.
Broken Links
What does a broken link say about you? It says you are lazy, unprofessional and extremely behind the times. A broken link is one that is clicked on that does not work. If you have an interested visitor, they click a provided link for more information, which leads to nowhere; chances are they are leaving to find the desired information elsewhere. The good news is this problem is easily remedied. Simply check the links on your pages manually prior to making them live. There are also programs and software that can be used to identify broken links that exist on your page.
Solid Walls of Text
There is no doubt that writing content is fun and your chance to get your point across in a unique way. The fact is that while you may believe that your users are reading every work on your page, there are very few chances of this actually happening. The newest generation of web users is ones that expect to get what they want immediately. This means you need to create content that is easy to glance, skim and scan, but not read word for word. Expecting this is actually very harmful for your site. While you can have lengthy content on occasion, you should still make sure that it contains sub-headers and bullet points to break it up and make it more “scan and skim” friendly.
Poor or Confusing Navigation
How easy is your website to navigate? Have you actually ever gone to your site and tried to find something? The fact is that you need to put yourself in the shoes of your users. This will ensure that when they come to your page the navigation you are offering is clear, concise and easy to get them from one point to another.
Anything that Pops
There was a time when pop-ups were the norm when it came to internet use. Now, most web users have pop-up blockers so that they are not annoyed by these ads. It is important to exclude these ads from your site, as they are simply going to slow it down and not be viewed anyway.
After reading these web “no-no’s” you should take a good, hard look at your actual website. Are you actually driving your users in to the arms of your competitors with these frustrating and annoying tactics? The fact is they are easy to fix, and you should work to fix them right away to maximize your visitor usage.
