9.7 Reasons I Hate Your Website

Most companies don't know that software and web development differ, so software project managers and software developers are asked to create websites. Here are 9.7 ways you can keep me from ever doing business with your company due to your annoying website.

1. Start off with a slow loading Flash screen. Don't let me bypass it, then continue to make me wait endlessly as each page refreshes. The fast response times of your competitors are calling me.

2. Surprise me with startling, ear-deafening video clips. I may be at work, at home next to a sleeping child or spouse, or trying to buy a surprise gift. If you really want to keep me away, omit an Off button.

3. Disable the Back button. You feel clever by keeping me from returning to the search engine that got me to your website, but I won't be trapped twice. Next time, I won't click on your page or buy any product or service you sell.

4. Choose an low visibility color scheme. Gray type on a slightly darker gray background may be unique, but it isn't readable. There are 25 other websites at a mouse click where I don't have to go blind to read information. Also, reverse type that doesn't allow me to easily cut and paste means I can't save your data for future purchasing decisions.

5. Ignore my portable devices. I may carry an iPhone, Kindle, or netbook computer. If you don't have a quick, low overhead, mobile interface, you're not the modern organization I need. We're headed away from the client server model, back to the old “dumb terminal” hooked to a powerful computer in the sky. Plan for it.

6. Provide no way I can reach a human by phone. If I have a problem, insisting I use your web support feature, even after I've exhausted it's limited help, is just wrong. I'm off to your competitor. Don't you want to know when your site is broken?

7. Insist I call to get information. Unless you are selling a never before created product, such as teleportation to Saturn, you know your pricing. Show it to me. Competitors can get it by calling as a phony customer. Meanwhile, you have lost me as a real one.

8. Discriminate between customer types. I can get an older operating system if I'm a business, so I should not be forced to upgrade to an unstable one just because I'm an individual. If I search an airline site for a round-trip schedule, I want to see all the same flights if I prefer to choose multicity flights, one by one.

9. Include a useless search function. I want to search your website content, not just the public relations news releases regarding my search topic.

9.7 Mislabel your buttons. If the Read More button takes me to a video clip, I'm angry. I want to scan your text based information, not sit through an entire presentation.

Don't make me hate you!