Are you irritating people with your website?

Now that?s a loaded question. You probably think your website is the bee?s knees. After all haven?t you just spent all that time getting it to your satisfaction? But that?s just where you might have taken the wrong path.

It?s not your satisfaction that?s at stake here. It?s the people reading it who?ll decide if it?s worth pursuing. Or not as the case may be.
Maybe you should ask yourself if you?re guilty of any of the following;

Have you ever landed on one of those painfully earnest sites where from the first word onwards you feel as if you?re being preached at? That some do gooder has decided what?s best for you and proceeds to tell you where you?re going wrong in your life? Irritating isn?t it?

No one wants a lecture. Especially from a complete stranger. Not only is it arrogant and patronising, it?s likely to get the reader?s back up. If you?re doing that you might want to rephrase your copy.

How do you feel about a soundtrack that assaults your eardrums when you least expect it. How annoying is that? If you?ve added one yourself that activates as soon as someone clicks on your site, ask yourself if it?s likely to make them click straight off again. If you really must add some noise, let it be their choice to listen to it not yours.

Is your home page doing what it should? If not why not? It should make it clear what you do and offer. It?s no good trying to be artistically clever if no one knows what it?s supposed to be. It?s unlikely they?ll stop and admire your talent if it doesn?t appear to be what they?re looking for. Sometimes you really can be too clever for your own good.

If you?ve ever been out for a ramble in the country, you?ll know how frustrating it is if you get lost. Especially if signposts are nowhere to be found. You stop admiring your surroundings in favour of trying to find someone who can provide directions. If you?re online of course you won?t waste time wandering around in search of enlightenment. You?ll simply go somewhere else.

Are you feeling guilty yet?