So you’re browsing the internet. Either you are bored, or you’re looking for specific information. Your search engine results listing has just listed what you think may be the perfect site for what you are looking for. So you innocently click the link. Then you wait. And wait. In the meantime, several pop-ups appear asking to join a mailing list, advertising a product, or offering you a prize if you sign up for someone else’s offering. But where is the web page you really wanted to see?
It’s buried under a bunch of slow-loading graphics, widgets and flash apps. I don’t know about you, but after I close all of those pop-ups I move on to something better. The owner of that web site may see a click-through in their stats, but those clicks mean nothing if no one actually sees the content. It’s only through those annoying pop-ups that the web site owner is seeing any revenue at all. With the widespread use of high-speed broadband internet connections, people want to see a page almost instantly. If they wanted to wait for the content, they would still be using dialup!
There is a saying that applies to many areas of life, and in particular to your web site. “Keep It Simple, Silly!” Some graphics and widgets added to your site are all right. They add visual appeal and functionality. But please, for the sake of bandwidth, don’t get carried away. Adding all of the pop-ups and widgets before your content even loads gives the impression that you are “pushy.” Believe me, people don’t like things shoved in their faces. A bit more subtlety will bring you more sales, as well as show your site visitors that you care about the content they came to see.
If you know a site that has been “KISSed” please share it here as an example for the rest of us. Or you could share one like I described above so everyone knows what NOT to do.
