Long Download Times
Research shows that after 8 seconds, visitor’s loose interest – after 15 seconds you loose the visitor. Bandwidth is getting worse, not better, as the Internet adds users faster than the infrastructure can keep up. Visitors typically don’t notice if a site loads quickly, but they nearly always notice when a site loads slowly!

MultiMedia OverKill
Just because you can do it doesn’t always mean that you should! Keep your message and goals in mind and don’t try turning a sales pitch into and entertainment event. Visitors typically enjoy the extensive multimedia entertainment the first time they sit through it, but by the third and fourth and fifth time that are becoming quite tired of it!

Breaking up the Screen with Frames
Frames can be confusing for your visitors and for search engines, use them only when absolutely necessary to obtain your goals or carry your message. This represents a special problem when the visitor wants to print the page and all they get is one of the frames, typically not even the frame with the information they were trying to get!

Dead Links
60% of the users recently surveyed cited “broken Links” or “LinkRot” if you prefer, as one of the most frustrating problems on the web, second only to slow web pages. The average visitor views broken links in the same light as slow pages, after just a couple they will give up and go to the next web site in their search listing!

Awkward Navigation
Did you know that the average web site visitor can find the information they want only about 40% of the time? Don’t ever assume that visitors to your site know as much about your site (or product, service, etc.) as you do. Average visitors to your web site need the support of a strong sense of structure and place. If they cannot intuitively find what they are looking for, they will go on to the next site in their search list!

Aggressive Graphics Overload
Make sure your visitors don’t confuse your important content with irrelevant graphics or advertising. Don’t bury your sales message in entertainment. This is a sure way to increase download times to values beyond what the average visitor to your site will put up with!

Orphan Pages
Pages that don’t show where you are, who the site is, or where to go from there will quickly confuse the average visitor. Clearly identify your company on EVERY page (or frame when used – when printing a page they may not print all frames). If the visitor is lost they will most likely proceed on to the next listing in their search engine list!

Splash Screens
Generally these exist merely to show off your webmasters graphics talent or programming ability and must point to another page to carry your message to the visitor. Even when a splash page does offer your message, it is generally viewed as an obstacle to the information the visitor seeks. A large percentage of visitors to your web site will never make it past these well-intentioned entertainment (obstacle) pages.

Long Scrolling Pages
The average visitor to your site will generally miss content not immediately visible. Drill down, don’t scroll, allowing your visitor to drill when and where they want to rather than forcing them to scroll to the bottom of every page they visit to make sure they don’t miss something. Organize and streamline for a more effective site. If the visitor can’t easily find what they are looking for, they might as well be lost in the woods without a map!

Content
The wrong content in the right place or the right content in the wrong place or not enough of the right content or too much of the wrong content. There is a vital difference between organization and structure; and archival information and outdated content. Don’t loose your visitors and your credibility over these issues. Give them a reason for coming back again!