Countless survey and studies have been performed by everyone from marketing agencies to academics to determine what browsers like on web sites and what they can not stand. these studies have looked both at users opinions about what they like and blind studies have been performed to see if what actually attracts and repeals viewers is consistent with what they say does.

Not surprisingly, research has shown that people do largely click away from sites that consist of elements they find repulsive. What is surprising is that despite fairly conclusive proof about what drives people away from sites many, many sites continue to employ the elements everybody hates.

For purposes of brevity I’ll hit on the three biggest web site turn-offs;

1. Unnecessary Entry Pages- You go to a web site but before you can see anything that the site actually offers you have to sit through a usually overly animated introduction. Eventually you can click on a button that will take you forward into the site. Meanwhile 15 seconds of your life you will never get back is gone.

2. Flashing Animation- Time and time again research has shown that user do not like flashing attention grabbers. They are not attractive, they do not encourage browsing or sells, and they create technical problems for some visitor’s computers. Poorly done animation looks tacky and well-done ones achieve little.

3. Music and Noise- Browsers do not like to bombarded with either a web designer’s taste in music or ads that begin chattering at them as soon as they arrive at a site. User’s are often listening to their own music when they arrive and do not appreciate having it drowned out. On the other hand they may be surfing in blissful silence and will not enjoy having it interrupted by what ever sounds a misguided web site thinks is best.

I’ve tried to figure out why despite proof to the contrary web site owners still believe that these elements make their site better. My guess is that when a business hires a professional to design their site the pro is primarily interested in making money for their skills and this often means selling more bells and whistles than is really necessary.

Web designers are usually fascinated by their own technology and have a difficult time understanding when enough is enough. Business owners would be wise to remember that expertise in design does not mean expertise in generating or keeping traffic.

Business owners should resist the impulse to buy more web site than is good for them. They should ask themselves do I really need two minutes of graphics before my customers even see what I’m really selling? If you hate it when a site you visit starts blaring music at you why would your customers like it? Do those spinning stars and strobe light sighs really add to my site or do they just give me a headache?