Are you trying to create a site that people want to read and return to? Or are you doing things that make them never return, and tell all their friends to avoid it, as well?
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It's amazing to me how many Web designers seem to feel that you should be feel lucky to visit their site. Never mind that there are millions of sites on the same topic all over the Web. If you're playing these games with your readers, you're running a risk that they will leave and never come back.
Image courtesy Photodisc / Getty Images
These are very good tips Jennifer. I wrote a blog entry the other day dealing with a very similar issue:
Article Here
I have always been a fan of purpose-driven content. Unfortunately, many site owners become overly enraptured with the plethora of tools, add-ons and bling they see all around them and want to keep fitting it all onto their page.
The new generation websites are focused increasingly on the user. A majority of the interactive and dynamic features resulting from Web2.0 style websites allow a website to interact more with the end user. Even simple features such as related articles, Tag clouds, Featured content, Bookmarking links and so on are all gatehered towards engaging the user and providing them with additional ways to navigate through a website. Gone are the days when a website could rely on menu only.
Any website which has not yet converted its design to the new web2.0 style format is certainly missing out. I have included similar tips on my post on Web Design Mistakes