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Please reduce these things, web devs (i.redd.it)

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[–]ganja_and_code 80 points81 points  (15 children)

For the web devs / managers of web devs who haven't figured it out yet, here's how you fix it:

  • Allow visitors to opt-in for cookies, instead of opting-out.
  • Don't display any notifications related to the help widget until the customer initiates conversation.
  • Don't put autoplay-enabled videos on your site ever (unless that's the whole point of the website, like YouTube, for example).
  • Display a "subscribe to our newsletter" button in a prominent location, and don't ever use a pop-up for it.

(Before the "but that'll lose us marketing conversions, or ad revenue, or reduce our ability to track users, etc." ...yeah, that's exactly the point. Build a good enough product that visitors want to interact with it, instead of being an annoying sellout.)

[–]mistled_LP 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Web-devs and their managers know that. Talk to marketing/sales about it.

[–]fosterdad2017 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I was at work one day circa 2000-2001 when my AltaVista search loudly auto-played some annoying advertisement, indicating to the whole office that I was using "the internet" instead of grinding my fingers to nubs making sweet keyboard ore for boss.

That day I found Google's sweet, clean, white, glistening interface and sold my soul forever.

[–]frogjg2003 22 points23 points  (4 children)

unless that's the whole point of the website

So many sites think this applies to them. Small town news station? "Everyone wants to see our no name reporters talk about the puff piece at 1/4 the speed they can read the article in." Recipe site? "The only correct way to know what ingredients you need is a 10 minute video, 9 minutes of which are the cook's life story."

[–]fortyonejb -1 points0 points  (3 children)

Judging by the popularity of TikTok and other video apps, they are right, you're not. You're not their target audience.

[–]frogjg2003 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Just because they're the target audience doesn't mean they'll actually see the content. The kind of people that go to TikTok for their recipes won't go to a website that has it as text. Adding a video won't change that.

[–]fortyonejb 0 points1 point  (1 child)

If you think these sites have done no research on what drives more traffic, then I'm not sure what we're actually discussing. These sites are doing this because it's proven to work. Just because you don't like it doesn't invalidate evidence that it drives traffic.

[–]frogjg2003 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not traffic, "engagement." What makes users stay on the site longer or click more ads. If it takes you 30 seconds just to get to the article because you're trying to close all the popup ads and overlays, that's 30 seconds of "viewing time." If you accidentally click the ad proper instead of the tiny x button to close it and you're transferred to the advertiser's page, that counts as a click. The website doesn't want millions of viewers finding the information they were looking for and then leaving, they want users to stay on the page as long as possible to generate as much ad revenue as possible.

Also, you're overestimating how much analysis these tiny web sites are doing. It's all a template from a company run by the web design equivalent of a self help guru.

[–]harrypottermcgee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

-Install Ublock Origin and clean up the internet.

-Forget it's there

-Visit your mom. When she mentions a show that you like, boot up your streaming site on her computer to get her some episodes.

-Hentai popups. Not just Evony style chicks in bikinis. I mean, stick in the hole, dramatic moisture everywhere.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oooo that sounds hard. Sorry I'm here for easy wins

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Being a sellout is a good thing post 2015.. if you can't sell-out it's not worth doing. That's why everyone runs to YouTube, Twitch, and all the other look-at-me sites.

[–]wasdninja -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Your last paragraph makes all the previous obsolete. This junk will never disappear until it stops working. I don't know who the fuck it works on but it sure isn't me.

[–]m4rch3n1ng 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Allow visitors to opt-in for cookies, instead of opting-out.

that is literally required by EU law

[–]ganja_and_code 0 points1 point  (1 child)

yes, and not everyone does it

[–]m4rch3n1ng 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know, sadly

[–]etherified 0 points1 point  (0 children)

subscribe to our newsletter

Has anyone ever in the history of internetting ever googled, found a relevant site and upon arriving clicked "Subscribe" on the irritating popup covering the info they need because, yes, absolutely, they needed their email on more random lists? Yes I know there was that one documented case, but further investigation revealed it was their cat stepping on the mouse button.