I recently posted about what is annoying to atheists. Now I have some data on what annoys everyone!

Jackob Nielsen has reported on the Most Hated Advertising Techniques and I can’t say I disagree with any of it. Some highlights:

Good Advertising Will

• indicate what will happen if people click on them
• relate to what people are doing online
• identify themselves as advertisements
• present information about what they are advertising
• provide additional information without having to leave the page

Bad Advertising Will Have

• Pop-ups
• Slow load times
• “Teasing” links, misleading categories, and other elements that trick users into clicking
• Content that doesn’t clearly state the site’s purpose or what a particular page covers
• Content that moves around the page
• Sound that plays automatically

He also has data on what the top most hated annoiance is: Pop-up Windows! It’s so bad that many are fighting back:

The percentage of users who report using pop-up or ad-blocking software increased from 26% in April 2003 to 69% in September 2004, which is an astonishing growth rate.

So stop it with the pop-ups already!

The only thing not mentioned are the new and uber-annoying ads that take over your entire screen with a flash movie or something. They have a small X at the top right to click out, but it literally takes over your entire screen. Hate it. And I avoid those websites now.

We can certainly learn from this stuff. It’s one thing to get people to like your site. It’s another thing to get people to not hate your site. Two different things, but both are important.