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Your website is pissing people off

·241 words·2 mins

I just watched my father try to use a furniture website. Not a banking site, not a secure government portal — a furniture site. He clicked through from Google Shopping, only to be met immediately with a CAPTCHA. Not a simple one — a frustrating, overly complex verification that made him give up entirely and leave the site.

His reaction? He shouted at the screen:

“Why the hell do I need to click some stupid lowercase letter just to buy a table?”

And he’s not wrong.

Every time users visit a site now, they’re bombarded with cookie prompts, privacy settings, popup modals and verification walls. For basic shopping tasks, it’s an exhausting gauntlet of unnecessary clicks and interruptions.

Here’s the reality: #

  • More clicks = more friction = fewer conversions.
  • Users don’t want to deal with CAPTCHAs, modals, or repeated prompts.
  • These barriers are actively driving people away from your site and toward competitors who offer a smoother experience.

What needs to change: #

  • Use Cloudflare Turnstile instead of frustrating CAPTCHAs. It’s privacy-friendly and seamless for users.
  • Eliminate unnecessary popups and interrupting steps during the browsing and checkout experience.
  • Reduce clicks at checkout – every extra step is a potential bounce.
  • Design for clarity and speed – not just compliance or marketing overlay.

Let’s stop complicating things.

People just want to browse and buy.

The simpler we make that, the better the results will be — for users and for business.

Author
Will Hackett
London, United Kingdom