20 May 2013 UX

I just want to visit your website

I've stopped using Google Analytics for the last 2 years. I wish other websites would stop, or at least restrain, the amount of scripts they try to load.

Alongside Adblock Plus, I used to run the NoScript Firefox add-on to prevent malicious sites from messing with my browser but mostly to prevent any useless social or analytics script to load. It was until I found out about Ghostery which is less restrictive (and maybe less secure) but gets the job done: maintain some kind of privacy while browsing the web.

For any website visited, Ghostery displays a temporary window that lists the different trackers blocked. I’m amazed by the number of scripts some sites try to load.

Here’s The Verge tracking results:

Ghostery results for The Verge
Ghostery results for The Verge

Apart from SoundCloud and Typekit, I block all external sites. I’ve always considered the web to be about content: read articles, look at images, watch videos, etc. Nothing else.

If I’m browsing your website, any sharing feature or analytics script might seem useful to you, but it won’t make me visit you more often, or even less either. I’ll come back if your content is worth it. Ultimately, what I want is just to load your website because that’s all I’m interested in.

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