Are you turning off 25% of your customers?

Those with speedy internet connections seem to quickly forget what it's like to experience the web through a dial-up connection. Still, millions of people continue to access the internet through the reliable old 56k modem and standard phone line, and that's not likely to change any time soon, especially not in the United States.

A recent report reveals that only 44% of US households have broadband internet access. Among those indentified as "active internet users," penetration is 73%, which leaves more than a quarter of active users stuck on dial-up.

If your web site makes extensive use of multimedia content, that means as many as one in four visitors, your potential customers, may experience unacceptably long load times.  Audio, video, and Flash content, if not used wisely, can slow your site to a crawl and turn away customers on a slow connection.

But what if your target market is other companies?  Surely most workplaces have broadband connectivity?  While fast connections as more common in the business world, still 10% of workers connect to the internet with a regular 56k modem. 

Broadband use should continue to rise in the near future, but adoption will eventually plateau as the market matures.  And users in rural areas will likely remain on dial-up for years to come. Using the latest technologies and a professionally designed web site, it is possible to build a web presence that is attractive and engaging to all of your users, not just those with faster connections.  Can you afford to turn away 25% of your potential customers?