Mandatory Login

Many web sites have a mandatory login in order to see their pages. The login is free, but you must provide personal information, create a username and password. This all takes time and you do not even know if the web site has information that you are interested in. This becomes even more of a nuisance when you revisit the web site later. Most people will not remember what username and password they used and will have to create yet another login. If there is an option to send the username and password to your email address, then the question becomes what email address did you use before.

Mandatory logins are stoppers. People will go elsewhere.

Some ecommerce web sites also force people to create an account just to look through the catalog. I do not know what the web designers of these sites are thinking. It is comparable to a brick and mortar store asking to see your credit card before allowing you into the store.

Good web design will not force your viewers to login for FREE information. People realize that you are collecting email addresses and will give bogus login information.