We have also added links at the bottom of each page. If someone takes the time to read everything we have to say on one page, we feel they should have the right to jump to the next page on the site. They need to be able to move around the site at will, skipping what they don't want to see and yet putting all there is to offer right there in front of them all the time. At the Big Dome we love to do animations and think every site can make good use of a few. We are well aware that anything can be over done and are careful about the sites loading time.
Animations do grab attention and can really make a site a great experience.
The answer to that is a good counter that lets you see what is going on with your site. At The Big Dome we like Xoom counters with power stats. A Xoom counter gives good information to the site owner and this information lets you know if you are on the right track. You don't just want numbers, you want facts. Facts like operating system, web browser, time of day and the host your visitor is using.