Think of the last time you were on a bad website. You might recall garish, mismatched colors clashing on the screen, making it hard to focus on any content. Distracting gifs popped up everywhere, each vying for your attention and slowing down your browser. The cursor, oddly transformed into a flashy, blinking icon, left you fumbling to navigate. Every click was a gamble, leading you to broken links or auto-playing videos with blaring music. These are classic features that make your website look outdated. This chaotic visual assault left you frustrated, ready to hit the back button and never return.
Web design and development are both fast-moving categories of online branding. Even after a short amount of time, any company can lose traction after neglecting site maintenance. Whether you’re pausing to prioritize other areas of the business or your company doesn’t have the right talent, a neglected website can become outdated quickly.
When reviewing website plans and goals, be conscious of popular features and those that can put your site behind. Pay attention to trends in website legality, development, user experience, and overall design, as well as when changes are needed. Using outdated features can discourage consumers from using your website altogether. The following are web features that have become outdated, among other trends:
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Clutter
When the internet was shiny and new, website developers were excited to share as many details and media as they could on any given page. For example, with digital marketing for law firms, businesses have been tempted to inform entirely through their website content. Unfortunately, overloading users with information may hinder conversions. Putting too much on the homepage can lead someone astray and distract them from a sole call to action, such as contacting a legal team.
Websites should be a starting point and not the ultimate education resource. Marketing teams need to develop their websites to move visitors through the funnel. Highlighting your team’s contact information can motivate users to reach out when they need more information. Simplifying your content will prevent visitors from getting distracted and encourage them to reach out to your team sooner.
Carousels
While you may still see this trend among popular news and streaming sites, it’s one of the more frustrating features for users today. Carousels are often set to auto-rotate, which can leave a consumer feeling rushed, especially if they didn’t get a chance to read the initial headline. This feature was meant to provide more valuable information, but much like the rest of web clutter, it tends to overwhelm.
Instead, highlight your most important CTA at the top of the page and give the consumer additional information as they scroll to the bottom. Giving them the power to scroll through a carousel themselves or arranging the information in a different design can create a more user-friendly experience.
Sidebars
For businesses with complicated products or business models, it’s tempting to give links to all possible resources or product options. Sidebars have given users visibility into all available links, but in most instances, the feature has made site navigation more difficult. Sidebars were popular for a long time, but now they are considered features that make your website look outdated. Modern sites have found more success with simplicity in their web design.
Today, businesses are opting for simpler site navigation. Headers with dropdowns help to divide all resources into relevant categories. Once a category catches someone’s eye, they can follow it to a more specific topic link. Simplifying navigation in this manner makes it easier for your consumers to find what they’re looking for on your website. Getting rid of all sidebars will make pages look cleaner as well, especially on mobile devices.
Static Design
Before smartphones, businesses didn’t prioritize dynamic content and sizing on their sites. While this approach is certainly easier to develop, it can lead to a clunky mobile experience.
Companies continuing to stick to static web design will stand out like a sore thumb against competitors.
Mobile web browsing is becoming increasingly popular, so much so that most people will see the mobile version of a landing page first before following up on a desktop later. For businesses developing social networks and online shopping, focusing on a mobile-first website design is critical. Teams should focus on making an experience that’s convenient for both mobile and desktop viewers. Adjusting a static site to be more dynamic in the end will help captivate the consumers who prefer mobile browsing.
Pop-ups
In the early 2000s, pop-ups were a way for marketing teams to get your attention. They’re still a common feature used by chatbots and subscription CTAs, but they’re bothersome to consumers. Pop-ups tend to distract web visitors from their personal shopping or research goals and may motivate them to leave the website altogether.
Your web design needs to showcase the business’s important news and promotions without blocking the consumer’s actions. For instance, brands can instead highlight subscription benefits through a banner or site hero image. Promoting subscriptions during the checkout process will motivate a consumer to subscribe when a membership promotion, like free shipping, is most convenient. Getting your message across in a less disruptive way will lead to a more positive experience on your website.
Simplicity Is In
If there’s anything businesses should take away from the aforementioned features that make your website look outdated, it’s that a simple design is the way to go. Making the links and content available on the homepage more concise and to the point will make the consumer web journey more straightforward. With a simplified design, users are more likely to be pulled in by critical calls to action.
Simplicity will also enhance your user experience. Users are less likely to feel overwhelmed or bothered by a clunky feature and may stay on your website a little longer. Dedicating your web efforts to redesigning and simplifying your website features will keep users engaged and coming back.
