5 web design trends that are now out of date
In any area of life, not merely the web, for every stone-cold design classic that remains as relevant now as the day it was conceived, there are many other trends that prove exactly that – mere passing trends.
That’s certainly the case in the world of web design. The online landscape is a fast-moving one, and design elements that once seemed cutting-edge can quickly come to look like a momentary fad in just a year or two’s time.
Here are five of the once-favoured web design techniques that are far from on-trend in late 2014.
- Flash intros
Flash used to be the must-have technology for organisations to incorporate into their homepages, and it was big news that the iPhone and iPad didn’t support it.
Alas, that proved the beginning of the end for Flash in many ways. More and more smartphones have since come along that have not incorporated support for the technology, which isn’t good news in the age of widespread mobile browsing and buying.
Nor do the search engines react well to Flash, so it could even hurt your site’s rankings.
- Huge homepage banners
It once seemed logical to have the company’s logo take up a large proportion of the website homepage – after all, it’s worth it to drum your firm’s name and colours into the minds of visitors, right?
Unfortunately, website visitors themselves generally don’t agree these days, considering such banners to be overbearing and to take up space that would be better reserved for content. Your site might be lucky enough to be able to make it work, but the greater likelihood is that it won’t be.
- Long-winded text
Who wants to visit any site and be confronted by impenetrable blocks of text? Doubtless, one might have once considered such a look wise, on the basis that it made the site look weighty and the company like one that had a lot to say.
These days, time-pressed web users would much prefer if you just quickly and clearly got to the point, particularly when they are browsing on their mobiles. Use bullet points, bold text, links… break up text wherever you can for readability’s sake.
- Autoplay videos
There’s nothing wrong with having a video on your site – after all, it gives a break from reading text or looking at still images, and there’s no doubt that web users respond to moving images and audio, often being compelled to stay longer on your site as a result.
However, making a video automatically play as soon as the visitor hits your homepage is more than annoying. It makes many a visitor look for the ‘pause’ button or simply click the ‘back’ button and head to the site of a competitor.
- Unwanted pop-ups
Similarly annoying are pop-ups. They were annoying in the early days of the Internet, and they remain annoying now. Most customers don’t want to have one shoved in their face when they are looking for other information about your products or services. The pop-out on the other hand is less intrusive and a little ‘du jour’ right now!
It doesn’t matter whether you’re inviting the visitor to enter a competition, ‘like’ your Facebook page, sign up for a newsletter or something else altogether – the same principle applies. It’s another website design trend of yesteryear to swerve well clear of in 2015!
If you’re in any doubt of the quality of your business website ask us for some pointers! Our web services team are available to take a look at your site. Simply call +35316188000 at your convenience!