Your business’s website is the first place potential customers will turn to find information about what your organization does, and an outdated web presence will deliver a negative impression. The online world is always evolving, so a website that was cutting-edge five years ago may now appear extremely dated. Today on Podium, we review seven elements that make websites appear outdated in the modern online environment.
1. Irrelevant Information
Crowded designs and too much text make websites difficult to understand and navigate. Look at your site and consider which elements are actually generating the results you’re after. Any elements beyond those should be considered for deletion. When adding new features, always have a sound reason for including them.
2. Old Coding
Old programming makes your site look outdated, and the extra HTML tags for image maps and tables slow down loading speeds. Old coding also makes it difficult to edit content. If your website is run on outdated code, it’s probably time to consider implementing a new Content Management System.
3. Flash Intros
Flash intros are annoying for the customer, take too long to load, don’t work on Apple mobile devices and are not recognized by Google. They may have been popular in the early days of the Internet, but now it’s best to avoid them entirely.
4. Animated GIF Flags
Like Flash intros, animated GIF flags are relics of a bygone era. Their presence makes your pages look dated, so they should be removed.
5. Autoplay Videos
Videos that automatically start playing when a website is accessed annoy users. Users want to engage online content on their own terms. Automatically playing videos may cause users to immediately abandon your site, resulting in a lost opportunity for engagement.
6. M.dot Sites
An “m.dot” site (like “m.facebook.com”) is encountered when a company redirects a user to a separate, mobile version of its site. Advances in responsive website design have made it possible to create a single website that will automatically adjust to present properly on any web-enabled device, whether desktop, tablet or mobile. A single website with responsive design appears more modern than an m.dot site.
7. Page Size
Monitors were generally small and square just a few years ago, and websites were designed within those confines. With the advent of large, widescreen monitors, those sites built for the old screens now look narrow and dated. It’s safe to design web presentations that are at least 980 pixels wide these days.
At Martin-Wilbourn Partners, we are experts in online marketing that can help you refine your web presence. We can help you modernize your existing website or create a new one that takes advantage of the latest advances in technology. Contact Martin-Wilbourn Partners today to start a conversation about how a modernized web presence can help grow your business.
