How Websites Are Like Hairstyles [or…]

… understanding the importance of updating websites

I often joke that outdated websites are like hairstyles, one glimpse and you know from which decade they came.

Connection Group started offering website design for businesses and organizations in 1998.  Sadly, some of the cutting-edge companies and organizations who jumped into the internet then are still working with the same, but now very outdated, website! Others who didn’t understand the importance of updating websites have long since closed their doors. Take a look at these outdated websites from a web design and developers eye.  We’re going to poke fun at ourselves… so as not to offend anyone…(truthfully the first screencap doesn’t follow the ‘crew cut type’ that it is linked to … we never had a crew cut type website… we’re designers with many fonts… we must rebel…)

The Crew Cut of Pixie – All buttoned up and Proper

outdated website design from 2001This website follows all the corporate rules. The company name is in the upper left corner, as text in helvetica, arial or times. The navigation is straight across the top with no drop downs, colors are pristine, and web fonts are clean and clear. There is no guessing where the content you are seeking is, just keep reading through the pages of copy and, if you stay awake long enough, you will get the answers you seek. There are no photos or graphics to add interest or break up the mountains of copy. Because ‘no truly serious business person wants artwork to distract them from their task.’ Internal staff can not touch these site, updates that are required must go through the code nerds in IT only.

The Spiked Out Punk – Loud, creative and difficult

screen cap of Connection Group Adobe Flash websiteOnce the cool-kid website that was all flash and no content. Once launched graphics thrust toward you accompanied by swooshing sounds or music as each bursting circle or star thrashed to the next. The creative animation software that was Flash and made these site designs so popular in the millennium was considered difficult to deal with from the beginning. Mobile developers have further ostracized the use of Flash websites and now refuse to support them. Calling one up on your mobile device just brings conflict and remorse. Those that survived are underground, hidden from all attempts of search engine results.

The Mullet – Business in the front and party in the back

Connection Group Lansing website design old home pageWe’ve all seen this one. The website with all the right elements on the home page but once you get in deeper all you see is code or you have to jump through multiple pages to get a short answer on the question you had way back on the home page. Appearances are everything with these websites. The owners believe nobody really buys on the web, a website is just to help appear credible.

The 80’s hairband – All fluff and no substance

Connection Group home pages 2009You’ve seen them, laden with dark colors, embossed buttons, every graphic and photo has multiple drop shadows and effects. Moving gifs are dancing erratically across the screen screaming for attention. The site navigation is strung out here and there with no sense of purpose or reasoning. Mobile responsive website? Not even close.

Ombre Hair – Trendy and Independent

connection graphics responsive website design.psdThese website designs are trendy and work hard to stand out from the crowd. With splashy artwork, handwritten fonts, scrolling themes, and social linking they’re ready to take on the world. Every mommy-blogger or small business can create a free Weebly or WordPress website, make their own changes and updates, post blogs and photos and be individually unique. But wait… didn’t I just see that same site theme used for the local art gallery website or was it the online fabric or yarn shop website or the Lansing, Michigan cannabis caretaker dispensary website? There’s no shock value or envy of cutting edge creativity, everyone’s doing it. The straight off the shelf free website themes are everywhere and they are all beginning to look the same. Plus the novelty wares off all too quickly. Once trendy small business websites are off on their own away from the original stylist, roots start to show up as broken links that take you nowhere and the last posted blog from two years ago starts with “Sorry it’s been so long… I’ve been so busy I don’t have time to update my own website… ”

Buzzcut with Shaved Design – You’ve been hacked

These websites may have started out fine with a few fancy plug-ins with extra features or added interests were included. It looked and sent the desired message so there was not need to change it or look at it again. The only problem is hackers love to attack websites that do not get updated regularly. These are the sites that you land on that automatically come up with a Google caution that says, “Go back – we have detected malware that may harm your computer… proceed at your own risk. Even you are not adding new photos or text or regular blogs, website maintenance and updates are important for security reasons as well as the benefit of increased SEO.

What decade or style do you find your company website in?

 Technology and websites are ever changing and it can be hard to keep up. Now that you understand the importance of updating websites, you need a completely new website design or just need help updating your website, connect with us today. New website designs and website updating is 15% off through June 15. Hurry and get on our schedule today.

If you are interested in seeing throwback from websites-gone-by, visit archive.org. This website has chronicled website crawls since the year 1990s.

Leave a Reply