The only constant in life is change, and website trends aren’t the exception! As technology advances and expands, the concept of good aesthetics and a well-designed UI also evolves. Some features just become outdated and obsolete. 

  1. Corny Stock Photos That No One Can Relate To 

Using stock photos is not wrong or bad, they’re actually a good option when you don’t have the resources to create your own business photography content. However, there are certain stock photos that just look too unrealistic and staged. 

If there is no other choice but to use stock photos, don’t go for the obvious options. Try to use different kinds of websites, like Unsplash or Pexels, that offer license-free, high-quality photos that look more natural, unique, and realistic. Always choose pictures that have that fresh and organic look. Don’t make it obvious that they’re stock photos! 

However, we do recommend making the effort of hiring a professional photographer that can do the job for your business. It will make a tremendous difference. 

  

  1. BIG Hero Sliders 

According to Shopify, a hero image is “a large, featured image or series of images prominently displayed on the homepage. These images are often referred to as hero, banner or carousel images.” 

Back in the day, website designers used to do a lot of hero sliders because they allowed to show several promotional offers one after the other. However, the thing is they take a lot of space, they slow down the website speed, and they also slow down users because they’re easily distracted. 

We have to stop the mentality that EVERY website needs a Hero slider. It all depends on what kind of website your business needs. For example, an eCommerce site does need to showcase different promotions or even new products; but if we’re talking about a website for a law firm, they probably won’t need it. They would benefit better from showing their portfolio and how they can be reached. 

 If you still want to use a hero slider or a hero image, you can keep it within the top section of the screen, avoiding it from taking over the entire space so it doesn’t push other relevant content further down the monitor or screen. Remember to keep it simple! Sliders with meaningless Calls to Action do more harm than good. 

Or here’s another option, you could identify a single goal and call to action, and place it in a single hero banner. 

Nonetheless, not all companies are the same. Some might have more than one goal. For example, businesses like Spotify or Netflix can manage to have a single hero banner because they have one goal: for users to subscribe. But other kinds of businesses might have 2 or 3 goals for their website: to offer a quote, to offer information, or even to get users to schedule a meeting. So, focus on the main goal. 

  

  1. Non-traditional or Endless Scrolling 

Whether it’s one or the other, they are no longer useful, and we’ll tell you why. 

Let’s talk non-traditional scrolling first. Yes, we’ve gotten used to swiping gestures in mobile apps (up, down or to the sides), but it’s not very common for websites. It did help businesses to stand out a few years ago; nowadays, it’s too tricky, unnecessary, and to be honest, quite impractical. Without clear directions, it can be hard for users to figure out how to scroll through a website. A non-traditional scroll can stop them from being as engaged to the website as you first intended them to be. 

Now, endless scrolling. Thinking like a user, it’s better to just click a clear link or button that will redirect you to where you want to go. Scrolling to helpfully find what you need is tiring, and frankly, annoying. Users want immediacy and speed. 

Having a website that sometimes doesn’t let you reach the footer and keeps loading is quite purposeless. 

  

  1. Using Flash 

Yes, there are still websites using Flash Player. Even though Adobe no longer supports it since the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. Adobe even recommended that all users immediately uninstall Flash Player to help protect their systems. 

Adobe stated that open standards like HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly have continued to mature over the years, thus serving as alternatives to Flash supported content. 

So, what are you waiting for? Update your website! 

  

  1. Annoying Pop-ups 

Pop-up ads are helpful for pushing important information, yes. But they also interrupt a user’s website experience, avoiding them from getting to the information they want to. Better? Add a call-to-action button! 

If you still insist on implementing a pop-up ad, at least follow the next recommendations: 

  • Don’t make them show up right away. 
  • Repeat an information or offer that you already showed in the home page banner. 
  • Appear too many times during a visit or when they return to your website. 

The main issue with pop-ups is saturating customers. However, a well-thought and punctuated pop-up will be beneficial to your business. Maybe make it appear on your home page! Remember you can configure the pop-up settings; if a customer says they do not want to see it again, change the settings so it will appear again after a 15 or 20 days. 

Don’t make your pop-up message seem like spam. 

  

  1. Year 2000 Design 

You know the look.  Too much text, no images, or visually appealing graphics… 

What we recommend is keeping a clean design, and clean doesn’t mean boring. You can mix it up with different color palettes that adjust to your brand identity. We also recommend: 

  • Clean lines. 
  • Use graphics and infographics. 
  • Leave adequate space between sections so the website doesn’t look too stuffy or “crowded”. 
  • Use pictures! Preferably real pictures, not stock photos that look way too staged. 
  • Use two or three fonts max. One for titles or headings, another one for subheadings, and a third one for body text. Don’t mix up too many fonts, it will look disorganized and cause fatigue in people’s eyes. 

  

When designing a website, remember to follow techniques that have become a habit throughout the years because well, they have proven to be useful, listen to customers who are website users, and don’t let fleeting trends hold you or your website back.