Website design is a versatile and ever-changing field. Website designers must keep up with industry news, brush up on their skills, and evolve their style to execute the latest design trends.

In Website Design, Appearances are Key

First impressions are everything. On the Internet, you only have a few seconds to capture a user’s attention. It is the responsibility of your website design, along with the website copy, to convince visitors to interact further with your site.

In fact, Adobe reported that 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content/layout is unattractive.

Google also found that 79% of people who don’t like what they find on one site will go back and search for another.

The appearance and functionality of your website are crucial to the performance of your marketing strategy. To improve your digital marketing strategy and website user experience, make sure these 7 website design trends aren’t part of your site.

1. Flash Websites

Way back in the day, everyone had a Flash website. It was not uncommon to see businesses and brands boasting animated websites using Flash. However, incorporating Flash into a website is no longer an industry standard. In fact, it is considered quite the faux pas.

If your website still relies on Flash to function, it’s time to make the switch to a new website design.

2. Stock Photos

Have you ever seen the same stock photo used on multiple websites? As avid Internet users, we are able to identify if a photo is authentic or from a stock website. While stock photos are not a terrible asset for websites, your website design should not be stuffed with them.

Instead, capture high-quality images of your products, services, employees, or projects to use as part of your website design. If this is not an option, make sure you choose stock photos that are not commonly used.

3. Homepage Carousels

Once a popular website design trend, homepage image carousels have also become dated. The initial reasoning behind using carousels was to catch and maintain a user’s attention. However, research shows that the complete opposite happens.

4. Keeping Content above the Fold

Derived from an old newspaper term about placing the most important information above the fold of a newspaper, old websites would cram vital info “above the fold.” Meaning the top half of websites, before you had to scroll, were jam-packed with buttons, copy, menu navigation, and more.

Today, users understand the need to scroll through a website for information. With this in mind, design your website with a logical flow and space information out accordingly.

5. AutoPlay Video

Have you ever visited a website only to be frightened by the loud and sudden autoplay video? This irritating function is used for ads on news websites, on landing pages as part of the sales process, and even as a website retention gimmick.

As you might have guessed, users do not enjoy it. In fact, Google noticed users’ disdain for such tactics and announced that Google Chrome will not autoplay videos with sound which started in January 2018. If a video is a large part of your marketing strategy, give users the choice of whether or not to watch your video.

6. Hamburger Menus on Desktop Websites

Considering the small amount of screen space available on smartphones, mobile responsive websites use a “hamburger” style menu. This allows the website design to focus on vital content rather than be crowded by a website navigation.

However, somewhere along the line, desktop websites also began to utilize this trend. While it may look minimalistic or aesthetically appealing, it’s a bit confusing to desktop users. Utilizing hamburger menus on desktop websites forces users to take an extra step to access the menu.

When deciding on a menu for your WordPress website, don’t order the hamburger.

Article from https://www.bluehost.com/blog/websites/7-extinct-website-design-trends-9538/

Author: eis2022