Have you ever noticed how older TV shows seem to have a strange coloration to them?  In the 80’s, 70’s shows looked old.  In the 90’s, 80’s shows still seemed dated, and everything before HD looks rather prehistoric.  The same is true for websites; it is important to make sure that your site stays relatively current. I am not suggesting that you find the most cutting edge site and adapt it for yourself, what I am say is this: find a place in the middle that will survive design fads. Design color schemes, patterns, and overall motifs change as time goes on and it is important to either build a site with classic sensibility or create one that can easily change modes.

The really cool sites of yesterday seem just plain silly today.  Years ago, designers wanted to wow potential customers with bells and whistles, literally. Today, with better tools, designers (the smart ones) have toned down and come back to Earth.  The problem is that while we may have landed back in the middle.  Many of our potential customers may still want Las Vegas style websites while the industry is moving toward 5th Avenue.  There is a time and a place for Vegas, but unless you are a gambler all of the flashiness should take a back seat to a clear, clean, and fun look.

In the old days, people shoved their website down peoples throats.  It was an arms race of sorts to see who could cram the most stuff in one place (some big name sites still do this), and there came an era of minimalism where sites like Google gave you a search box, their logo and that was pretty much it.  While Google’s end product is not even close to a solution for most sites, their approach is.

When Google was emerging, many search sites were looking to be web portals, an all in one stop for visitors. Google recognized that none of those portals were really outstanding at searching, and instead of competing to be a portal, Google simply focused on search. A decade later the company’s name is now used as a verb for searching the web, and it dominates the search market by more than 70%.  Google makes it clear that a great site does not need a lot of page elements.

Don’t become a victim of the yesterday syndrome.  Stay ahead of the pack by consulting with us on the best ways for you to take your old site and give it a modern start. We will work with you to come up with a clean design that engages your core audience, and welcomes a new one. We will help you develop a custom solution to meet your online needs.