Past and Present Web Trends

We’ve come a long way since the wild west of web design. Hiring an Internet Strategy Consultant didn’t exist, and technology rapidly advanced quicker than everyday users and designers could keep up. With such a speedy evolution in website design, trends have come and gone as quickly as strangers popping into your home for a short visit.

Staying current with trends and enlisting an Internet Strategy Consultant can keep you relevant in the ever-evolving world of the limitless web. By looking back at what trends have faded into memory vs. upcoming pertinent ones, your business can stay current with user expectations.

Dead Web Trends

Let’s stroll down memory lane and see where we came from. Like an estate sale, these old trends no longer top the list of relevant designs. When trying to stay relevant, we need to learn from what was once popular and what we’re unlikely to ever implement again. It’s doubtful any internet strategy consultant would ever recommend any of these design implementations -

• - This tag used in the early days allowed content to become visible and invisible when a user visited a website. Netscape Navigator (a blast from the past) boasted this feature. The problem is that modern web browsers ignore it, ultimately creating reading difficulties due to the lack of browser support.
• Flash menus. Back in the day, this was the only option when attempting to stand out and make a website appealing to visitors. Now, it’s clunky and not easy to update when a quick fix is needed.
• Site map. Remember the days of clicking a link for a ‘site map’ and landing on a page of a laundry list of links that navigated you to every possible part of the website? That setup has gone by the wayside. Site maps will remain in the history books thanks to easy-to-use search functions and a savvy internet strategy consultant.
• Frames. Landing on sites incorporating frames brought on independent windows with separate content from the page. Frames didn’t present a streamlined browsing experience, and the browser navigation buttons couldn’t work if you ended up on a separate framed page. Also, copy and paste functionality was less than ideal and didn’t work as users expected.
• Image buttons. Stuck in the past and what we’d expect with an interface, buttons were ‘popped out’ on websites, creating a 3D image highlighting that you could press that button. Buttons created headaches for designers and are now obsolete.

Current Trends

If you know about retired web design elements, the second part of succeeding with a website (and the more critical piece) is understanding current trends. Here are some current design trends an internet strategy consultant would incorporate that pack the most potent punch on a fresh web design.

• Flat design. Unlike those flashy and cumbersome, often broken buttons of the past, a sleek flat design appeals to everyone. It’s not always wise to overcomplicate things; users strive for a clean design with strategic typography and appealing color schemes.
• Fixed menu bars. Back when buttons, frames, and a clunky design innovated your eyes, website menus disappeared as soon as the web-goer scrolled their mouse. Now, if you look at modern sites, you’ll notice that the menu bar remains fixed at the top, making it easy to get to where you want without much effort.
• Parallax Scrolling. If you’re not an internet strategy consultant or a web designer in general, this might be a mouthful. The concept is simple, though. In a two-dimensional setup, this feature adds an element to feel more immersive. The background of a site moves slower than the foreground to create a more dynamic viewing environment.
• Large photo backgrounds. With current layouts, designers like to take advantage of adding large, impressive backgrounds to a page. For example, if you’re creating a travel website, potential travelers would be taken in by the sweeping background of a private hut snuggled within the palm trees of a private beach. Large image backgrounds entice audiences and create a mood.

Emphasis on Social Media

Dynamic websites that regularly add fresh content set a stage for a successful company. However, with current design considerations, it’s critical not to forget that there’s more than just a website. Social media is king and drives the audience to your main webpage. Embedding social media into the fibers of your strategy is one that an internet strategy consultant always strives to incorporate.

5.34 Billion users rely on their mobile phones to stay connected. Four out of five rely on smartphones, and social media falls right in tow when you think of a smartphone. Leveraging social media platforms with websites has become a must in this tech-savvy world. So, when creating a new site from the ground up, remember to incorporate all the social media platforms you’re willing to feed with fresh content.

What a strange journey it’s been with the great wide web. From the first days of clueless (albeit motivated) ordinary people on the streets wanting space on the internet to robust, dynamic, captivating sites created by an internet strategy consultant, the trends will continue to change. There’s no imagining where we’ll land in another ten years. The possibilities are endless.

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To Your Best Online!

Ingrid Maddox, Internet Marketing & Strategy Consultant. bluedress INTERNET MARKETING®, an Internet Marketing Company headquartered in Knoxville, TN. Internet Marketing Developed, Implemented, and Managed to Full Circle! Organic Internet Search Engine Guru. Turn-Key Internet Optimization Programs Placing You Everywhere and Anywhere You Need to Be Online.

ingrid@bluedressinc.com

865-378-7712