It does not mean that it is a trend that you should follow it. You must have heard of these lines before and in the world of web designs this actually true. You just can’t be too trendy when it comes to designing web pages that will click; trends come and go and smart we design should still be a priority. To give an example of what awful web designs are here are 5 of the worst that you must never adapt to your site:
- Using splash pages – splash pages are meant to excite and to make visitors yearn for more. These pages are loaded with moving graphics, engaging music, illuminating and gyrating status bars and so much more. There is just so much for an average user to take. You should never use this kind of technique since customers will likely just bounce from your site and find another site where he could get straightforward information instead.
- The Web 2.0 Design – these are web designs that look similar to a children’s story book with rounded corners, drop shadows and reflections. This is a totally outdated web design that could only mean one thing: your content must be outdated too. Invest in strong and dramatic web design to keep your customers interested. Remember that the more professional-looking your site is the more you will likely attract more customers.
- Stock photos – you may have seen this more frequently, stock photos that you swore you have seen in one or more sites that you have been to. If you must use stock photos, make sure that you review the photo with a keen eye. Choose believable ones or the ones that will certainly make a good impression to your customers. But if you can, please use your own photos or take a picture of actual people and places instead.
- MySpace-ification – a site that becomes more of a scrapbook could be cute in the e mid 2000s but this trend is certainly unforgivable these days. Talk about large counters, different kinds of fonts and font sizes, neon graphics and flashing icons could bring tears to your eyes! Personalizing your site is a great way to express yourself but it could cost you a lot of visitors. You simply cannot expect everyone to like your taste so better take time in creating a simple and acceptable site. Always remember that less is more.
- Flash sites – this is a terribly outdated style that is not just old but is becoming more and more incompatible with so many devices and programs. What you can do to update a site that still runs on flash is using HTML5 or CSS2 instead.
- Popup windows – it is very distracting if you are trying to read something while a popup window refuses to close. Whether it is an ad or a landing page, popups are very disruptive and could cost you more users. So if you can do without these pages then you should just keep them to a minimum.