Ahhh, 2004. The year of the Athens Summer Olympics, Meet the Fockers, and a world-famous wardrobe malfunction. It doesn't seem all that long ago, but a whole lot has changed in the world wide web in the past few years. If your website was constructed before you first heard the song, "Drop It Like It's Hot," then it might be time to redesign.
Why? Well, a new look can be exciting for your clients. But more importantly, you want your website to take advantage of all the new technology and trends that have come around in the world of web design since the days of Ken Jennings' Jeopardy winning streak. Let's look at a couple of these new tricks.
The Sparknotes Version of Your Content
We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but your website visitors are probably not devoting 100% of their attention to your site when they visit. While your loyal client is on your page, he's probably also updating his status on Facebook, losing a bidding war on eBay, and writing an e-mail to his Aunt Maude. (And you thought we didn't know that you were clicking back and forth between us and your fantasy baseball team right now! It's okay - we forgive you - and we've got a couple of windows open too.)
Since web designers have now acknowledged that multitasking is a part of life on the web, they are more careful to keep the content on your site simple and easy to read. Newly designed websites break up content by using shorter paragraphs and more bulleted lists. If your page was designed a couple of years back, you may be losing your multitasking prospects altogether because of the text layout.
Make Your Invisible Boxes Disappear
Freshly designed web pages take advantage of looser interpretations of the "box model". Back in the day, overlapping wasn't really possible on websites, so web designers had to essentially put each little piece of your page in its own little invisible box (think excel spreadsheets). New technology has overcome that obstacle and made it easier to allow for elements of your page to layer over each other. This means a lot cooler graphics and more layout options are now possible. Translation: your website can look more cutting edge.
But...I Don't WANT a Flashy, Gimmicky, Annoying Website!
Relax. Updating your website's design doesn't necessarily mean you have to add strobe lights and techno beats. (In fact, please don't do that.) An updated design can make use of new design elements and technology but still be tasteful and professional. Think of it as making a classic recipe with fresh ingredients. Making a classic recipe with ingredients from 2004 would result in a product that's...stale.
So if your website is past its expiration date, maybe it's time to think about an overhaul.
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