Three popular website trends, busted

Trends. They come and go and something that can feel on-brand today can easily feel overdone in no time. They can also prove to be not that beneficial. So when we’re wanting that *thing* that’s shiny and new, it’s important to take a step back. Ask questions. And only then, proceed with action.

These questions can help:

• Why does this trend resonate with me?
• If I didn’t implement this trend, would I continue to thrive?
• Is this trend the best thing for my audience?

Nothing is more true for these questions than your website. Website trends move fast these days and it’s important to keep up with what’s really not working anymore.

Let’s run through some of the old school trends and why they no longer ‘work’.

Sliding banners on your homepage

You know the ones. You land on a homepage and if you wait around long enough, the banner slides from one image and message to another.

THE PROBLEM: The thing is, we as website users rarely stick around to see the second slide, let alone the third or fourth.

If you only view your website from your own perspective, you’ll be under the impression that, sure, I’d stick around to view the pretty slideshow. Chances are though, your audience doesn’t do this. They’re more interested in quickly viewing (and reading) the banner that shows when they first arrive and then they’re off to look at your key service or latest product they’ve heard good things about.

The other thing with sliding banners is their load time. They slow down your website loading speed, which doesn’t look good for your audience or Google.

INSTEAD: Only have one banner at the top of your homepage, not a slideshow. Your banner needs to include a short and punchy headline, a short summary of what you do and maybe a button to direct your audience to your service of choice. The photo or graphic included in the banner will help to convey this up-front message. That’s it.

Script fonts for lots of text

A script font is a font that looks like handwritten text. It tends to be really cursive and pretty and they were all the rage not that long ago.

THE PROBLEM: Just because something looks pretty, doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to use a lot of. Script fonts have one downside: they can be really difficult to read.

Your audience doesn’t want to spend precious time trying to decipher your text. Text, especially headings, should be easy to read at a glance. Fun fact: did you know some of your website audience reads headings ONLY? They grab information quickly and skim read headings to get a feel for what you do and why they should take the next step with you.

INSTEAD: Use script fonts sparingly. Refrain from using them for headings or only for short headings. If your brand includes a script font, think about using it more as a watermark on or beside images as a layering effect.

Instagram or Facebook feed on your website

I get it. You put a lot of effort into creating beautiful Instagram posts that fit perfectly with your brand. And naturally, you want to showcase them on your website.

THE PROBLEM: For one, that website load time I mentioned before? Your external feeds from Instagram and/or Facebook slow things down. Google pays attention to these things and a slow website can harm your rankings over time.

And a question: What’s the purpose of showing your Instagram feed? From my perspective, it can distract from the ultimate goal and messaging of your website. Your audience sees many Instagram images and not the well crafted captions that go along with them. If they click on one of the images, they get taken to Instagram and away from your website. And once we’re on Instagram? Wow, do we get distracted by *everything*.

INSTEAD: Include your social media links on your website. Invite your website audience to follow you on your Contact page, for example. You could even go so far as to say “I regularly post interesting things about x, y and z on Instagram. It’s the best place to follow me.” That will work wonders over having a feed that slows down your site.

Three old school trends busted. Food for thought when you’re next reviewing your website. Remember to ask, “are the trends you’ve followed actually working for you?”.