Does your website show it's age?
Is your website ready for a make-over?A website has a very short shelf life compared with most products or services. New technology goes at such a pace that a website created just two years ago with the latest available software is soon out of date.
Screen resolution- larger formats
There are many elements that make a site look dated. Sites created five years ago were made to fit the then standard 800 x 600 pixel screen – a 15” monitor normally. These websites look extremely uncomfortable and dated when viewed on the modern large flat screen monitor – with anything from 1152 pixels to 1600 pixels resolution in use.
Font sytle and text size
Then there’s the size of text and the font on the screen. Whilst there are still restrictions on the font that can be used due to the reliance on the viewer's font library, large format Times New Roman used just a few years ago looks very untidy compared with the more modern Arial or Verdana fonts used – especially when downsized.
What colour?
An important consideration in creating the overall ‘feel’ of a website is the choice of colours. The colours on a modern site tend to make full use of the hues and shades of a delicate palette, rather than brash colours used in the earlier sites (many using a black background too – wow!).
Image size
With most internet users now equipped with broadband, the use of stamp-size images is not longer a pre-requisite. Large format, crystal clear images can now be uploaded and deployed without worries of long download times and frightening away impatient visitors.
Flash versus old GIFs
And of course, there’s Flash. The animated GIF file has long disappeared from websites now that all computers are equipped with the Adobe Flash Player. This gives a much smoother animation. Plus, the simplest animated GIF would take hours to produce, compared to the minutes a simple similar Flash animation takes.
Review now
Owners of websites need to review their whole site at least once a year to make sure it still looks fresh and inviting. We’re not talking about amendments and additions – these should be done regularly anyway. The purpose of the review is to take hold of the whole site and to compare it with the competition.
As an owner, are you confident that your site still ranks amongst the best? If not, perhaps you need to take steps now to have a serious make-over!
Get in touch with us (info@nsa-websitedesign.com) and we can tell you how we can make your website stand out from the rest.
