7 Outdated Web Design Trends That Will Destroy Your Profitability

Are your conversion rates starting to decline? Or are you just unhappy because your digital assets look like they don’t belong in this decade? Nothing destroys a website’s profitability as fast as outdated web design trends…

Yet, the fact that some web design trends go out of fashion quickly doesn’t help.

Months pass, and you’re already regretting your design choices…

As the owner of a web design agency in Chicago, I’ve been on the frontlines of industry shifts for over 15 years. In this article, I’d like to share with you 7 trends that were highly popular in previous years, but you must ditch them before it’s too late.

Even if you don’t have a website but plan on building it, it’s crucial to understand which design choices you must avoid.

Don’t worry; I won’t focus only on negatives. As we explore these outdated web design trends, I’ll suggest what you can do instead to make your digital assets more profitable and aesthetically pleasing.

Table of Contents:

• How Businesses Become Victims Of Outdated Web Design Trends
• What Will Happen If You Don’t Ditch Outdated Website Design Trends?
• 7 Outdated Web Design Trends In 2024 (And What To Use Instead)
  • Outdated Trend #1: Using Stock Photos Is Seen As Low-Effort
  • Outdated Trend #2: Aggressive Popups – Mobile Users HATE Them
  • Outdated Trend #3: Hamburger Menus On Desktop Versions Is A Web Design Sin In 2024
  • Outdated Trend #4: Auto-Play Carousels Are Not That Impressive Anymore (And Will Ruin Your Conversion Rates)
  • Outdated Trend #5: Flat Design Is Starting To Look Boring To Users
  • Outdated Trend #6: Completely Static Pages Scream That They Were Built 10 Years Ago
  • Outdated Trend #7: Adobe Flash Animations
• How To Increase Your Conversion Rates In 7 Days (Without Expensive Redesigns)

How Businesses Become Victims Of Outdated Web Design Trends

First, let’s discuss why so many businesses become victims of outdated web design trends. This will give you a general idea of recognizing practices that are more likely to stick for years.

Ignoring to improve a website that “works” on time

It’s easy to become comfortable with a website that “works” and neglect the chance to make it “work” even better.

If you designed your website a few years ago (even if you hired an agency back then), chances are that it has outdated elements. Recognizing them is the first step to increasing profitability.

Hiring freelancers with outdated skills

Are you planning to hire freelancers to build or maintain your website?

This can be cost-effective, but…

Many freelancers (not everyone) rely on skills and best practices they learned during a course they bought five years ago. Yet, things change quickly in the web design industry and you need daily education.

Moreover, freelance web designers rarely have well-rounded skills to build profitable digital assets, meaning even if they nail the aesthetics, your website functionality or SEO strategies might become questionable.

Over-reliance on DIY platforms

With no-code website builders, creating digital assets has never been easier. At first look, you can create amazing digital assets without any design or coding knowledge using Elementor, Wix, and similar platforms.

The problem is…

Templates you’ll find on such platforms are usually outdated before you even get to launch your website.

Unfortunately, most users lack the technical skills to customize these templates. As a result, they settle for a design that:

• Doesn’t 100% match their vision.
• Looks ‘okay’ but not amazing.
• Suffers in terms of performance.
• Is set to become outdated within a year.

Resistance to change

Change can be intimidating, and many business owners resist it, fearing that a redesign might disrupt their operations or alienate existing customers.

A familiar but outdated design will eventually hurt your revenue, making you wonder, ‘Why is my conversion rate so low?‘

What Will Happen If You Don’t Ditch Outdated Website Design Trends?

Failing to keep your web design up-to-date usually results in serious consequences. You might not notice all of these immediately, but analyzing your website’s performance over longer periods of time will reveal the following:

• Decline in user engagement levels
• Reduced conversion rates
• Poor mobile experience
• Negative impact on SEO
• Eroded brand image
• Increased maintenance costs

You’d be surprised how quick the downfall from the ‘state of the art’ to the outdated web design is.

7 Outdated Web Design Trends In 2024 (And What To Use Instead)

So, what are the outdated web design trends you should pay close attention to this year? Let’s find out…

Outdated Trend #1: Using Stock Photos Is Seen As Low-Effort

If the first thing you see when you open a website are generic stock images, chances are you won’t be impressed.

Stock photos send low-effort vibes. Some potential customers might even start to wonder if your business is legitimate.

Stock images were popular back when creating custom photography was expensive and difficult. In 2024, they’re among the top outdated design trends and a big ‘no’ in web design branding.

Today, you don’t even need to hire a professional photographer to create amazing photos for your website. All you need is a solid phone camera and a spark of creativity.

And once you replace stock photos on your website with genuine photos of your team or office, you’ll notice a big difference…

Let’s say you’re creating a fitness web design. If you use stock photos of the gym and staff members, people will get confused once they arrive at your physical location. But if you take actual photos of your gym and fitness instructors, they’d be happy to see familiar faces once they arrive.

The trust-building process becomes much easier once you ditch stock photography, among all other benefits.

Outdated Trend #2: Aggressive Popups – Mobile Users HATE Them

Did this ever happen to you?

You’re lying on the couch, exploring the offer that caught your eye while your meal is warming up.

The website looks trustworthy. It’s intuitive, and you enjoy scrolling through it.

You’re almost ready to buy; you just want to learn about the final details… You quickly find the information you were looking for and start reading…

Ding!

An annoying popup appears.

Okay, you’ll click that little cross on the top right corner as usual. The button is small, but you somehow manage to close the popup with your thumb.

Let’s continue – where was that thing you were looking for? Oh, there it is…

A minute later – another popup. The blood pressure is rising…

But this time, you hear two dings. One is coming from your microwave – the meal is ready.

You close the website and put the phone down out of frustration.

This is exactly why aggressive popups are among the top outdated web design trends to avoid in 2024 (and forever).

In less than five minutes, your positive first impression of a website turned into a horror user experience.

While popups do have their place in web design and marketing, they need to be subtle. It’s rarely a good idea to include them on your website. If a popup doesn’t offer immediate value to the user (or warn them about the urgent action they must take) – do not use it.

Bonus tip: I highly recommend setting triggers for your popups. This way, they’ll only appear after the potential customer takes specific action, ensuring they don’t get interrupted at the wrong time.

Outdated Trend #3: Hamburger Menus On Desktop Versions Is A Web Design Sin In 2024

Hamburger menus, those three-line icons that hide navigation options until clicked, have become a best practice in mobile design. They save space and look good on smaller screens.

However, carrying this outdated website design trend over to desktop versions is a different story.

• Desktop users have the luxury of space.
• Adding hamburger menus adds an unnecessary step to the user experience.
• Hamburger menus on desktop versions make it harder for users to discover all the available options on your site.
• They lead to frustration and higher bounce rates.

What can you do instead?

The first option is to use the traditional top navigation bar. It’s a tried-and-true method with which internet users are familiar.

However, if your website has a lot of categories or subcategories, using mega menus might be a smart web design decision. This type of menu expands to show multiple options in a well-organized layout, making it easy for users to find what they’re looking for without feeling overwhelmed. 

Outdated Trend #4: Auto-Play Carousels Are Not That Impressive Anymore (And Will Ruin Your Conversion Rates)

When it was first possible to set carousels on auto-play, it was impressive. Many thought it was a great way to show multiple offers at once.

However, as web design has evolved, it has become clear that auto-play carousels are more of a hindrance than a help.

Auto-play carousels switch content automatically, often before users have finished reading the current slide. This can be frustrating and disruptive, leading to a poor user experience.

While some people still love the dynamic look of auto-play carousels, including them in your website project is a high-risk, low-reward strategy. Here’s why:

• User disruption can lead to higher bounce rates.
• Presenting too many offers or messages at once can overwhelm users. Instead of absorbing the information, they may end up ignoring it altogether.
• Each image or slide adds to the overall load time. The trade-off between flashy carousels and fast-loading pages is rarely worth it.

Instead of auto-play carousels, I recommend using static hero images or manual carousels.

Another interesting solution for your website might be creating a bento box website design to highlight key offers or messages in separate, static sections on your homepage.

Outdated Trend #5: Flat Design Is Starting To Look Boring To Users

Does your website design look flatter than a pancake? Does it lack the tactile feel modern UI designs are known for?

Chances are, it is starting to look outdated.

Flat design was once celebrated for its simplicity and minimalism. It stripped away the skeuomorphic elements that mimicked real-world objects and focused on clean, two-dimensional aesthetics.

While this trend brought a fresh, modern look to websites, its overuse has led to a backlash.

Flat design can now appear lifeless and uninspiring. Internet users today crave more engaging and interactive experiences.

Many graphic design trends in 2024 revolve around offering a sense of touch and interaction, which flat design inherently lacks.

There are many options to improve your designs (you can take a subtle route too):

• Add three-dimensional fonts.
• Use gradients to add visual interest.
• Create glassmorphism UI designs.
• And much more.

Many fear that adding a dimension to their website might lead to accessibility issues. But with modern techniques, it’s rarely the case.

Outdated Trend #6: Completely Static Pages Scream That They Were Built 10 Years Ago

Similar to flat design, static pages that lack any UI animation or hover effects have been outdated for years already.

The main reason why modern users hate static pages? Because such pages don’t provide any interaction or feedback. 

Modern web users are accustomed to fluid transitions, animated elements, and responsive interactions that guide their experience and keep them engaged. 

There are many web page effects that might suit your branding and bring your site to life. It’s time to ditch static pages along with other outdated web design trends.

Outdated Trend #7: Adobe Flash Animations

Adobe Flash animations were once a hallmark of cutting-edge web design. They allowed for rich, interactive experiences that captivated users and set websites apart from the competition.

However, as technology and web standards have evolved, Flash has become outdated and is now considered a significant liability for modern websites.

The decline of Flash began with its incompatibility with mobile devices. Apple’s decision not to support Flash on iOS devices marked the beginning of the end. Over time, data security vulnerabilities, performance issues, and the rise of HTML5 led to Flash being phased out.

In 2020, Adobe officially ended support for Flash Player, signaling the definitive end of its era.

To bring your website up to modern standards, consider switching to HTML to create interactive and animated web content. It is widely supported across all devices and browsers, offering a secure and efficient way to deliver rich user experiences.

How To Increase Your Conversion Rates In 7 Days (Without Expensive Redesigns)

Sometimes, fixing outdated web design trends on your digital assets won’t increase your conversion rates.

Creating a profitable website is a complex journey, as many subtle details play a part.

However, there are small adjustments you can make on any website within any niche to bring in more sales (even if you don’t have any design or coding knowledge).

I’ve prepared a free mini-course to help you understand the main principles behind profitable aesthetics. Evergreen tactics smart businesses use to hook the audience and increase the chances that they’ll convert.

In 7 free lessons, you’ll learn:

• How to grab and maintain user attention as they browse your site.
• How to improve your CTAs and drive faster action.
• The exact design elements you can remove to increase your conversions by up to 50%.
• A sneaky way agencies choose website colors to evoke desired emotions.
• The proven way to build trust with your ideal customers without praising your products.
• How to create VSLs that print cash, even if you’re camera shy and don’t like how your voice sounds.

Ready to start increasing your online sales? Start your 7 Days To Profitable Aesthetics.