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Avatar New York Reveals 5 Outdated Web Design Trends to Avoid

New York, NY— Avatar New York is an award-winning web design agency. The company helps businesses increase revenue and enhance brand awareness with innovative websites, mobile app development and cloud hosting services.

According to Avatar's web design New York team, most business websites have three goals: to attract the maximum number of visitors within the target audience, to build a professional relationship with them, and to entice them to become customers. Accomplishing these goals requires a comprehensive design plan – one that uses the latest web development techniques and avoids outdated trends that make a webpage look unprofessional.

"The majority of website visitors stay on the homepage for less than 15 seconds," says Avatar New York's managing director Todd Johnson. "You have only 15 seconds to present information that will catch their attention and boost their interest in your brand, products and services."

A webpage must demonstrate its value quickly, but many outdated design techniques hurt the user experience and cause visitors to exit prematurely. Here are five design techniques that businesses should avoid:

1. Mobile Incompatibility

Statistics show that people use mobile devices for more than 50 percent of local searches. A website that is not mobile responsive cannot cater to these visitors, which means the business could lose thousands of potential customers. Furthermore, Google now applies search-result penalties to websites that do not respond to mobile devices, which means even less visibility for your brand.

2. Design Clutter

Cluttered websites deter visitors because they make navigation difficult. Too many design elements also prevent visitors from grasping the value of the products or services, which will lower your conversion rate. Visitors want to know who you are, what your company represents and what you can offer them. This requires a simple, concise and streamlined design.

3. Outdated Fonts

A website serves as a company's online business card, and the impression it leaves will directly impact a customer's perception of your brand. Your site should be modern and professional, and simply choosing the right fonts can help create this impression.

Outdated fonts, such as Arial, Times New Roman and Comic Sans, are behind the times. Google's web fonts are more appropriate for 2015.

4. Flash Intros

Flash intros slow page loading times and are seldom compatible with mobile devices. In addition to deterring visitors, flash intros can hurt a site's SEO due to longer load times.

5. Auto-Play Elements

Lots of people use the Internet in public places such as schools, libraries and public transportation. Auto-playing videos or music is generally an unwelcome feature – even if the visitor is wearing headphones. Instead of forcing customers to scramble for the "mute" button, omit auto-play functions from the website.

Avatar New York is an innovating, award-winning New York web design firm dedicated to providing clients with responsive websites that help grow brands and convert visitors to customers. With an expertise in web development, branding, cloud hosting, mobile app development, and CMS and e-commerce solutions, Avatar New York's top tier designers have the ability to create intelligent websites for any type of business.

Sources:

http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/6-outdated-web-design...

http://tweakyourbiz.com/technology/2015/03/05/five-outdated-web-design-t...