13 Things To Remove From Your Website Immediately
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Published 2024-01-17
In this video, we share a list of website elements and content formats that you should probably take off your website ASAP. They may be popular, they may feel like common sense, but everything on this list is here because of hard-won experience or real-world data and examples.
Here’s the list with jump links:
0:31 Vague homepage headlines
1:30 Generic navigation labels
2:40 Meaningless subheadings
3:25 Homepage sliders
3:55 Stock photos of people
4:30 Social media icons
5:12 Dates on blog posts
5:55 Long paragraphs
6:37 Press releases
7:40 PDF files
8:52 Testimonial pages
10:05 Email links
11:05 Dead end thank you pages
Are the exceptions? Of course.
Do you disagree with any of these? Let us know in the comments!
You can get the full post with the detailed breakdown of everything on the list here on the Orbit blog... bit.ly/42j88Rb
#webdesign #ux
All Comments (21)
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I leave most sites immediately that remove the date. Can't stand not knowing how relevant the content is to the present or if it was written with the past in mind.
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One of the first things I look for is the date of an article. Even if it's for comparing and contrasting. 😊
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As a developer, it pisses me off when I land on a blog post that doesn't declare when it was written. Tech moves on so quickly that old posts potentially carry stale information that will be detrimental to absorb. I'm more likely to navigate away.
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Agree with everything but I very much dislike when blog posts don't have dates. Everything is relative to time, it's easier to understand the content knowing the date it was created. I discount blogs that don't have dates more than ones that do and are just old posts.
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1. Vague hompage headline - Do 5 second test to analyze the homepage 2. Gemeric navigation label - Navigation must be helpful, specific - Use GA4 : Path Exploration, to know how user navigate 3. Meaningless subheading 4. Homepage Slideshow 5. Stock photo of people 6. Social media icon on header 7. Dates on blog 8. long paragraph 9. Press release 10. PDF File 11. testimonial page 12. Email link 13. Dead end thank you page
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Disagree about dates and generic navigation labels. Familiar labels like Products, Documentation, Use Cases, Pricing help me navigate quickly to the area I'm interested in. And I hate blogs that don't include dates, especially for technical information.
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"Candy-colored exit signs"! : ) Great tips!
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So many great points. My favourite is putting descriptors in the navigation tabs. It’s got me thinking totally differently. Super helpful. PS I prefer forms and the fact that it takes a little more effort to fill out is a nice filtering process. If they can’t be bothered filling out a form they are probably not that interested
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Andy, I sat in your talk in ~2014 in SMMW in SD. I still use bits I learned from your talk that day. And it's helped me move up quickly in my marketing roles since then. Love your straight talk. Glad to find you on YT!
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I'm so happy and relieved to see that the new website I created about a month ago for my small business follows all of these guidelines. Thank you!
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Really think you point about Thank you pages is spot on. What a missed opportunity to engage with the viewer who has just interacted with you !
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pearls of wisdom for those of us who are NOT user experience experts! thank you, sir. 😊👍
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I read lots of blog articles that have to do with coding and technology. Dates are EXTREMELY relevant in these areas and often will not consider spending my time on something if I'm not sure it's up to date content. In many cases, I can understand dates not being of importance, but in many cases, they're necessary. Other than that, great content, thank you.
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Great point about press releases: always write as articles in the style of the publication, editor and columnists you're targeting. I've had columnists go to print with my releases without changing a word. They get the byline, I get the crowds at my events.
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Thanks Andy, this is essential "must have" information and likely takes years to learn on your own. Thanks for the leg up.
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Thank you very much for an informative, well-produced, thoughtful video that was enjoyable to watch. Your presentation style is spot on. Much appreciated.
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Great video. After 15 years of web design and development I see this video as a refresher. Good job. Thanks
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I don't agree with removing dates on blog posts. If it is a technical blog and content is over a year old I generally won't read it. And if there are no dates, I assume it is old and wont read it.
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I disagree on the blog post dates. Content is rarely truly evergreen, and as a reader I want to know whether an opinion was a qualified opinion in 2013 or 2023.
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Good list, just stumbled over your video/channel. As a web designer who's been around for 20+ years your points are spot on. I had to ban the word 'solutions' in my last workplace - unless you work in a chemical laboratory or you're a mathematician, you don't need to use it. Sales people shouldn't use it either!
