• Website design trends have changed dramatically over the past 10 years, especially when it comes to homepages.
  • When more people were browsing the internet on desktops than mobile phones, designers often tried to cram as much information on a page as possible.
  • A look back at the homepages of popular websites shows how text-heavy layouts have given way to vivid images and minimalist design.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The internet doesn’t look like it did a decade ago. Back in 2010, smartphones, mobile browsing, and social media were still relatively new trends. It wasn’t until 2016 that mobile browsing took over as people’s preferred way of surfing the web.

Instead, most people visited websites from a desktop computer and came in through the front door: the homepage. Web designers, who knew how valuable this real estate was, often packed the homepage full with as much information as possible. Today, that approach has given way to sparse layouts and lots of pictures that try to grab users’ attention.

As the decade comes to a close, Business Insider took a look back to see how some of the most popular websites’ homepages have evolved over the years.


In 2010, Amazon was pushing the Kindle hard and books were still its top-billed category.

Foto: Amazon's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Now, Amazon doesn't even think people read books anymore. Or, maybe it's just too busy serving us up Prime videos.

Foto: Amazon's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

AOL's 2010 homepage left us dazed and confused with clashes of colors, nonsensical icons, and a cluttered layout.

Foto: AOL's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

The revamp dialed it back a bit — minus that slide show with 81 slides. 81!

Foto: AOL's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Apple went minimalist long before it was cool.

Foto: Apple's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

And yet somehow Apple managed to go even more minimalist...

Foto: Apple's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Back in 2010, CNN still used its inside voice to give us straight news headlines and videos that weren't set to auto-play.

Foto: CNN's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

The refresh turned up the volume with lots of "breaking" and "trending" labels and a bigger focus on opinion, reaction, and analysis pieces.

Foto: CNN's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

In 2010, eBay wanted us to find our next purchase by combing through a brightly colored word cloud that might as well have been written in Comic Sans.

Foto: eBay's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

But eBay eventually grew up, and now it wants us to get credit cards like real adults.

Foto: eBay's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

ESPN used to have a million menus to sort through — but at least most of the content was free!

Foto: ESPN's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Disney, the site's new owner, really wants us to sign up for ESPN+ so we can watch all the sports. But at least they gave us that handy scoreboard for free.

Foto: ESPN's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Facebook used to tell us everything it knew about a person. And Zuck used to look a lot younger.

Foto: Facebook's profile pages in 2010sourceScreenshot/Business Insider

Facebook also realized people don't like reading that much and decided to place more emphasis on the "face" than the "book" part.

Foto: Facebook's profile pages in 2019sourceScreenshot

The Huffington Post once looked like the melting pot of the millennial internet — news, blogs, videos, and even social!

Foto: Huff Post's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Then it got real cool, minimalist, and started dressing in all black. Oh yeah, and it goes by HuffPost now.

Foto: HuffPost's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

IMDb used to cater to us movie trivia buffs who wanted to deepen our knowledge of cinema.

Foto: IMDb's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Now, it knows we really just want to watch new trailers and ogle at Ryan Reynolds even if the movie is garbage.

Foto: IMDb's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Microsoft also used to have a thing for gradients — and it was still trying to get us to use Internet Explorer.

Foto: Microsoft's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Microsoft eventually caved to the minimalist aesthetic, too — but at least now it has some quality hardware for us to browse!

Foto: Microsoft's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

MSN used to be a go-to spot for news on the internet, even though we had no idea where to go on this website.

Foto: MSN's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

MSN's new site at least gave us a cleaner menu and links to popular sites. (And it's competing with AOL for the longest slideshow award.)

Foto: MSN's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Remember when Netflix used to only cost $8.99? Remember when it used to ship DVDs? Remember what a DVD is?

Foto: Netflix's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Netflix doesn't need to mess around anymore. We all know how this works. Sign up, pay up, and get unlimited access to hit titles like 'Boss Baby' and 'Sextuplets.'

Foto: Netflix's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

The New York Times was trying to go global in 2010. Also, it apparently felt the need to remind us we could actually click on headlines by making them all blue.

Foto: The New York Times' website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Today, the Times' site has much more multimedia content. It has everything from podcasts to videos to images to traditional text headlines to draw us in — but only so far before we hit that paywall.

Foto: The New York Times' website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Pinterest used to be a big fan of neutral colors. Also, it made us request an invite to join. Also, Brad Pitt and baby otters — what more could we ask for?

Foto: Pinterest's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Now, Pinterest has a much cleaner site, but also highlights the focus on metadata and tagging that allows the site to categorize images.

Foto: Pinterests' website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Reddit's design aesthetic was … no design aesthetic. No frills, few pictures, just words — as many words as it could fit on the page.

Foto: Reddit's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Reddit finally introduced some graphic elements and much-needed spacing, without sacrificing its popular news feed format.

Foto: Reddit's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Twitter was just a few years old in 2010, as we can tell from the cute baby bird, bubble-letter logo, and friendly reminders of what the site even did.

Foto: Twitter's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Twitter's look has gotten a bit more sophisticated since then — and the bird got a haircut.

Foto: Twitter's website in 2019sourceTwitter

Walmart had a surprisingly simple and easy to navigate website by 2010 standards.

Foto: Walmart's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Walmart also caught the minimalist craze and discovered the importance of pictures. But it still wants us to know it has tons of deals — that hasn't changed.

Foto: Walmart's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

The Weather Channel's website used to have some killer graphics.

Foto: The Weather Channel's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

The Weather Channel's website still has some killer graphics.

Foto: The Weather Channel's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

WebMD wanted us to know that there are a lot of health conditions we might have — and that it has answers.

Foto: WebMD's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Now WebMD just gets straight to the point about reminding us that we're only here because we're sad and sick.

Foto: WebMD's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Yahoo had lots of fun little icons to remind us about all the things we can do online.

Foto: Yahoo's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Now, Yahoo looks like a serious news site (but somehow we can't move past that wayward exclamation point).

Foto: Yahoo's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

YouTube looked like it was still a rough draft in 2010. Also, it really liked to use borders.

Foto: YouTube's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

In 2019, YouTube has its own video awards show, its website is dominated by images, and its algorithm operates sneakily in the background.

Foto: YouTube's website in 2019sourceScreenshot

Just like Facebook used to be "The Facebook," Business Insider used to go by "The Business Insider." Also... more gradients.

Foto: Business Insider's website in 2010sourceScreenshot/Internet Archive

Eventually, Business Insider — like most websites on this list — discovered that images speak a thousand words and a thousand words don't belong on a homepage.

Foto: Business Insider's website in 2019sourceBusiness Insider