- 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.
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.