12 Early Website Features That Make No Sense Now
These early website features were once considered cool or necessary but are now outdated, inefficient, or outright bizarre.
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
The early days of the internet were filled with experimental and often clunky website features. From visitor counters and autoplay music to Comic Sans and splash pages, these elements now feel more like relics than useful tools. Modern web design has moved toward simplicity, speed, and user experience, leaving these quirky features behind.
1. Visitor Counters
Towfiqu barbhuiya from Unsplash
Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, websites proudly displayed a counter showing how many people had visited. It looked like a digital odometer and was meant to impress visitors, even if it only showed a handful of clicks. Today, analytics are private, and nobody wants to see your traffic numbers on the homepage.
2. Flash Intros
Marissa Lewis from Unsplash
Websites once opened with elaborate Flash animations before letting you access the main content. These intros often had music, flying logos, or spinning graphics, and you had to click “Skip Intro” to get to the actual site. Now, they’re more annoying than impressive and incompatible with modern devices.
3. Under Construction Signs
Pop & Zebra from Unsplash
If a page wasn’t ready, people slapped a blinking “Under Construction” GIF with a cartoon worker. It was the digital version of a coming soon sign, often left there for years without any updates. These days, unfinished pages are hidden or redirected, not publicly broadcasted.
4. Background Music
Cedrik Malabanan from Unsplash
Some sites played MIDI or pop songs automatically when you visited, thinking it enhanced the user experience. It often startled visitors and clashed with whatever they were listening to already. Now, autoplaying sound is a surefire way to make users click away.
5. Scrolling Marquees
Shagal Sajid from Unsplash
A marquee tag let text scroll across the screen horizontally, like a news ticker but for random site updates. It looked cool at the time but was distracting and hard to read. This gimmick is now considered outdated and bad for accessibility.
6. Guestbooks
Jonny Caspari from Unsplash
Instead of comments or likes, visitors could “sign the guestbook” to leave a message for the webmaster. It was often filled with “Cool site!” or random spam, acting more like a digital yearbook. Social media has replaced the need for this feature entirely.
7. Framesets
Marissa Lewis from Unsplash
Frames allowed websites to display multiple HTML pages in a single window, like a menu on one side and content on the other. It made navigation clunky and broke the browser back buttons. With responsive design and better coding practices, frames are now completely obsolete.
8. Animated GIF Backgrounds
Scarbor Siu
Some early sites tiled spinning or flashing GIFs across the entire background. It was supposed to look dynamic but usually just gave users a headache. Modern design favors clean, static backgrounds for a reason.
9. Hit Me Buttons
Marissa Lewis from Unsplash
Instead of a normal navigation link, you might be told to “Click Here!” or “Hit Me!” to enter. This type of vague, overly casual labeling made UX confusing. Today’s best practice is to label buttons clearly and descriptively.
10. Comic Sans Everywhere
Federica Galli from Unsplash
Web designers often defaulted to Comic Sans for its fun, “friendly” look. However, it quickly became a punchline, especially when used for serious content. Nowadays, typography is carefully chosen to reflect a brand’s tone and readability.
11. Text in Rainbow Colors
Yulia Gadalina from Unsplash
Using multiple font colors in a single line of text was once seen as visually exciting. But it made reading difficult and looked amateurish. Web design now favors clean, readable color palettes that align with accessibility guidelines.
12. Splash Pages With Enter Links
Jason Leung from Unsplash
Before entering a site, you’d land on a splash page that had one giant “Enter” link or image. It served no purpose other than to delay access to the main content. Today, users expect to get the information they want immediately.