5 Outdated Website Features You Should Let Go (Seriously, It’s Time)

As web design trends evolve, certain features that were once considered must-haves are now slowing your site down, distracting visitors, and hurting your chances of turning clicks into customers.

Let’s look at the 5 most common outdated website features it’s safe to let go of to keep visitors focused and ready to take action.

1. Embedded Social Media Feeds: We See You, Instagram Scroll Hole

Having your latest Instagram feed embedded on your homepage used to be a signal, “Look, we’re active!” But in 2025, it’s become more of a speed bump than a selling point.

Social feeds pull content from third-party servers, which slows your website way down. And here’s the thing: the whole point of your website is to keep people on your website. When you redirect them to Instagram, you’re basically saying, “Here, go get lost in a sea of reels and memes.” And spoiler alert: most of them don’t come back.

A faster, cleaner site focused on your services will do far more to convert visitors than a carousel of photos and inspirational quotes ever will. At most, include a link to your social channels, and call it good.

2. Translation Plugins: Gracias, But No Gracias

We love inclusive design, but translation tools built into your website are not the way to do it anymore.

Google’s automatic translation has come a long way. These days, most users can translate your site with a click of a button—no extra plugin (and no site-slowing code) required. Adding a translation plugin is like taping a second steering wheel onto a car that already has one. It’s redundant and adds weight you don’t need.

If you serve multilingual audiences, a well-crafted, manual translation of your most important pages (like Home and Services) is a great idea. But for everything else, just let Google do the heavy lifting.

3. Review Feeds: Visitors Are Skeptical Anyway

Look, we love a good testimonial. But feeding in reviews from Yelp or Google slows down your site. Visitors trust reviews directly on third-party platforms far more than those displayed on a company’s website.

Some customers read reviews before they even visit your site, and by the time they land on your homepage, they’ve possibly already Googled you. So instead of crowding your layout with star ratings and reviews, just guide them to take the next step: contact you, book a call, or learn more.

Keep it simple, and limit it to a sprinkle of your top 1-2 testimonials to highlight something you really want to show off.

4. Cluttered Headers: Just Because It Fits Doesn’t Mean It Belongs There

Your website’s header is prime real estate, but too many sites cram everything into it like it’s the junk drawer of the internet. It can also make it difficult for all of the elements to adapt to the mobile version causing the text and graphics to pile up.

The magic happens when you resist the urge to fill all of the open space. A better approach is to keep it minimal and focused. All you need is:

• Your logo

• Navigation menu

• A clean, powerful H1 headline

• A photo or visual that feels true to your brand

  
  

Bonus points if that H1 headline speaks directly to your ideal customer. It’s not just for SEO - it’s your digital handshake.

5. Overstuffed Pages: This Applies to Your Whole Site

While we’re at it, less is more for everything on your site. Just because you can embed five widgets, a pop-up, and a newsletter sign-up form on one page doesn’t mean you should.

Focus your layout on one goal per page. Remove anything that doesn’t directly support that goal. It’s not personal, it’s UX (user experience).

Keep the good stuff and let go of the rest.

After 15+ years in web design, we’ve seen all the trends come and go, and we’re here to help you. We offer a free website inspection to help identify what’s working, what’s outdated, and how to get your site performing better without a total rebuild.

Check what's holding your website back, and you’ll walk away with clear next steps. No jargon, no pressure, just smart suggestions.

There’s a good chance your website is due for a little tune-up if it’s been more than two years since your site launched or has had a refresh. Let’s make sure it’s working as hard as you are.