Websites From the Past | 20 Years of Web Design

The complete history of the Internet is still being written, but 2004 will always stand out as a landmark year. That’s when the use of the term “Web 2.0” became ubiquitous, and it’s also when many notable technologies and websites from the past were born, including:

Google’s Gmail web app,
TheFacebook.com,
Ubuntu,
Mozilla’s Firefox 1.0, and
Apple’s AirPlay.

Tech entrepreneur Tatum B. Hindman also started TBH Creative in 2004. The award-winning Indianapolis web design and development company continues to help organizations across the U.S. create complex websites and digital marketing campaigns.

Learn more about TBH Creative

Although the online world is much different nowadays, the secret to success on the web remains combining proven technology solutions and user-needs-based strategies with fresh visuals and meaningful storytelling.

Keep reading to take a trip back in time, see examples of these types of results-driven websites pulled from TBH Creative’s portfolio, and learn about some of the most memorable trends in web design since 2004.

Web design trends

How has the look of websites changed over the last twenty years? Well, a lot. Usability expert Jared Poole once said, “Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.” Aesthetically speaking, what fits into that “good” bucket that Poole refers to typically changes as new technologies roll out and target audiences’ needs change.

Users notice when there’s a mismatch between how a site looks and how it’s built. Sometimes, this problem can show up as:

increased calls and emails to customer service for basic info;
growing website bounce rates/fewer visitors;
and even slower (or lost) conversions.

Others (like TBH Creative’s clients)—knowing their website is a 24/7 salesperson and wanting to stay ahead of the competition—prioritize “good” web design and the user experience, regularly auditing their sites to ensure users always get what they need.

Below are examples of homepages from sites launched from 2004–24, along with brief notes on what was popular with users at the time.