What characterizes a modern website?

What characterizes a modern website?

This is a research and placed on various forums on the Internet. The purpose is to gather information to improve N.nu.

I begin with what I already have found:

• Modern design is used.
• For HTML what is used is HTML5 or XHTML.
• Systems for blogging on the website with built-in RSS
• Instead of a guestbook modern comment systems are used such as Facebook comments or Disqus.
• A nice header image with possibly a slider
• For functions with javascript a modern library is used such as jQuery
• For images there is a lightbox feature to easily enlarge the images in a nice way
• Systems are in place to easily log into and easily modify and build the website without knowledge of HTML.
• On-page optimization for SEO already built with for example: clean URLs, headings, HTML navigation, XML sitemap, no dup content, etc.
• Use of CSS3, for example shadows in a good way.
• Instead of a visible counter on the page invisible advanced statistics such as Google Analytics or similar is used.
• A function for collecting subscribers and send out newsletters are in place
• The site is built in a way so that it loads quickly
• Flash is not used for content and preferably not at all
• The site works well with mobile devices (responsive CSS)
• The site uses social media to interact with the reader, for example like buttons for Facebook.

What else is there?

 

I would also add...

Video content
Allowing visitors to interact with your website via polls, surveys, etc

 

Thank you, good points.

What else?

 

Your work is useful, keep on!

# Number of banners is limited
# All techniques on usability and conversion are implemented( this is the main point!)
# Site is connected to SM, not only facebook, but other popular social networks are used

 

You have listed the best...The perfect materials to create an awesome website...

 

Clear "contact us" form + ability to comment some stuff on that site. it should also be easy shareable with social networks. Important is "about us" section too.

 

Responsive design, @font-face, no flaming text.

 

hmm...

I hate to say this, but I would class very few of those things as modern. They have on the whole been around and used for a long time. Also if your list is a general list of things that are considered modern then its accurate, if however you mean these things are all "must do" or "must have" I have to disagree with a lot of them.


Just to pick up on them one by one before I add my own:

Modern design is used.
This is always true, as time goes on trends change and new sites should look modern, nothings worse than a design that looks massively out of date.

For HTML what is used is HTML5 or XHTML.
I agree on the whole, HTML 5 should be introduced now, sparingly with attention to browser compatibility; especially with differences in modern browser compatibility and the ability to degrade well.

Systems for blogging on the website with built-in RSS
This is a bugbear of mine. Blogs and RSS should only be used where they are needed, relevant, useful and will actually be used. I have to say this because you wouldn't believe the amount of customers I've had spend money on blogs only to either barely use it or fill it full of useless junk. It's a bad thing to do that, a dead blog can make a site look dead, which is bad and a blog full of junk can look unprofessional. So one should only be implemented where its relevant and will be used.

If the scope for feeding article information to end users is limited, a news feed of some kind is far more beneficial.


Instead of a guestbook modern comment systems are used such as Facebook comments or Disqus.
Absolutely, guestbooks really are a thing of the past, they can still have their uses though (in certain industries they make sense, like a hotel for example, a guestbook makes absolute sense). I wouldn't say to rely on Facebook or other social media for commenting though, I personally prefer built in commenting systems with Facebook as an addition to it; FB I think is more useful for content sharing.


A nice header image with possibly a slider
Not sure about the latter, the former is just part of good design, the whole site should look nice.


For functions with javascript a modern library is used such as jQuery
Sure, but not overloaded and kept relevant. I hate when sites go overkill on the jQuery and JavaScript; then have a slow or clunky site as a result.

For images there is a lightbox feature to easily enlarge the images in a nice way
Depends where its used. For galleries I much prefer a more traditional display with features on that display, which Lightbox gets in the way of. I think Lightbox is nice as an overlay where there isn't much else going on with the gallery, to polish it off. Imagine Deviant Art with Lightbox


Systems are in place to easily log into and easily modify and build the website without knowledge of HTML.
Agreed

On-page optimization for SEO already built with for example: clean URLs, headings, HTML navigation, XML sitemap, no dup content, etc.
Absolutely


Use of CSS3, for example shadows in a good way.
Yes, but like with HTML 5, degrade well and keep compatibility.


Instead of a visible counter on the page invisible advanced statistics such as Google Analytics or similar is used.
Yes but view counters in certain places can be useful for end users, popularity ratings and such (i.e. on a forum).


A function for collecting subscribers and send out newsletters are in place
Agreed


The site is built in a way so that it loads quickly
Not modern IMO, always been true, it used to be more true in the past than it is now


Flash is not used for content and preferably not at all
hmm... not sure I entirely agree with this. HTML 5 for animated content where relevant and higher performance, absolutely. No flash for content, navigation etc I agree with on the whole (there are exceptions, such as interactive micro sites and experience sites, where high end animation and interactivity is delivered better with Flash). I would say Flash is also still relevant for many video streaming outlets (HTML 5 video has a long way to go and there are a lot of creases to iron out still).

Also, Flash still has a very strong place and will continue to for some time, look at Livestream, Stickam and those kinds of sites. Flash and Flash Media Server is the best solution available for that kind of functionality and any new technologies to achieve the same have a lot of ground to make up.


The site works well with mobile devices (responsive CSS)
Damn right, I would go on to add, not to rely on "smartphone specific" UI's (I tend to hit classic as they annoy me and tend to be feature reduced). I think, where possible its important to make your standard UI scale well onto a smartphone and use smartphone specific UI's where the standard one isn't realistic to be scaled to a smartphone.


The site uses social media to interact with the reader, for example like buttons for Facebook.
Yes, where relevant.


I would add things like:

1. Looking for new and engaging ways to provide content that degrades well for those who want a quick read. I do quite like sliding tour banners to get a snapshot without having to read a mass of content. That kind of stuff integrated into content is nice.

2. Looking at navigation and usability to shortcut people around to important stuff or stuff that may be relevant to their interests.

3. Using javascript to present closeable elements for providing messages as opposed to popups which are evil, especially the CSS kind that obscure content and are impossible to close on your smartphone.

4. More intuitive forms (HTML 5 is really useful here), client side validation is also good.

 

UPDATED CONTENT. DAILY.

There's no worst thing as a website with outdated content. You can have a plain html website with no CSS and still be entertaining if it has news and good stuff... but if it's abandoned and the dates are from 3 months ago, 2 weeks ago... ugh. It's boring. I won't come back.

I also say NO to flash. It's painful to read and see from the eyes of a designer, mainly because people use flash to put too many things in one place, and this is not a good practice. Not everyone has a good connection. No matter if you think everyone has broad band, If clients want to see your info they'll leave soon because "its too slow", and maybe there's just someone downloading songs and videos in their network, but you'll miss the chance of a potential client just because you wanted flashy buttons.

 

A modern website is a website that makes money not only for its owner but also for its clients, all the rest are stone-age websites not matter the looks.

 

Nice work Jim_Westergren, well some might agree and some won't its more of kind personal issue of agreeing or not, but i can surely say AWESOME! work, keep it up and all your points are true, and the point i liked most is of NO FLASH, i used to hate flash from beginning i still see some users using flash category plugin on wordpress blog to make their blog look outstanding but it makes their blog even worse, the disadvantage of flash is that worst SEO support and most of the modern website focuses of SEO rather then their content., well i guess you forgot to mention this point of SEO optimization

 

User generated content websites are still hot, atleast an option to do so. Admin can approve or deny etc..