Your Favourite Websites: What They Used to Look Like

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Do you remember what LinkedIn used to look like back in 2003? How about Apple during the 90s? *cringe*

The Internet has come a long, long way in the last 15 years. The Google and Apple logos both looked like they were designed with WordArt. And YouTube... well, you just better see for yourself!

Thanks to the Wayback Machine, this is what your favourite websites used to look like – way back when the Internet was simpler – and with fewer pixels.

Strangely enough, Google is perhaps the only one out of this bunch who has preserved its former self, with a focus on simplicity – but the power behind the front page is much more dominant than it once was.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane, with a little dose of nostalgia.

LinkedIn

Having started towards the end of 2002 (but launched in 2003), LinkedIn is one of the older social media platforms. It is older than Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Their initial purpose is similar to what it is today – to connect professionals from all over the world – making them more productive and successful. Of course, LinkedIn has recently purchased Lynda.com for a staggering $1.5 billion. The future is bright and it shows no signs of slowing down.

You can read more about LinkedIn’s history here.

Google

Since it was registered as a domain on the 15th of September, 1997, Google has transformed from a simple search service, to an iconic name that will go down in history as an innovator company in more than one way. It seems that since PC World named Google as one of the top 100 websites in 1998 – stating they have an uncanny knack for producing relevant results - they have been the search engine of choice ever since. Google is now worth almost $400 billion.

Read more about Google’s history here.

Yahoo

Since its early beginnings as the leading search provider on the market, the road has been bumpy for Yahoo! Ultimately, after establishing itself between 1994 and 1996, Yahoo! had been at the forefront of search, categorising an extensive listing of websites. However as the Internet grew larger, they could no longer cope with the massive amount of websites being submitted and started using Google for searches in 2000. In 2004, Yahoo! started developing their own search engine technologies and continued improving their services.

  Twitter

Twitter was originally planned as an SMS platform. Friends could update each other on what they were up to, based on status updates. During the early days, Twitter did indeed have its fair share of growing pains – but when things finally took off – Twitter became a household name almost instantly. At some stages during this time, their servers could barely handle the amount of traffic.

YouTube

YouTube was founded in 2005 by PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim and Steve Chen. During 2006, it was the fastest growing website on the Internet, outperforming even MySpace (which was quite popular during its time). They averaged almost 20 million visitors each month, and dominated the teenager market segment. Towards the end of 2006, YouTube was purchased by Google for $1.65 billion, and it has been growing steadily ever since.

Facebook

Facebook has come a long way since being founded by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University. It grew exponentially after just one month, with half of the student population having signed up. In September 2006, anyone with an email address could join and the rest is history. Both Yahoo! and Google have attempted to purchase Facebook in the past, but were swiftly knocked back.

Apple

Apple Computer was incorporated in 1976, and is today one of the biggest technology companies around, after having its fair share of ups and downs prior to the introduction of the Internet. You will notice in the above image they are giving away free CD-ROMs...this was commonplace in the mid nineties to gain interest in a brand’s products and services. Of course, these days there’s no such thing – instead just a statement “The Watch is Here”.

Amazon

Amazon had its roots as an online bookstore, which quickly ruptured into a profitable business selling all sorts of things from DVDs, VHSs and CDs. Now, the company has created their own Kindle eBook reader, and they sell almost anything you can imagine. Amazon operates in countries all over the world including Australia, Brazil, Japan, China, India, Mexico, Spain and many more. The website today has become a benchmark for others on how to do eCommerce.

eBay

Even from the very beginning, eBay was created as a place for the sale of goods and services for individual, rather than actual businesses. While it all began back in 1995, the company really took off in 1998 when Meg Whitman joined the company. She perpetuated the idea that eBay should be about connecting people to useful products, rather than simply selling things. And now, while many have tried to replicate eBay’s business model, few have been successful in reaching anywhere near the heights that eBay has.

As you can see – and like we said at the beginning – the Internet has enabled our favourite website to evolve into what they are today. It has been an interesting transformation, seeing how these website has changed over time.  

How has your website evolved since it first set foot on the World Wide Web.

Leave a comment below and share what you find as you check your site on the wayback machine and which of your favourite sites have really come a long way.

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Jasmine Batra is one of Australia’s most respected Digital Marketing Strategists. With an MBA in Marketing and an Honours Degree in Information Technology, Jasmine combines these two disciplines towards delivering outcome based marketing solutions powered through digital marketing methods and tools.