Fancy animations might look sleek, but they come with hidden downsides. While they may seem modern and high-end, they slow down load times, distract visitors, and rarely drive conversions. If you're looking to improve your website's performance, sometimes less is more.

Why I No Longer Use Website Animations

Animations may seem cool, but they slow down your website, distract users, and don’t help drive conversions. Learn why simplicity can be more effective.

The Feature I Used to Love But Now Avoid

When I first started designing websites, animations were my go-to feature to make sites feel modern and high-end. They were sleek, eye-catching, and gave a sense of sophistication to the design.

But over time, I realized something: Animations aren’t always a good thing.

Why I Now Avoid Animations

Here’s why I’ve shifted my perspective on animations:

❌ Slow Down Load Times
Animations can be heavy on a website’s resources. If your website is slow to load, visitors may leave before the content even appears. Site speed is crucial, and animations can significantly impact that.

❌ Distract Users from Converting
A flashy animation may grab attention, but it’s often a distraction from your main goal: converting visitors into customers. Instead of guiding users toward taking action, they can get lost in the effects.

❌ Look Cool but Don’t Drive Results
At the end of the day, animations don’t necessarily lead to conversions. They might look impressive, but they rarely drive the results that matter: sales, sign-ups, or other actions.

Focus on What Moves the Needle

Just because you can add animations doesn’t mean you should. If they aren’t improving your site’s performance, it’s time to rethink their use. Instead of focusing on visual effects, focus on elements that directly drive user action—like clear calls-to-action, fast loading times, and a streamlined user experience.

Sometimes, simplicity is the key to success. A clean, fast, and easy-to-navigate site is much more likely to convert than one that’s bogged down with unnecessary animations.

Short Recap: Less Is More

Animations might look cool, but they can hurt your website’s performance. Prioritize speed and usability over flashy effects to see better results.

Does your website have unnecessary animations? Consider removing them to enhance user experience and improve conversions.

Your Designer

I’m Mikkel Calmann, a certified Squarespace designer and Circle Member. I’ve worked with businesses of all sizes, crafting strategic websites that look great and perform even better. If you’d like to discuss a project, feel free to email me at mikkel@typza.com or reach out to me here. You can also book a free 15-minute consultation here.