It’s hard to imagine modern life without the Internet and websites. But 25-30 years ago, very few people (and computers) had access to the Internet.
However, in the 90s, many companies realized that the Internet was the future and began creating their own websites. Some famous companies appeared entirely thanks to the Internet.
We decided to remember how we looked at the first versions of popular sites, and also compare them with the current ones (in October 2023).
On the left is the old site, on the right is the new one. Move the slider and compare.
Content:
1. Apple
2. Google
3. Yandex
4. YouTube
5. VKontakte
6. Gmail
7. Tinkoff
8. Mail.Ru
9. Yandex Music
10. KinoPoisk
11. Reddit
12. Twitter
13. Ozone
14. 2GIS
15. Sberbank
16. Wikipedia
17. AliExpress
18. Microsoft
19. Amazon
20. iPhones.ru
1. Apple
📆 Year of site creation: 1993-1994
The exact date of the first Apple website is unknown. In different sources, the end of 1993 or the beginning of 1994.
The site itself looked very simple. It mainly provided access to people and programs. Information about Apple devices was not posted.
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2. Google
📆 Year of site creation: 1998
Google was not the world’s first search engine, but it strictly monitored the quality of Internet searches.
The first version of Google, by and large, is not very different from the modern one, with the exception of design. In the center of the site, the search bar, search buttons and “I’m feeling lucky” are still preserved.
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3. Yandex
📆 Year of site creation: 1997
Yandex search appeared a year earlier than Google. From the very beginning, the company focused on RuNet.
The first Yandex website is very different from the modern version. In addition to the search bar, the main page contained tips on how to correctly form queries, as well as company news.
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4. YouTube
📆 Year of site creation: 2006
YouTube was launched in 2006, when the Internet was not yet something unusual. The first version of the site was more like a regular video hosting service than a serious platform with algorithms and recommendations.
Comments, number of views, tags and links are already there. But the usual likes and dislikes had not yet appeared in 2006; instead, there was a rating consisting of five stars.
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5. VKontakte
📆 Year of site creation: 2006
Also in 2006, another landmark site for Russia was launched – VKontakte. At that time, it was not a popular social network, but an academic reference book for students and graduates of elite Russian universities.
The whole idea is to ensure that students in Russia “always remain in contact.”
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6. Gmail
📆 Year of site creation: 2004
In 2004, Google released Gmail, a free email service. At the time, it was a revolutionary product for reasons alone.
First, Gmail gave each user 1 GB of server space for emails, so users could not worry about their mailbox becoming full and not opening new emails. Secondly, Google search was built into Gmail, which continued to search for emails using keywords.
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7. Tinkoff
📆 Year of site creation: 1998
The first Tinkoff website appeared in 1998. But at that time it was not a bank, but a brewery.
The bank at Tinkoff.ru appeared only in 2007.
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8. Mail.Ru
📆 Year of site creation: 1998
The Mail.Ru website was launched in 1998 as an American alternative to Yahoo.
The main page of the site was dedicated to email. In addition to the window for entering your login and password, the site explained what email is and why it is needed.
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9. Yandex Music
📆 Year of site creation: 2006
In 2006, Yandex launched the Music section, which makes it possible to find and download music.
At the moment, there was nothing in common with the modern Yandex Music site. Users could only write the name of the song, and Yandex ordered download links on other sites.
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10. KinoPoisk
📆 Year of site creation: 2003
The first version of KinoPoisk looked quite modern for that time, and the structure of the site remained unchanged for many years.
Now KinoPoisk is better known as a Yandex streaming service, and only then as a site about cinema with comments, ratings and news.
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11. Reddit
📆 Year of site creation: 2005
The most important forum on the Internet appeared in 2005. The first version of the site looked very simple and minimalistic.
Interestingly, at the very beginning, the creators of Reddit themselves created many fake accounts, so that some users got the impression that they were on a popular and “live” site.
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12. Twitter
📆 Year of site creation: 2006
The first home page of Twitter looked like anything but a popular social network.
The familiar blue logo (which no longer exists) appeared only towards the end of 2006. In the first months the company used a different logo.
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13. Ozone
📆 Year of site creation: 1998
Initially, only books and films on video cassettes were sold on Ozone. By the end of the 90s it was one of the first online stores in RuNet.
The design of the site was not similar to the well-known marketplace, and the name used the Cyrillic alphabet: oZon.
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14. 2GIS
📆 Year of site creation: 2001
Initially, 2GIS (at the time of its foundation, DublGIS) was a computer program with an electronic map of Novosibirsk and an organization directory.
The contract map was transferred to the Internet, and the geography of 2GIS work expanded to all of Russia and several foreign countries.
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15. Sberbank
📆 Year of site creation: 1997-1999
It is not known exactly when the Sberbank website was launched. According to some sources, this happened in 1997, but I was only able to find a screenshot from 1999.
In any case, the first Sberbank website was more like a directory about the company, which listed the bank’s services, branch addresses, news and annual report.
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16. Wikipedia
📆 Year of site creation: 2001
Wikipedia launched in 2001. The encyclopedia website looks very simple so as not to overload computers.
In the future, Wikipedia will follow this logic. The site has changed, but has never become too fragile to load quickly on any device.
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17. AliExpress
📆 Year of site creation: year 2009
AliExpress started operating at the end of 2009. The logic of the site has not changed much since then.
The design and quality of the products presented on the main page have changed.
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18. Microsoft
📆 Year of site creation: 1994
The first Microsoft website was launched in 1994. Initially, like the Apple website, it contained various instructions and information about the company.
The main background was gray, like on most sites of the early 90s.
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19. Amazon
📆 Year of site creation: 1995
The Amazon online store was launched in the United States in 1995. The First Company sold only books.
The site itself is designed in the classic style of that time: gray background, simple font, a lot of text and a minimum of pictures.
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20. iPhones.ru
📆 Year of site creation: 2006
iPhones.ru was launched a year before the presentation of the first iPhone. The site published news and rumors related to the iPhone. At that time it was a highly anticipated smartphone.
The Hong Kong focus has changed from the iPhone to all Apple equipment, which is provided by iPhones.ru and has become the largest site in Russia dedicated to Apple.
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Websites have become more complex, but not all of them
It’s interesting that some sites haven’t changed much in 20 years. The most telling example is Google. Also, the sites that on the main page serve only for authorization (VKontakte and Twitter) have not changed much.
But most sites have become much more complex, heavier and more informative. YouTube has evolved from a traditional video hosting service into a giant video platform with built-in algorithms and tons of features.
In addition, now people do not need to explain why they need this or that site. Everyone now knows what email, search engines, online maps and social networks are.
Source: Iphones RU
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
