The Rise of the Silver Surfers

Here at the FirstFound Blog, we’ve been predicting the rise of the “Silver Surfers” for a while. Now new research from UKOM suggests that the over-50′s are the fastest growing online group.

Over the past 12 months, the number of UK internet users grew from 36.9 million to 38.8 million – and the majority of those users were aged 50 or over.

So if your website is set up to appeal to only the hip young things, you’re missing out on an increasingly web-savvy audience with a disposable income. Luckily, we’ve put together a quick three-point list to ensure that your site isn’t putting off potential clients.

Don’t Condescend!

If you’ve got the image in your head of a “doddery” person who can’t click a mouse, you’re approaching this with a ridiculous mindset. Your website shouldn’t be the equivalent of leaning over to your grandmother and yelling “COME ON GRAN! LET’S HAVE A NICE CUP OF TEA!”.

Don’t Overcomplicate!

That goes for any website, regardless of your audience.  Anyone new to the Internet, regardless of age, is going to be put off by overcomplicated site design. So clarify. Have a clear navigational structure, and do some user testing. If people are getting lost, they’re not spending money!

Learn From Others

According to the study, the three most popular sites with the over 50s are Saga, RealAge and Flixxy. All three are bright, clean designs. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see other similarities that you should recreate with your website.

Don’t forget to follow FirstFound on Twitter and Facebook!