The online time machine

Can you remember how your website looked 2, 5 or even 9 years ago (if it even existed)? Well, for some enlightening fun, try the Internet Archive’s WayBack Machine. Over 30 billion web pages have been recorded and archived since 1996 and you can view how websites used to look through many design changes or updates.

For example, try some of the original search engines – AltaVista, Excite or Lycos – to see how they have changed, or of course, your own website or those of your competitors. Sometimes pages or images don’t display, but often the results can be illuminating and surprising!

It is also a good way of working out how long a company has been online when trying to establish their credibility.