The First Look of Top Indian Websites

Supriya Bajaj

Senior Writer

The First Look of Top Indian Websites

Indian websites have been dominating the world wide web for decades. Millions of India-originated websites out there are attracting billions of traffic every month. While some of these websites are new, most of them have been out there for a while. These include websites like Naukri.com, Myntra.com, Shaadi.com, JustDial.in, and more.

When you visit these top Indian websites today, you see the amazing design, interface, and responsiveness. But these sites haven’t looked the same all the time. Back in the day, these websites would have a basic design with static pages. But web development technologies have significantly advanced over the years, and the look and feel of these websites have changed. 

Information about top Indian websites and their first looks

Let’s take a look at the first look of top Indian websites and compare it with how they look now.

1. Naukri.com

Naukri.com is one of the oldest and best Indian websites out there for posting and searching jobs, founded in March 1997. Currently, the website operates in India and the Middle East. Back in 1997, it was launched as a recruitment classified. 

As of March 2014, Naukri.com had about 37 million registered job seekers. Moreover, approximately 11,000 new resumes were being added daily, and 130,000 were being modified. As of June 2021, the website gets over 30 million total visits every month, ranked 1,257th globally and 83rd in India in terms of monthly traffic.

The modern-day look of Naukri.com is as good as any other job portal website out there. Here’s how it looked when it was first launched in 1997. 

Naukri first look

2. Myntra.com

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Bengaluru, India, Myntra is one of the oldest and largest fashion eCommerce companies in India. It was initially launched as a place to sell personalized gift items, and gradually, it became one of the largest fashion retailers in the country. 

In May 2014, Myntra was acquired by Indian eCommerce giant Flipkart. At that time, the platform listed over 150,000 products from over 1,000 brands and delivered to around 9,000 pin codes in India. Moreover, Myntra acquired its rival Jabong.com to become the largest fashion eCommerce platform in the country. 

As of June 2021, Myntra gets 35.77 million monthly visits and is ranked at 1,008th globally and 69th in India in terms of monthly traffic. It’s also ranked first in the Fashion and Apparel category. 

Here’s how the website looked when it was initially launched in 2007.

Myntra first look

3. Justdial.com

Justdial.com is an online business directory that lists all types of local businesses in India. Business owners can register their business on Justdial and be found by users across the country. It was launched in 1997, and as of June 2021, it has more than 30 million small business listings. 

In addition to a responsive website, Justdial has apps for Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Windows platforms. And as of June 2021, it has about 130 million quarterly unique users across its web, app, and voice platforms. 

Justdial also offers advertising features, and as of June 2021, it has had over 450,000 campaigns. Moreover, Justdial users have contributed more than 120 million ratings and reviews across the web to date. 

Take a look at how the website looked when it was launched in 1997.

Justdial first look

4. Flipkart.com

Flipkart is one of the most popular Indian websites. Flipkart is an Indian eCommerce company launched in October 2007. It’s the second-largest eCommerce site in India with more than 210 million monthly visitors, second only to Amazon India. It’s ranked 138th in the world and 13th in India in terms of monthly website traffic. In 2018, Walmart, a global retail giant, bought a 77% stake in Flipkart for $16 billion. 

Here’s a fun fact about Flipkart. The co-founders of Flipkart – Sachin and Binny Bansal – were co-workers at Amazon. Moreover, Flipkart, just like Amazon, started as a small online bookstore. And later, it ended up becoming the biggest rival of Amazon in India. 

Here’s how Flipkart’s website looked when it was initially launched in 2007.

Flipkart first look

5. Shaadi.com

Matrimonial sites have been quite popular in India over the past few years, with Shaadi.com being one of the top websites in India. It was launched in  1997 as an online wedding service in India, catering to people in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. However, the company has offices in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. 

With 12.51 million monthly visits, Shaadi.com is the largest online matrimonial website in the world in terms of monthly traffic. Also, it’s ranked at 3,248th globally and 257th in India in terms of monthly traffic. 

Let’s look at how Shaadi.com’s website looked when it was first launched in 1997.

Shaadi first look

6. Snapdeal.com

Snapdeal.com is an Indian eCommerce company launched in February 2010. With over 6,000 brands, 4 million+ products, and 500+ product categories, Snapdeal is one of the top Indian websites in the eCommerce space. 

The website gets more than 22 million visitors every month, and ranks 2,225th globally and 134th in India in terms of monthly traffic. It also ranks fifth in the eCommerce marketplace category.

Snapdeal first look

7. Rediff.com

Rediff.com is an Indian news, entertainment, shopping, and information website. Founded in 1996, Rediff.com is one of the oldest and best websites in India. Moreover, it was one of the first digital-only companies to get listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. 

Over the years, Rediff has expanded its offerings to email services, enterprise email services, business email services, online shopping, and the stock market and investment tips. 

With close to 40 million monthly visits, Rediff.com is ranked 1,205th globally and 90th in India in terms of website traffic. Also, it ranked at the 14th position globally in the News and Media category, making it one of the top Indian websites. 

Rediff.com has tried to maintain a unified look for its website since its launch in 1996. Here’s how the site looked in 1996 when it was first launched.

Rediff first look

8. Redbus.in

RedBus is an online bus ticketing platform in India founded in 2006. The platform is available as a web-based portal and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Redbus has a network of more than 2,500 bus operators across India, Singapore, Malaysia, Colombia, and Indonesia. 

The website has a customer base of 20 million and claims to have registered more than 180 million trips. In 2018, Redbus had a 70% share in the Indian online bus ticketing segment. In 2013, RedBus was acquired by Ibibo Group, an Indian travel company. 

As of June 2021, Redbus.in gets close to 2.5 million total monthly visits. It’s ranked at 1,573rd position in India in terms of monthly website traffic. Moreover, it’s the largest website in the world in terms of monthly traffic in the Transportation and Excursions category. 

Here’s how the Redbus.in website looked back in 2006.

Redbus first look

9. Indiatimes.com

Intiatimes.com is one of the oldest digital media publications in India. Founded in 1998, Indiatimes is an initiative by the Times Group, the largest media conglomerate in the country. Indiatimes.com is a news website covering news and stories about everything from technology and lifestyle to sports and entertainment. 

With about 230 million monthly visits as of June 2021, Indiatimes is ranked 184th in the world and 18th in India in terms of global traffic. It’s also the largest News and Media website in the world when it comes to monthly website visits and is also one of the most visited websites in India. The website is available in both English and Hindi and is one of the best websites in India for news and infotainment. 

Here’s a quick look into how the website looked when it was first launched in 1998.

Indiatimes first look

10. IRCTC

The only government-owned website on the list, IRCTC.com is a website owned by Indian Railways that provides ticketing, tourism, and catering services. The Indian Railways launched the IRCTC website in September 1999 to upgrade, manage, and professionalize the train reservation, hospitality, and catering services across entire India. 

With close to 10 million visits per month as of June 2021, IRCTC is the largest Travel and Tourism website in the world in terms of monthly traffic. Earlier, lRCTC’s e-ticketing system was capable of booking 2,000 tickets per minute. In 2014, the website was upgraded, and it’s now capable of booking up to 7,200 tickets per minute

Here’s a screenshot of the IRCTC website captured in 2002.

IRCTC first look

11. Indiamart.com

IndiaMART.com is the largest Business-to-Business (B2B) and Customer-to-Customer (C2C) eCommerce marketplace in India. Founded in 1996, IndiaMART is an online portal where users can find buyers and sellers of all types of products and services that can connect with each other. 

It has more than 50 product categories, from pharmaceuticals and foods & beverages to textiles, cosmetics, and electronics. It also allows you to find suppliers by region and has a presence in ten Indian cities. 

The IndiaMART website has more than 71 million monthly website visits. It’s ranked 1,129th globally and 84th in India in terms of monthly traffic. It’s also the fourth-largest shopping marketplace in the world in terms of website traffic. 

Let’s look at how the IndiaMART website looked in 1996.

Indiamart first look

Key Steps To Building A Great Small & Medium Business Website

The 21st century is the century of the Internet. Everything happens on the Internet these days, and business is no stranger to this space. Be it small entrepreneurs or large multinationals, everybody needs to have an online presence to take off.

While having an account on a third-party platform is a good starting point, a dedicated website where you control the content is crucial. Whether your product is aimed towards other businesses or serves end consumers, the ability to find your website through a quick search online is a big booster to your business. This pandemic has further accelerated the need for an online presence.

As a beginner, getting a website for your business may seem a daunting task. But with modern website builder services, this task is now almost effortless. Building a trendy and eye-catching website is an art, and you can hire web builders and developers for the same.

Let’s look at the different steps involved in creating a great website from scratch and start ranking on the top of the SERP.

Come Up with Requirements for Your Website  

Before you start creating your website, you need to set your expectations. Decide on the features and services your website will provide and how those need to be displayed. Will your website be a catalog or brochure of the services you provide? Or will it be a one-stop facility that includes e-commerce functionality as well?

It will help you choose the perfect website builder services based on your needs and creative ideas. Besides, it will reduce the risk of redoing all the steps to add components you forgot halfway through the process.

Choose a Hosting Service for Your Needs 

A hosting service is what makes your website available on the Internet and reachable through a browser. The web hosting company will place your website on their servers, and you will have to pay anywhere from $2 to over $100.

Based on your traffic expectations, you can choose a shared server or a dedicated server. A shared server will split computing resources among multiple websites like yours, while a dedicated server will have only your website running on it.

You might also need to tweak network bandwidth, storage space, and security features to meet your requirements. If you find this step to be a bit too technical, consider consulting website builder companies.

Pick a Catchy Domain Name

Your domain name is the nameplate for your website on the Internet. Getting this just right will help your customers remember it easily, helping drive traffic to your business.

Here are a few pointers to help come up with a domain name:

  • Short and Sweet – Keep the domain name short so it is easier to remember.
  • Make it snappy – A name without symbols and numbers which can connect to your business is a good one.
  • Know its meaning – Make sure the name is not offensive to your consumers.
  • Keep SEO in mind – Help your website be the first result by picking a domain name that search engines like.
  • What’s the price – Domain names cost money, so pick one that fits your budget.

Use a CMS

Building a website from scratch by writing code is an involved and time-consuming task. A Content Management System(CMS) saves you from this burden by automating most of the work. However, it is crucial to choose a CMS that fits the needs of your website. A good CMS can be used with little to no technical knowledge while helping you achieve great results.

There are a great number of CMS offerings in the market today. WordPress is the most popular CMS works with the largest share of users and community support. But the service is plagued by security issues, thanks to its popularity. Squarespace and Wix are two more providers popular in the market. Drupal and Joomla! are great less-known alternatives to WordPress with superior security and well-rounded features.

 Build an Intuitive Front-End Your Users Will Love

The user interface is equivalent to the storefront in the brick-and-mortar setting. An attractive storefront that conveys the right messages will attract better footfall to your business. Getting the front-end right is thus very important in converting visitors and window-shoppers to customers.

Check out these tips and tricks to design a visually pleasing interface:

  • Colors are everything: Getting the color combinations right is half the work in designing. Picking colors that match your themes and messaging while making your service appear fresh is crucial.
  • De-clutter the screen: A crammed appearance drives people away from your website. Give the right amount of spacing between components for the best result.
  • Make it intuitive: The layout of your website should follow general design standards. Your ability to innovate in this standard layout will attract many eyeballs.
  • Let people read: Don’t fall into the trap of fancy typography that makes content on your website illegible. Use fancy fonts and standards fonts in the proper contexts.
  • Compress your graphics: Images are integral parts of any website. But make sure they don’t add unnecessary overhead onto the network, slowing your whole site down.
  • eCommerce module: Designing an eCommerce component is tricky with its inventory management and payment requirements. Choosing a commercial low-cost eCommerce website design can save you time, money, and any future troubles.

Get the SEO Tricks Right

Search engine optimization is key to getting exposure for your website online. Design the content on your website while keeping in mind the SEO parameters. Use the right keywords, and build a fast, secure, and mobile-friendly website. Furthermore, include links to other places on your website to keep users on your site.

Don’t Forget the Maintenance

Your job doesn’t end at getting stuff online; the real work comes after setting everything up. Ensure to add content at regular intervals while updating the themes to make most festivals and special events. Check your CMS alternative tool to keep on top of usage trends to optimize your site and the content. Security is another area that needs constant monitoring. Keep updating your architecture to use the most up-to-date security solutions.

Build a site using popular website builder services. It will give you control over your website and provide insights to understand your business better. So, hop onto the Internet and start designing a brand new website for your business today!

Wrap Up

These were 11 top Indian websites that have been out there for a while. The internet has come a long way, and so have web development and design technologies. Nowadays, you can build stunning websites with amazing designs and effects without even writing a single line of code. That wasn’t the case back then. 

So, which of these websites did you use back then, and which website do you think has transformed the most?

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