Websites were the dominant species of the early digital age. But from a content marketing perspective, they look increasingly like digital Neanderthals.

Overtaken by fitter, smarter alternatives, websites are losing relevance. Unless they evolve they’ll become extinct in a communications sense. We’ll stop paying attention to them.

There are signs this is already happening. You’d be forgiven for thinking that a major media like the New York Times relied heavily on visitors drawn directly to its homepage. Yet last year the newspaper announced that only a third of users visited this page, prompting the internet to proclaim the “homepage is dead!”

It’s easy to see why this is happening. As people move toward consumption formats that are more aggregated and consistent, the role of websites in delivering information is being diminished.

Smarter search engine and social media platforms, richer and more flexible digital media advertising formats and content aggregators like Flipboard, Newsy and Buzzfeed are driving a shift to consuming information away from the host site.

Even purchasing can be done through Instagram with no brand interaction. The delivery of content and interaction has been set free from conventional web design.

The growth of discoverable, sharable, community-led platforms is having a massive impact. Yet websites must remain an important part of any brand’s content strategy. Companies – especially those spending big on awareness based communication – will expect to receive website traffic directly.

So what’s the answer?

The Neanderthals died out because their brains were less capable of social networking. Homo Sapien communication was richer and more complex. Website evolution must follow a similar course. We need sites that provide better, richer experiences, brand poignancy and shareable values.

Naturally, you’d expect legacy websites to be slow to catch-up, but we’re seeing re-launches that fail to use today’s digital sharing tools.

Gym chain Fitness First has just undergone a massive £270m brand overhaul. Real people achieving their goals, sharing motivation and engaging with the brand is at the heart of what Fitness First is trying to achieve: a bid to appear less intimidating and appeal to the ‘non-beefcake’. Its website presents the new identity well enough but lacks any integration with social platforms. It fails to create the community it desires.

Happily, there are better signs elsewhere. Bulmers recently launched its ‘Live Colourful’ campaign and transformed its website into a hub of user generated content. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook drive content and the result is very engaging and shareable. One small bug bear – the look and feel of the ‘History’ section seems out of place. Ultimately though, the integration of platforms has set up Bulmers to dominate this summer.

With the likes of Bulmers leading the charge, the Neanderthals must evolve or their communities will abandon them to die.