Animation is the fastest way to make a website feel expensive — and the second-fastest way to make it feel cheap. The difference is rarely the animation itself. It's whether the motion means anything.
Motion needs a job
Good motion does one of three things: it directs attention, it explains a relationship (this panel came from that button), or it sets a mood once — usually on first load. If an animation does none of these, it's decoration, and decoration compounds: three meaningless animations feel like a template demo.
The restraint patterns
Animate entrances, not existence — an element can arrive with motion but should then hold still. Keep durations under 800ms for UI, save longer choreography for one hero moment per page. Never animate two competing focal points at once. And always, always respect prefers-reduced-motion — for some visitors it's not a preference, it's a health requirement.