Like all things in the digital landscape, website design trends are constantly changing. As a business owner, you know the importance of a well-designed website but it can be difficult to decipher which trends to incorporate. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of fundamental elements to ensure your website is up-to-date.
User First
Every aspect of a website should be designed to make things easier for the end-user. Your website could be the most beautiful on the internet, but if it’s difficult to navigate your visitors won’t care. In fact, 89% of them will go to a competitor’s site after a poor user experience.
Here are a few things that make for a hassle-free website:
Mobile Responsive
The layout of your website should change to accommodate whatever device it is being viewed on. There should be no need for mobile users to pinch or expand their view to see your content. With over 61% of mobile searchers being more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site, you can’t afford to have a clunky mobile rendering.
Fast Load Times
Each year, businesses lose roughly $2.6 billion in revenue due to slow-loading websites. It’s a fast-paced world we’re living in and consumers want the results they seek NOW. Increasing your website speed by just 1 second could increase your conversion rate by 7%.
Hamburger MenusÂ
A hamburger menu is the three lines you’ll see in either the website’s upper right or left corners. It is often seen when viewing a site on a mobile device, but it can be included on a desktop rendering as well. When clicked, this menu opens up to reveal a list of available pages on the site. This makes for a much cleaner view when space is limited.
Clear and Relevant Call-to-Action Buttons
Websites serve many purposes, but the main one is connecting your business with people interested in what you have to offer. You want to convert them from website visitors to customers. Having optimally-placed call-to-action buttons on your site will help you gather information from your visitors, enabling you to better nurture your relationship with them. They can also help guide visitors to the content they want.
Movement
Movement on your website, in the form of video or animation, is an effective way to grab and hold your visitor’s attention. The more engaged your website visitors are, the more likely they are to take action and return to your site in the future.
Background Video
A large video that automatically plays in the background of the main page of a website immerses visitors in the content from the moment they land on the page. Since users spend roughly 88% more time on pages with videos, this can be a smart addition to the home page of your business website.
Product Video
A product video can help your website sell through storytelling. Our brains process video 60,000x faster than text so having a short video succinctly explaining a product or service, instead of a wall of text, will be much more appealing.
Animation
Animation on a website can help guide a visitor on their journey through your content by drawing their attention to the next point of interest. They will be more engaged as the static page comes to life. Don’t overdo it though, animation can be a distraction or cause a page to lag, leading to a slow user experience.
Establish a Brand
From fonts and colors, to graphics and illustrations, a website needs to be a cohesive visual representation of your business. Since consistency is vital for brand recognition, the color palette and typography used throughout the design of your website should match other aspects of your marketing.
Incorporating these fundamentals into your website design will ensure your visitors have a smooth and delightful experience on your site that they will want to repeat. Need help creating the professional website of your business dreams? The experts at Amplified Digital are ready to make it happen! Reach out today!
