Your website is the public face of your business in the digital realm and often the first interaction between your company and its prospects. Take a long look at your website and its offerings. Do you see outdated information and tired webpage elements staring back? Does your site look like your competitor’s site? Is it tough to navigate? Does it load slowly? If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, you’ll want to think about a website redesign. Other reasons to redesign your website include:
- Your current site is not responsive, meaning it’s not mobile-friendly.
- You need more leads and are not getting the results you want.
- Your business has shifted products or service offerings.
- Your brand strategy has changed.
- You need to show up better in search engine results.
While there’s not a major departure in website design from what we saw in 2017, you’ll start to see a widening gap between companies implementing the latest web design trends and those that are falling behind them this year. If you want your website to be current and stay ahead of your competition, here are some top trends to consider:
Responsivity is a must. Mobile web browsing has hit an all-time high with no signs of slowing down. A recent Google survey of mobile users found that 72 percent of respondents said it’s important that websites are mobile-friendly, yet 96 percent have visited sites that don’t work well on their devices. Almost three-quarters of respondents said they are more likely to revisit a mobile-friendly site. If the site isn’t optimized for mobile use, users are actually five times more likely to abandon the task they are trying to complete. Seventy-nine percent said that they will ultimately go back to search and try to find another site to meet their needs if the one they click on does not load correctly.
Think like a customer. What does your target audience want? What are your customers’ pain points? How can you get them to where they want to go quicker with less clicks? By focusing your efforts on the customer, rather than your offerings, you will connect with your audience faster and help them understand how you can provide them with the solutions they seek. You can accomplish this by engaging and informing them through key messaging that targets their interests and allays their concerns. You should also showcase your unique selling propositions to show value.
Consider video. More and more, you’ll see websites with video components. In fact, internet video traffic will be more than 80 percent of all customers’ internet traffic in four years. Cisco, a multinational technology conglomerate, recently stated that live internet video will account for 13 percent of the total video traffic. Video is a natural fit when companies are trying to convey complex messages, connect with customers on a deeper level and motivate prospects to a purchasing position.
Incorporate animations and movement. As the internet evolves at breakneck speed and the amount of content continues to grow, grabbing the attention of your customers and moving their eyes through your website while keeping them engaged has become crucial. Scroll-triggered animation, which will help unclutter your website, inspires users to scroll deeper into your web pages and their content. It’s also important to include interactive components to amplify engagement.
Add more color. With browsers evolving and designers looking for new ways to engage readers, color gradients are starting to take over and blend away the boxy white/grey backgrounds of yesteryear. Consider color temperature and hue when trying to grab potential customers’ attention away from the competition.
Use big fonts. See you later squinting eyes. Headlines need to be big, bold and able to tell a story as thumb-flicking intensifies. You should use multiple headlines of various font sizes to convey your messages as users skip, scan and scroll feverishly through your site.
To stay top of mind, tip of finger and relevant in the ever-evolving digital landscape, you are going to have to learn to look at your website from your customer’s perspective. Let go of the past and what used to work. Instead, focus your web redesign efforts on what’s currently happening all around the web and what your customers are expecting when they visit your site.