Is your website sporting the newest and most fashionable look? Or, are you still stuck a few months (or years) in the past, trying to compete in today’s online marketing world with tips and ideas that have gone out of style?
In case you don’t know, or haven’t kept up with the latest ideas in the field, let’s take a look at the top seven emerging web design trends that are taking shape…
#1 Mobile-First Web Design
This isn’t so much a trend as a complete re-shifting of the web design world that matches with reality. More than half of all online traffic now originates from phones and tablets. There is simply no reason for a smart business owner or executive to ignore the power of responsive mobile-first design.
#2 Video
Video has always been a great tool for attracting attention in generating conversions. Now, though, producing high-quality clips has gotten to be easy and inexpensive enough that companies of all sizes are giving it a try. And, Google is using transcription software to “hear” video content as if it were text. Expect to see more video on your favorite sites!
#3 Big Idea Concepts
Because the competition online has gotten so intense – particularly the top of Google’s search listings – visitors will only give a few seconds to a brand-new website before they decide to stay or leave. Accordingly, smart marketers are making sure their pages are easy to understand in a “big picture” sense. If customers don’t understand what you’re offering, they’ll take their attention and money elsewhere.
#4 More Illustrations
It was probably inevitable that, in a world of stock photo overuse, savvy artists and marketers would start looking to illustrations to set themselves apart from the competition. Hand and computer-drawn images are coming back in a big way.
#5 User-Driven Animations
No one is crying for the demise of Adobe flash, which pushed loud, intrusive, and obnoxious motion clips on unsuspecting website visitors. Now, though, more and more web designers are using small-scale animations that work with user clicks and scroll overs. These can be a fun way to draw attention to specific parts of your website.
#6 Clean-and-Dirty Designs
For many years, the Golden Rule of web design has been “keep it clean” with simple lines and white space. That guiding principle still applies, although some designers are mixing it up with noisy visual elements within an otherwise clean page. The contrast can draw focus and make a website stand out.
#7 Floating Navigation
Scrolling through a long page can be a pain, particularly if you’re viewing a website on a small screen. With a floating navigation bar, the option to find your way to another section is always immediately in front of you. This really ties into usability and simple navigation, which is in style every year.
What Does Your Website Need?
You don’t need all seven of these concepts on your business website to get the sales and revenue boost you’re looking for this year. But, that doesn’t mean you should sit idly by while your competitors move ahead. Talk to the creative minds at Weblinx today at 630-551-0334 to see how we can help you use smart, cost-effective planning to make the most of internet marketing in all of its forms.