4.8 million people use the internet every day. While a significant percentage of this is people looking for different products or surfing social media, it’s also made up of business owners. Using the web to market your business’s products and services is something that’s been done for years.
But, that doesn’t mean people always get it right. If you’re looking to maintain your competitive advantage, it’s essential that you check out our list of web design trends.
Not only are these trends going to set you apart from others it’s going to help you get the website traffic you’re looking for. Ready to click on some of the newest website design trends to keep an eye out for?
Read on now!
Page Speed
Consider this; most web pages will take about 87.84% longer to load than they would if the user viewed the website on their desktop. As you move forward with website development, you’ve got to pay attention to the way your website loads across all platforms.
If you want your site to rank better on various search engines and you want more lead conversions, one way to do this is to ensure your page loads as quickly as possible. If the page doesn’t load within a few seconds, the chances of someone leaving your website increase.
This lessens the chances that they’ll return to your page in the future. Page speed is a metric that should be on the radar of your team at all times. There are several reasons a page loads slowly, including:
- JavaScript problems
- Unoptimized page images
- Poor caching practices
- Improper page design
As you monitor your page speed, you can catch what’s slowing the website down and make the necessary changes. It’s precisely your website should undergo a test run before launching for people to use.
Personalized User Content
Have you ever wondered why users visit the same websites time and time again? The main reason is the website provides the user with personalized content as if it’s reading their minds.
In hindsight, that’s exactly what’s happening. One of the best web strategies is to base user content on their past patterns and behaviors.
For example, if someone visits your page looking for sweaters the next time they visit, you’ll suggest not only sweaters but also other clothing items that pair well with them. Personalizing user content increases the chances of them making a purchase when they visit the site in the future.
There are other ways to create user-based content outside of tracking their past visits, and that’s by noting the user’s location. Understanding where a user is geographical enables your site to make valuable suggestions.
Without consciously thinking about it, as users continue to visit your website, they’ll want this personalized experience to continue. It helps to build further your brand reputation and the relationship established between yourself and your target audience.
Personalized user content will also increase your brand’s internet presence.
Hands-Free Interactions
Who has time to stop what they’re doing to type a question into a search engine? In 2020, 50% of all queries made by users were done using some type of voice activation tool.
Your website needs to follow this trend because more people are looking to multitask and don’t want to take a moment to type in a question. It’s not uncommon for websites to make use of voice activation interfaces, but it’s rare.
If you want to keep up with web users, you’ve got to integrate this trend into your website by using things like virtual assistants and voice-activated chatbots. While you might be on the fence about this trend, it holds many benefits for users, including:
- Ability to have questions answered quickly
- Directed to specific website products or pages
These two things alone will increase the chances of the user making a purchase or saving the page until they’re ready to make a purchase. Building a chatbot is a great way to ensure users of your site get the answers they’re searching for.
However, keep in mind the more tasks you equip your chatbot with, the higher the cost of building it.
Up the Engagement Factor
Since we’re on the topic of interactions, there are other ways to increase user engagement with your site. When you implement different engagement tactics, you give your site the ability to collect more data about your target audience, which will help you continue to create a personalized experience.
For example, if you want to know what types of products users want to see in the future, you could provide a poll or survey to document user answers. By doing this, you let users know you care about their opinions and can use this data in your product production process.
Another way to increase website interaction is to host contests and provide users with a prize for participating.
This is something that you can host on the website and across the company’s social media profiles. The more interaction you attract on your social media profiles, the higher the chances of converting those leads to paying customers.
Incorporate Virtual Reality
By 2024 the virtual reality industry will be worth $72.8 billion, making it one of the most influential trends to emerge in the next year. With the pandemic continuing, more people are looking to shop for products they need from the comfort of their homes.
The downside to this is the inability to try things on or see how things work within their home, which is where virtual reality comes into play. VR allows the user to do something like try on different nail polishes or tour a home without leaving the comfort of their couch.
By using VR, you bring your product to the user, increasing the chances of them making a purchase. Another reason you’ll want to use VR is that it can help when it comes to marketing and sharing content with your website users.
These things combined will continue to influence the buying decisions of the user.
Shape Fluidity
Some people like rigid lines, but not all, which is where the fluidity of the shapes used throughout your website comes into play. If you’re looking for a way to differentiate pages of your site without using harsh or rigid lines, organic shapes are the way to go.
It brings a softness to your site that wouldn’t be present without them. These shapes continue to add to the overall aesthetic of your page as well because they can become background elements on various pages.
Another reason organic shapes are essential is that they will remind the user of things they see in everyday life, like flowers or hills.
Use Color Wisely
It’s no secret that there’s a psychology to the colors your brand uses when marketing. Depending on what you’re attempting to convey, the color of your website will help the user experience these feelings.
On the adverse side of this, the last thing you want to do is have a website overflowing with color because it can become chaotic for those visiting the site.
For example, if your products are based on plant-based or all-natural features, you’d want to use vibrant greens or other warm earth tones throughout the site.
Keep in mind not everyone associates the same feeling with every color, but generally, the emotion felt is the same.
Go the Minimalist Route
We’ve all heard the saying that less is more, and sometimes in terms of website design, minimalism is essential. Minimalism is also known as a flat design.
However, one error that people make when using a minimalist design is making the entire website all white. This isn’t necessarily what minimalism means.
It can also mean having few page elements or anything that can make the website chaotic. If you decide to go the minimalist route, you could choose one bold color that packs a punch on each page of your website.
This color could be featured in the background or an image that attracts the visitor’s eye without distracting them from why they’ve visited your website.
Putting Your Best Thumb Forward
Earlier, we mentioned ensuring your website page loads quickly for users; now, we’re going to talk about how users navigate your page. As you’re ensuring that your site is accessible on all electronic devices, you’ve also got to think about the way people scroll your site.
When people hold their phones, they usually scroll using their thumbs. Thus, it’s essential that your website design considers this when it comes to placing different elements on the page.
You’ll want the site to be easy to use, which means placing elements such as a contact or search button in the central part of the website for people to access.
Captivating Typography
Typography can be used to take your web pages to the next level and genuinely bring your company brand to life. Sometimes the only thing that can make or break your webpage is the text you use.
If you’re selling products based on nostalgia, you’ll want to select typography that evokes these emotions. It’s crucial you take the time to evaluate how the typography you’ve chosen works with the other page elements.
Does it elevate them? Does it make the page seem crowded? Does it affect the loading speed of the page?
These are a few questions that need to be asked before publishing or launching your page for users to begin using. Again, if you’re unsure what works for your page, hiring web development professionals is essential.
They’ll have a working knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, based on the goals and identity of your brand.
Enter Dark Mode
65% of smartphone users admit to scrolling on their phones in the dark. While this isn’t terrible to pass the time, it can negatively affect the user’s eyes, but this can be decreased by using dark mode for your website.
This will allow people to remain on your site longer without straining their eyes further. The best thing to do is ensure your website correlates with the time of day it is.
But, even when using dark mode, you can still highlight various page elements without overwhelming the user. Besides, dark mode is relatively modern and allows you to attract the users’ attention to the page you want them to pay attention to.
Customize Illustrations
By now, it should be known that customization will set your website apart from others. Users are tired of visiting websites and seeing the same photos used time and time again.
Most website owners use stock images from various sources because they’re free to use. The issue with this is most sites have the same library of photos for people to pull from.
While it takes time to create customized illustrations, it enhances the overall look of the webpage. You can tailor your illustrations to be brand-specific as well if you’ve got the time and skill to do so.
Web Design Trends: One Click Away
There are several web design trends you need to keep your eye on. From different ways to increase user engagement to increasing the speed of your web page, 2022 web design is going to make a statement.
If you need help with the design of your website, it’s time to call in the professionals. Stop struggling to decide what works and get a free quote today from Iconic Web.
We’re going to help make your website ICONIC; after all, it’s in our name! And website development is something we do best.
