Websites rank highly on the list of digital assets that change rapidly. While some attributes of a website will always be in style – great copy, pleasant colors, easy navigation – other trends have only come about more recently.
If you’re looking to build or overhaul a website this year, here are three recent ideas in the web design world that can help you create a page that offers a pleasurable, intuitive experience for your visitors.
Go Beyond Static Content
Anyone who’s used the internet knows the feeling of sifting through a massive knowledge base full of articles. While these libraries can hold value for your visitors, they can also be cumbersome and time-consuming if users can’t find what they need right away.
To overcome this, consider ways that you can be more predictive with your content. For example, maybe you know that one of your personas tends to have questions about a particular part of your product or offering. You could link to a guide on this part of the offering on your purchase confirmation or thank you pages.
One way many companies are offering a more personalized experience is through artificial intelligence. A recent Oracle research report showed that by 2020, 80% of businesses plan to use chatbots. These tools allow companies to gather and analyze customer data without having to invest more time into the process.
Diversify Your Media
The easiest way to build out a website is through text: most web editors allow you to type exactly what you want to say on your website and publish it immediately. While it’s still important to have strong text on your subpages and a blog that you are updating consistently, next year you should move into other forms of media.
In a recent blog post about the “second act” of inbound marketing, HubSpot co-founder Brian Halligan says that while written content still matters, the new “power move” in marketing is video and social media. Remember that you don’t have to transform the media on your website overnight – take manageable steps and try to tackle one new type of content at a time.
Use Parallax Scrolling to Tell Your Story
The way we tell them may change, but stories always have and always will be one of, if not the most important way that people communicate. This principle holds true on websites, which is part of the reason that parallax or infinite scrolling has become so popular. This technique involves moving different elements of a page at different speeds to simulate the illusion of motion and depth.
While a massive and busy website with tons of moving elements might do more harm than good, you can incorporate bits and pieces of the parallax technique to give your brand a more narrative feel. You could start the top of the page with essential information about the business, then below it add information about the history of your company. Parallax scrolling is also great for mobile compatibility, since most people don’t mind scrolling on their mobile device.
2017 Website Design Will Continue to Change
These tactics are valuable, but the most important element of web design is staying true to your business goals and the needs of your visitors. By putting your users first, you can incorporate some of these trends in a way that gives you an attractive, useful website.
Effective website design and implementation take skilled hands and a keen eye for design. Luckily with Comit Developers, you’ll get a talented team with years of experience to ensure that you’re site is ahead of the curve!
