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Many companies make the mistake of thinking that their work is over once their website has been built, but that’s not the case. Frequent updates are crucial to the success of your website—and your business, too. It’s important to stay on top of trends in the world so you know when it’s time to make changes. Here’s a look at the trends to expect in 2019 and beyond:
Speed
The speed at which a website loads has always been important to visitors, however it will become more important than ever before over the next several years. It’s been reported that half of users expect websites to completely load in two seconds or less. If a website has not loaded within this incredibly short timeframe, many users will simply give up and try another website instead.
Users aren’t the only ones demanding faster load times. Google announced several months ago that a website’s loading time could affect its ranking. Websites that load within a few seconds may see a bump in ranking, whereas websites with slow loading times may fall several pages back. For these reasons, it’s clear that a website will not be effective if it does not load within one or two seconds.
Minimalism
Some web designers try to incorporate animations, videos, music, and dozens of images on a single page, however this is not the best approach to take. Minimalism is making a huge comeback in the world of web design, and it’s not hard to understand why. Minimalism is key due to the importance of mobile-friendliness and speed. Design features such as graphics, animations, and videos slow the website’s loading time down. These features are also not mobile-friendly, which means they could affect the mobile user’s experience on the site. Because mobile-friendliness and speed are so important, many designers are embracing minimalist designs.
Video Backgrounds
Minimalism is becoming more popular, but video backgrounds are growing in popularity as well. As its name suggests, a video background is a video that plays in the background of the website. Text and other images are often laid on top of the video, but the user can still see the majority of the video. The video will start automatically playing as soon as the user arrives on the website, and continue to play until the user leaves the page. If the video is on the homepage, it usually provides a brief introduction to the brand so the user learns a little bit more about the brand’s personality. However, video backgrounds on other pages may provide specific information on product lines and services.
Research has shown that videos are far more effective than text and images when it comes to grabbing users’ attention. It’s much easier for users to watch a short video than it is for them to read lengthy blog posts, and it’s more entertaining to watch a video than it is to look at an image. Because of this, incorporating a video background into your design could increase your conversions.
If you choose to incorporate this element into your design, make sure that the rest of your website is fairly simple. Users won’t pay attention to the video if they’re also exposed to animations, graphics, and pop-ups. By keeping the rest of the design simple, the video background becomes the star of the show.
Geometric Shapes
The use of geometric shapes is another trend in the world of web design. Geometric shapes can be used for decorative purposes as part of a symmetrical, clean, or even art deco theme. But, they are often used to enhance the user experience. For example, a geometric shape can be placed around important text so the passage stands out to the user. If the shape contains the information they were looking for, it has enhanced their experience.
Most images are square or rectangular, but a geometric shaped image can create a bigger impact on the user. Cut the image into a geometric shape to highlight the most important parts of the picture. This bold design choice will certainly grab users’ attention the moment they land on your website.
Geometric shapes are symmetrical and simple with clean lines that are easy on the eyes. For this reason, these shapes are ideal for web designers who want to create a minimalistic site that still contains some interesting design elements.
Chatbots
Experts predict that chatbots will continue to grow in popularity over the next year and beyond. A chatbot is the small pop-up window with an instant messaging service that appears when you visit a website. Chatbots are programmed to ask users how they can help and what information they’re looking for on the site. Users can interact with the chatbot to learn more about a brand’s products or services, ask questions, and place orders.
Having a chatbot on your website is basically like having a customer service representative available to your customers at all hours. If customers choose to interact with the chatbot, they can get the information that they need to make a purchase decision right then and there. Therefore, this design feature will not only improve customer service, but it will also increase conversions.
However, it’s important to make sure that the chatbot is programmed to not repeatedly message unresponsive users. If a user does not want to communicate with the chatbot, they should not be bothered with multiple messages while they try to browse your website.
If you’re interested in designing a new website or updating your existing site to incorporate these new trends, contact Simple SEO Group now. We’re committed to helping clients grow their businesses with effective, user-friendly websites. Call us now to schedule a free consultation regarding your marketing needs.