Web Design Trends for 2017 and Beyond
Web design is constantly evolving as new trends come along and old ideas go out of fashion.
As conversion specialists, we pay a lot of attention to developments in web design. While not designers ourselves, design elements play an important role in conversion rate optimisation, so it’s important to know what’s going on.
Here are a few of the biggest trends you can expect to see over the coming year and beyond.
Mobile-First Approach
The move to mobile has been around for a while now, but you can expect to see it mobile intensify. Now many designers are taking a mobile-first approach, where the idea is to create your website primarily for mobile visitors.
More people are accessing your site via mobile devices. This is a trend that will continue until people will one day wonder how anyone could create a site that prioritised desktop visitors. So if you are launching a new website, it’s a good idea to focus on mobile from the start.
Move Away from Stock Photography
One trend that’s going to become increasingly noticeable is the move away from stock photography. Instead, there is a growing focus on authentic photography that presents a more natural feel and has less focus on posed models.
It’s more honest and authentic, which increases trust. Trust plays an important role in online marketing, and this is true on your website too. By inspiring trust, you are more likely to encourage people to buy your products and services.
Rise of Landing Pages
Landing pages are nothing new, but more businesses are realising how important they are. When you carry out any kind of online marketing activity, like PPC, Facebook advertising or social media, you are often trying to direct people back to your site.
But rather than direct them to a home page, send them to a unique landing page created just for them.
When targeted traffic is directed to a landing page, there’s a higher chance of converting the visitor because you can provide them with exactly what they are looking for. It’s therefore likely that the importance of landing pages will continue to grow.
Use of Animations
The aim of animations is to engage visitors, and they are also useful for demonstrating how a product works. This makes them particularly useful in landing pages and product pages.
They are also great for branding because they present a fun image of your company, and there is a growing trend to use animations in web design for this purpose.
Greater Focus on Storytelling
Storytelling is used in online marketing all the time. Blogs, emails, sales copy – they all use stories to increase engagement and develop a relationship with the audience to draw them in.
Storytelling is also becoming more important in web design. This involves using design elements like images, videos and illustrations to connect with customers personally and engage with them to create a positive experience, and it’s a trend that’s likely to continue.
How Does Your Website Compare?
Are you using any of the above elements in your website? Hopefully you’ve already got a mobile-optimised site and you’re using landing pages for your marketing campaigns.
Try to keep up to date with these trends. There is an important relationship between your online marketing efforts and your website’s design. Often your aim is to send people back to your website and provide them with a positive user experience.
So make sure that’s what you’re doing by having a fresh, engaging website that is more likely to turn visitors into customers.
As digital marketing consultants, we provide clients with a wide range of complimentary digital marketing service and solutions, from conversion rate optimisation (to increase sales and enquiries from client websites) to PPC management and from SEO marketing to social media marketing – talk to us to find out how we help organisations like yours improve site traffic and, most importantly, revenue!
