2018 is already off and running. But before we get too far into the year, I wanted to share the top trends that will impact your website in the near future (if it hasn't already).
As Mavidea's lead website designer, I have to stay on top of trends and make sure that the websites we're creating for small businesses will be attractive and relevant to their customers for years to come. Here are the six website trends I've been seeing so far this year, and what I'll be focusing on when designing new websites during this next year.
Be BOLD
Big bold text, strong bold colors, and short catchy text are taking over. Not only does a bold website stand out from competitors in the minds of visitors, it also helps a visitor understand what a business is offering immediately. You only have a few seconds to capture your audience's attention and explain to them why they should continue their visit on your website—BE BOLD!
Scroll Animation
A trend that's been growing quickly on the premium side of website design is scroll animation. Scroll animation (example below) brings life to dull pages with seemingly simple animations when a site visitor scrolls over a piece of text, image, or other object on a website. These animations can be complicated to get right, even for experienced designers, but when they are, they can help a website stand out from competitors and make a big impact on visitors.
Beautiful Imagery and Video Takeover
The gap between professional cameras and our smartphones is closing. Because we all have access to high-quality images, even single-person businesses have the ability to impress their audience with beautiful pictures. These images aren't only being shared on Instagram—they are making their way to websites as well.
Use your cellphone’s camera to take pictures and videos of your business, employees, products, and events you host or participate in and show them off on your website. We encourage every business we work with to take pictures because they are going to have a higher impact on their customers then some stock image they pay $1 to use.
Videos are also becoming an integral part of an attractive website. More and more of our clients are requesting engaging background videos like the one seen here on 360 Yield Center's website.
Building TRUST with Functionality
Security is important to website visitors. 43% of users abandon websites after seeing a security alert message because a website does not have an SSL. An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) proves to visitors that you are who you say you are, and with an increasing amount of spam and scams on the internet, establishing trust is vital.
Having an SSL is no longer a "nice to have" security feature, visitors expect it, and Google makes it clear to a visitor when a website is not secure. If you do not have an SSL, work with your web provider to make sure your site is secure so that your customers will be able to trust that the transactions they make on your website are kept private and that this website is actually yours and not intended to steal their information.
Chatbots
People expect to be able to interact with a business around the clock. A chatbot is "a computer program designed to simulate conversation." Chatbots allow visitors to interact with your business even when you're away, giving them basic information and forwarding their message to your email, allowing you to then respond via email or phone call when you're available. You can also customize what these bots say so they can properly represent your company, including having them respond to frequently asked questions without needing your help.
Read More: Website Chatbots: The New Alternative to Messenger Bots
R.I.P Slow & Non-Mobile-Friendly Websites
Along with the website trends that are rising in 2018, we are finally witnessing the complete extinction of slow and non-mobile-friendly websites. Mobile traffic now makes up over 50% of Internet traffic, meaning all websites absolutely need to be mobile friendly, and they also must load quickly.
Use our simple Website Checklist to determine if you need to focus on your website in 2018.
What's on the horizon for your business website? Talk to a Mavidea Website Adviser to determine if you need to a new website.
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