We really love the direction web design seems to be heading for 2020. It’s becoming more intuitive and uncluttered. White space is still king (hallelujah) as is text.
Text is so imperative for the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) on your website; ensuring you have your page headings set up correctly is so vital to search engines finding your website and I am personally excited to see that design is moving to have text as the key focus on your web homepage rather than an image.
You have less than three seconds to get the attention of your customer, having your call to action clearly displayed on your home page makes the next move your client makes so much easier. Check out the home page of our website for an example of large text with white space.
It’s all about keeping it simple. The days of multiple slides on your homepage are gone. We repeat THEY. ARE. GONE. Not only do they unnecessarily slow down your site, but there also not many people who will be on the homepage of your website long enough to see even the second slide. There are ways to display multiple features without using a slideshow on your website. We recently completed a website for Stewarts Sewing Machines you can check out for an example of what we’re talking about.
Mobile design is more important than EVER. In fact, we have recently been discussing the move to a mobile design first mentality and designing from this view rather than desktop. If your website cannot be used to its full capacity on mobile, 2020 is the year to get that sorted or, you will lose customers. Google is almost at the point of completely disregarding you if your website is not mobile-friendly.
Use blogs. We included a blog page and a blog to start you off in our larger website design packages and are really making a point of emphasising the importance of this tool to all of our clients. Blogging is fresh content. It’s something to share and a reason for people to revisit your website over and over. You cannot share your business on social media the same way you can on your own website. Your blog is your way to explain what you do, why you do it, how others can use what you do or sell. It’s discussing your industry, it’s demonstrating your skills. There is absolutely no reason or excuses not to blog.
Photography. A website with bad photos, visually, is a bad website. Think about what is being shared online. People expect a certain standard or visual beauty, and that standard is rising by the minute. We are now at the point of saying no to bad photos. I really cannot emphasise how important this is and we will be highlighting this in 2020.
My last point here is to listen to your web designer! We’ve developed our skills over many years, we know what works and we know what’s relevant. Of course, we will work within your requirements, but when you are choosing your designer, look at their past work, listen to their suggestions on your design and ensure working with them will be the right fit for both of you.