As with any new year, 2017 will bring new celebrities, new blockbusters, and new experiences for us all. However, with each new year comes new opportunities for business and new viral trends in marketing. In this post, we would like to take a look at 2017’s web trends and show how to take advantage of them.
There are some good reasons to follow web development trends. If you’ve ever made a Google search and turned up an old, clunky-looking website, chances are you dismissed it as either out-of-date or full of viruses. Because the internet is full of competition, websites are constantly being upgraded and that causes consumers to trust only the nicest looking sites. So, here are a few helpful tips to make sure your website is up to date.
Minimalist Design
This is an interesting trend as it follows the trajectory that art has taken in the past century—trading the ornate for the simplistic. However, while art choices are inevitably aesthetic choices, a minimalist website design has practical functionality.
One big challenge that web designers are currently facing is the different ways their product works on a computer versus on a handheld device. Most tablets and cell phones do not have the screen width or resolution to display the ornately designed websites of the past decade, which has caused many companies to scrap old designs in favor of new, minimalistic sites.
Another function of stripping down a website is that it becomes easier to load. If you have ever dealt with any of a number of problems that can be categorized as “slow internet,” you are likely aware of how important a website that loads quickly can be. In fact, the increased speed may contribute to higher user retention found in minimalist sites.
Video Use
Ask anyone under the age of 25 how important the popular video streaming site, YouTube, is. Their answer will be some synonym of “extremely.” Using a video format to share stories, information, or even recipes is a trend that has been consistently becoming more popular.
So, what does this mean for your website? It could mean that a short video clip can replace still pictures and lengthy text. The market that this design reaches is the lazy market, which includes almost everyone when they are on the internet. Instead of reading about your services, the potential customer can have a spokesperson explain it to them in under a minute. It comes down to the difference between a potential customer skipping parts of your text or having it all explained.
Long Websites
Think back to the mid-2000’s. How did you get around the various websites that you visited? Most likely, it was a series of links that took you from page to page. Most pages were small boxes because people thought long websites that required scrolling would be unpopular. This was probably true at the time, but again, smartphones are changing web design.
Most users find scrolling easier than navigating on their smartphones, which is bringing the long website a whole new level of popularity. This does not just mean long articles; it means that you could have different pages stacked on top of one another. Imagine an “About our company” page that was not split into five sections, but instead was just one long page. People are beginning to use this technique and it seems to be working for the smartphone market.
Wherever you are at with your website, updates can be key. Updating your website is one of the few ways to compete on the digital battleground of the internet. We have excellent web developers that can help you determine what trends are going to work well with your company. Contact us with any questions you may have.