Each year brings new expectations for web design. Visitors want clean, accessible websites that stand out while adhering to familiar trends. Technological advancements offer new ways to grab your customers’ attention and lead them to your service page. If you’re building a new website or refreshing your current one, talk to ViziSites about incorporating these 2023 web design trends.
Increased Interactivity
Interactive content makes viewers engage with your business instead of passively browsing. Your business makes a strong impression and creates positive memories that your viewers associate with a fun, laid-back attitude. Interactivity also suggests that you care about your clients’ opinions and want to give them a friendly browsing experience.
Common interactive elements include quizzes, polls, games and discussion questions. You could offer professional tools, such as calculators and diagnostic tests. Contests and giveaways delight your audience with the possibility of a free reward. Plus, they’ll advertise your business when you ask them to share a post in exchange for an entry.
Mobile Optimization
Millions of people access the Internet through smartphones and tablets. A website might look sleek and functional on a laptop, but if you didn’t optimize your site for mobile use, viewers find a clunky website with small text and multiple scrollbars. They jump to one of your competitors because they couldn’t find the information that they need in seconds.
Mobile optimization ensures that your website fits perfectly within the screen, like a mobile app. Customers scroll through clear content blocks with large text, buttons and images. They can view your services, learn about your business and book an appointment without waiting until they have access to a desktop.
Bold Colors
Stark colors grab your audience’s attention right away. Black or red text against a white background makes a firm, decisive statement. Likewise, colorful illustrations draw attention to your content and give your site a friendly, cheerful atmosphere. A content block with a bright background highlights important content, such as five-star reviews or your operation’s phone number.
Different color schemes appeal to each audience. For example, pastels and neons appeal to millennials while older generations prefer dark reds, greens and blues. Make sure that you include white and neutrals in your color scheme to balance the bright shades.
Ultra-fast Speeds
High-speed Internet makes pages load in a fraction of a second. As a result, clients are accustomed to sites that load immediately. If your website lags, they’ll assume poor web design or server overload and jump to one of your competitors because they don’t want to wait.
Talk to a website design company about increasing your speed so that you hook potential customers the second they view your page. They might recommend compressing images, simplifying your theme, removing extra videos or eliminating unnecessary plugins.
Simple Designs
When you scroll through modern websites, you see large headers, monochrome backgrounds, clean content blocks and crisp images that break up the layout. Minimalist designs put information front and center so that visitors don’t have to click multiple pages or squint to read tiny text. Instead, they find your business’s name, services and contact information in seconds.
Imagine your website as a clean graph where every element is perfectly aligned. Popular design elements include large headers at the top with image or video backgrounds and footers that list your phone number, address, email and directions for physical locations.
Improved Accessibility
Screen readers, page magnifiers and other tools allow differently abled people to browse the Internet. If your website isn’t accessible, you’ll lose a percentage of potential customers. Some web designers build accessibility tools directly into the page. Other options include:
- Including captions and video transcripts
- Incorporating alt text for screen readers
- Avoiding flashing images that could trigger a seizure
- Presenting content in a clear, logical way
- Turning off autoplay functions
- Using large text and clearly labeled links
- Providing warnings for sensitive content
Web designers, such as ViziSites, have the tools to make your site ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
Animations
Videos and animations break up the static content on your website. A header with a video clip, such as a panning shot of a forest, immediately draws in your visitors. They can also set the mood, tell clients about your industry and display your services. A background video with shots of animals and veterinarians tells visitors that they’ve found a veterinary practice.
While visitors take in images within a fraction of a second, they linger on videos because they want to see what happens. Some animations, such as a funny GIF in the middle of an article, add playfulness to your web design. Animations can also be functional– your site could have an animated tool or loading bar.
Social Media Integration
Integrating social media into your site shows visitors where to find you. They might not check your website regularly, but they’ll follow you on Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date. You can make announcements, advertise new services, celebrate achievements and show off accolades.
Social media plugins also add fresh content to your site. You’re always sharing new posts that contrast from the static content on your page. Use widgets to add your tweets, Instagram pictures and Facebook posts, then watch your follower count steadily grow.
Micro-interactions
Micro-interactions are forms of feedback when clients interact with your site. For example, if a visitor enters the wrong password, the error message that appears is a micro-interaction. These interactions improve visitor satisfaction because they know that the site received their input. Without it, they’re left wondering if they need to hit the button again.
Micro-interactions also add fun and excitement to your website. Customers smile to themselves as hearts appear on the screen when they hit a button or text flashes different colors while they scroll down. Just keep them small and subtle so that you don’t overwhelm your visitors.
Want to get ahead of the latest web design trends? Call 760-658-9303 opt. 1 or reach out online to schedule a free demo and see what we offer.
