A website is the face of your business. The more elegant it is, the better it represents your business and the better it performs. It is also the cornerstone of all your marketing efforts. No marketing strategy no matter how strategic it might be can do well if your web design is unprofessional and not good looking.
Web design trends are constantly changing and for the better. Modern web designs focus more on user experience than the overall look and feel. UX is the foundation of any good website. On the surface, user experience and appearance of a website might seem quite interdependent and they are except for one essential difference. User experience focuses on the user’s needs, values, and limitations while appearance appeals to their aesthetic sense.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumer behavior by accelerating the adoption of digital platforms and other technology. This is the perfect time for businesses to create their own websites and leverage digital performance. This will help open up an entirely new source of revenue generation, engagement, and reaching target audiences. Businesses do not need to hire or set up their own development teams. They can always work with the best Web Design Agencies and also enlist them for app development and website maintenance.
6 Essential Elements of Modern Web Design
So what does it take to make a modern website? Let’s look at some of the essential elements of modern website design.
1. Responsiveness
Responsiveness is a website’s ability to be functional on various types of handheld and mobile devices such as tablets, iPad, and iPhones. Modern websites must adjust its content according to the screen size. It must look good on all devices regardless of the screen size and users should be able to easily read the content or take a specific action.
Ignore this basic element of modern web design and be ready to lose more than 50% of your potential customers. This is not an exaggeration by any means as statistics show that 53% of web traffic worldwide came from mobile users in 2019. This number must have grown in 2020 as the number of mobile Internet users is growing by the minute.
Meet any client and they will ask you to create a mobile version of their website. This is so huge that Google also now uses the mobile version of a website for indexing and ranking.
2. Minimalism
Trends have shifted from crowded and congested websites to simple websites. The idea is to simplify the interface by removing all unnecessary elements and yet keep it appealing.
One way to do this is the increased use of white spaces. White space does not necessarily mean white. It just indicates an empty area with no content.
More white spaces around an important element garner attention. It also contributes to a fast loading website. White spaces make the content more organized and prevent the design from overwhelming users.
More and more websites are now being built with a minimalist approach and they do exceedingly well. GoGulf which is a web design Doha company beautifully incorporates this design element.
3. Well-defined Call to Actions
Every website wants its users to take a specific action. Be it purchasing a product, submitting a signup form, or downloading an app, every website aims to achieve something. Even encouraging customers to read content is a CTA. Modern websites display their CTAs at an obvious place and more than once.
All your content should lead visitors to your call to action. Avoid distractions and make your visitors very clear about the action you want them to take.
Every page should have one call to action which can be the same or different depending upon the objective of the page.
Apart from converting visitors into customers, CTAs are also important to maintain some sort of relationship with them by sending them newsletters, free ebooks, free consultations, etc.
4. High-quality Videos
Almost every other website has video explaining the product or service the website offers. Adding short videos to websites has proved to be highly impactful and is a major modern web design trend.
People prefer videos over text as videos have the power to quickly and effectively deliver your message. A 5 minute video will save you from writing 500 words content. They are more engaging and bring more conversions. Over 70% of marketers claim that video produces more conversions than any other content.
You can create a video to demonstrate your product/service, to explain your pricing plans or to introduce your company or your team.
5. Speed Optimization
If there is one thing that has the potential to affect a website’s user experience, rankings and conversions all at the same time, that is speed. The need for speed is like never before. Many statistics validate this need. The most striking is the fact that 40% of visitors abandon a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
Speed optimization is an essential modern web design element. This should come as no surprise as everyone seems to be in a hurry. If your website loads slow, this is a good news for your competitors.
Although much has been written on speed optimization techniques, here are a few practical tips.
Optimize images before uploading
Go for the fastest hosting option
Minimize HTTP requests
Minify JavaScript and CSS files
Reduce the number of plugins
6. Consistency
Beauty is another name for consistency. Nothing makes your website more unprofessional than an inconsistent layout, design, font, font size and color.
Don’t have menu on top of one page and at the bottom of another. Don’t rearrange menu items every time it loads. Make sure that your users know where things are on your website.
Consistency also includes your fonts and designs from page to page. Stick to a uniform font, size, and design throughout your website. Additionally, you should make sure that your UI is proper for your platform. The desktop site has different needs than mobile sites for menus, galleries, and product checkout.
By incorporating the above 6 modern design elements, you can expect better user experience and conversions. These will not only improve the overall look and feel of your website but the functionality too.
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