Twenty years ago, it wasn’t unheard of for a business to exist (and even succeed) without an online presence. The ubiquitous nature of the internet has made that very untrue today and in 2022, having an outdated website is almost as bad as having no website at all. If you grudgingly created a website in 2002 and haven’t updated the style since this blog is for you.
- White Space/Minimalism
With modern websites, less is more. A minimalistic design puts the spotlight on your product or message and looks clean and professional. The easiest way to incorporate that design into your website is by using white space to visually organize your elements like images, content and calls to action. Pro tip: white space doesn’t need to be white! Any color can be used to create some breathing room on your site.
- Scroll Effects
Scroll effects are an easy way to make your content interactive. They include:
- Parallax Scrolling – The background changes as you scroll.
- Scroll-Triggered Animations – animations pop up as you scroll, but everything else stays the same.
- Horizontal Scrolling – Your pages move right and left rather than up and down.
- Infinite Scrolling – Your page scrolls in a loop so when you reach the bottom you’re starting at the top again.
- Bold Colors
Ensure your website color scheme matches your brand's tone but keep it bold to grab attention and make your brand instantly recognizable.
- Large Typography
Who needs pictures when you can make your content look like art? Pick a unique (but still easy to read) font that will become instantly recognizable as your brand and make your name the focal point of your homepage!
- Device Consistency
Over half of all web trafficcomes from mobile devices so, by all means, make sure your site looks good on a computer, but also make sure it looks good (and similar) on a phone.
- Movement
Movement on your page creates a fun, interactive experience for the user and can include:
- A Playful Cursor
- Rotating Images
- Spinning Effects i.e., after clicking “buy now,” the object can “spin” into the cart.
- Navigation Menu Animation – Items in your menu change or move as you hover over them.
- Clear Navigation
While it might look good in your analytics, the last thing you want is users hunting your entire site to find what they’re looking for or having to click multiple links and pages to get the information they need. Cut down on unnecessary pages, consolidate where you can and make everything as clear and intuitive as possible to keep your visitors coming back.
- Homepage Video
A math problem for the modern age: If a picture is worth a thousand words and the average video is 24 frames (or pictures) per second, how many words does a homepage video communicate? Answer: A whole lot.
In the modern, digital age there are literally billions of websites online. Keeping your site design up to date and user-friendly is the first step in being found by search engines and standing out!