Implementing Web Design Trends
Keeping up with online trends can be an exhausting work. New trends keep popping every day and new changes occur almost every day. With each newly added feature, user expectations out of a website just keep getting higher. This fast pace has an impact on businesses, both big and small, that are looking to improve their online presence. As the world becomes ever more interconnected, focusing on a website for your business is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. If you are truly looking to stay ahead of the competition, you need to implement smart web design trends that can boost your revenue.
In this article, we’ll explore a few current design trends. We’ll showcase what eCommerce businesses are doing to increase their revenue as well as the efficiency of their operations. By analyzing the facts and stats behind these trends, we’ll uncover some tips and tricks that have been proven to help companies increase conversions. They also encourage time spent on-site, engagement and, consequently, revenue.
The easy fixes
Many companies are starting to realize that sometimes what seems to be an insignificant detail can actually have a great impact on their operations. Focus on resolving issues such as slow loading times of their website. They can also fill out non-existent contact information. These things can take less than an hour and can help boost revenue significantly.
Speed is paramount. Almost 60% of users will abandon a page if it takes longer than two to three seconds to load. Almost half of the visitors expect sites to load in under two seconds. That might sound overwhelming to you, but it sure is attainable. As far back as 2006, Amazon has already reported that increasing loading speed by 100ms caused a 1% increase in the revenue.
Other easy fixes are perhaps more intuitive. Being easily accessible, for example, is a must. Site visitors who find it difficult to access contact information will interpret this as a sign that a business is not to be trusted. They may even feel that it might not be available to meet their other urgent needs. Most users are in fact searching for contact information. A reported 64% of visitors to sites check out a company’s contact information.
Relating to your customers
2018 has seen a focus shift towards increasing engagement through content. Both large corporations and small local businesses are starting to integrate engaging content as key parts of their marketing strategies. They start blogging or doing similar for their content strategy. This has to be the result of customers expecting more from their buying experience than a standard transaction of money for goods or services.
Engaging content can take many forms. The underlying principle is that by producing good quality content for online consumption, a business can open new avenues for communication with prospective clients. Potential customers like to know about who they are buying from. They want to know the history of the business, details of the product or service and its credentials. They want to see reviews from certified buyers, any negative or critical reviews, as well as how a company operates.
These strategies are aimed at enhancing the trust factor. Studies show that more than 80% of consumers will trust a company after reading its custom content such as a blog, a newsletter, a case study or a white paper.
Starting with a simple “About Us” page is a good first step towards producing content on a regular basis. This page can surprisingly carry off all kind of information that you would want your customers to know. Many businesses have taken to vlogging, or even uploading product reviews on YouTube. Others aim to publish weekly blog posts covering a certain aspect of operations in depth or showcasing a new product/service.
Layout improvements
As web designers deepen their understanding of what users like, changes in design and general site layout continue to happen. The design of your website does matter. 38% of your site visitors will stop engaging with your site if its layout and overall design is unattractive or not pleasing to look at.
This year has seen a growing trend towards using simplified layouts. Minimalist designs aim to provide an easy navigation experience. Another trend has seen web designers increasingly focused on encouraging scrolling. It is a way of engineering an interactive experience which provides the necessary information without letting the users go through any clutter.
Implementing SEO Strategies and optimization
Before considering changes to your site with the aim of encouraging users to spend time on it and engage, you need to enable them to find it in the first place. In the past years, we have seen a rising awareness about the importance of employing SEO strategies. The amount of resources dedicated to implementing them continues to grow.
Making use of SEO practices helps improve a website’s search engine ranking. This is achieved by successfully communicating the quality and relevance of a site to search engine algorithms. Improving search engine rankings is associated with increases in traffic which in turn can have a significant impact on revenue.
As companies keep upping their website game by improving their aesthetics and search engine results, they can lose track of other important factors, such as site performance. Regular testing and investments in optimization help ensure that everything is running smoothly.
The little things, and the big ones
With greater investment does not necessarily come greater revenue. Employing fresh and innovative approaches such as encouraging content engagement takes time and effort. Drastically redesigning your site can be resource consuming. Smaller changes such as minor optimization and updating contact information are less costly. They are less resource intensive, but can still yield significant results. Assessing your website’s particular circumstances well and not hesitating to get help from professionals are key tactics towards a successful and profitable online venture of any kind.
