2015 Web Design Trends

The current year is nearing its midpoint, and website design as a field is still changing. That being said, you must be up to speed with all the updates, or you’ll be left behind. Here are a few website trends that continue to dominate 2015; all of which should also dominate your web design strategy as well.

Long Scrolling Sites – Apple’s iPhone 6 website is the perfect example of a long scrolling site. Such types of sites allow putting a lot of information in a single page in a compelling manner without boring visitors. This trend is alive mainly because of the way web users access pages these days—as people have been increasingly accessing the web through mobile devices, scrolling is much easier instead of clicking small individual links.

Storytelling – Everyone loves a good story. A good example of a site that tells a story is the page for Seattle’s Space Needle, which relays facts about the famous structure using a design that perfectly supports the endeavor itself (one that is also in line with long scrolling). While amazing content is a staple, it can also help if you’d include a compelling narrative within it.

Video Backgrounds – If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is likely worth a million or more. Videos are considered to be the foremost media to portray emotions and intentions, and embedding them on websites is still going strong since last year.

3 Things Your Web Design Agency Should Tell You

The decision to hire a web design agency is something that might put business owners on the edge for fear of getting abysmal results. In reality, most fears on both sides – both the web designers and the clients – would be unfounded once good communication is established. Here are the three things your web designer should tell you:

1. How much will it cost?

Like any sensible business owner, you’ve already got your eyes on the price tag. The agency shouldn’t have to keep it a secret. They should tell you upfront how the job will cost and in full detail.

2. When will it be done?

Judging by your needs, a web designer should be able to predict how long it would take. If you are running on a strict deadline, they should be able to adjust to it.

3. Who am I going to be working with?

Ideally, you should work closely with the web designer so that when the need arises, you can tell them of any particular request and give them feedback. You should get to know who would be in charge of your project and the best way to contact that person.

Once you cover all these bases, you eliminate any doubts you might have about the project as you are essentially a part of it.

Responsive Design: Why You Should Invest in It

About 80% of businesses will be increasing their digital marketing budget over the coming 12 months. These companies are willing to spend about 5-10% more, which can be as much as thousands of dollars, just to achieve their marketing goals. If you’re a small business, you can’t afford to let such big investments go to waste on strategies that won’t bring you significant returns.

The responsive design of your website is one aspect of your online presence that should be part of the things you prioritize. Experts can’t stress the importance of having an adaptable or mobile-friendly website enough. If you consult any web design agency, it’s bound to be part of their top recommendations.

Customers are mobile, so you should be, too.

Some surveys suggest that the number of consumers who rely on their smartphones or tablets for researching companies or interacting with them (through queries, feedback, or actual purchases) is equal or even more than those who still prefer desktop searches. This is a portion of the market you can’t afford to ignore. You have to ensure that you allow them to have a great user experience when accessing your website.

It can be your edge against big brands.

You think 80% of businesses (large corporations in particular) have a responsive web design? Try 11-18%. This was a finding of some researches during the latter part of 2014. This means small businesses that have mobile-friendly websites can definitely gain an advantage over big brands.

Nonprofit Website Building Made Easy

Nonprofit organizations have their own stated causes that call for your help to sustain and promote. When you look at the websites of any one of these groups, you will notice that they have a stylistic flair that adds credence to their mission and vision. With that in mind, if your non-profit is doing well in the community but have problems attracting people online, you need to fix up the website itself, which is where a Lombard web design agency comes into play.

In Business, You Have to Think Like a Customer

The premise is pretty basic: If you want to sell, you need to understand your market. You’d think this is already basic knowledge in the world of business, but no. Too many entrepreneurs expect their consumers to be the one to make the adjustments and meet their standards. If you’re just starting with your business, you have to realize this early; to fail to do so is a clear recipe for disaster.

Becoming your own customer

When it comes to improving your business, you need to think like your customers. Where can you be found? What would grab your attention? What would compel you to buy your product? Your main goal is to get your customers to finalize their purchase, so you need to answer these questions when you are thinking of the perfect way to market your offerings.

Revamping Your Web Design to Increase Conversions

You website functions as your online front window, and it is responsible for enticing visitors into doing business with you. Often, you only have a few minutes to impress a user who lands on your site. Increase your chances of converting a visitor into an actual customer with these web design tips:

Easy Navigation

A majority of web users are impatient. If they cannot figure out immediately how to move from webpage to webpage, they have no problem leaving your site altogether. Consider adding a floating navigation bar or a side bar to help out your visitors. Similarly, your website architecture should be clear and logical.

Blunders to Avoid When Designing a Website

No one’s immune to mistakes. Even in web design, where a designer has complete control and freedom over his masterpiece, mistakes can be done, at least when compared against certain web design standards. Here are some of the most common mistakes that you must avoid in order to create a successful website.

Why Hire a Web Design Agency

It is difficult to tell what internet users want from a website without referring to the findings of reliable surveys. You can, however, look at popular sites and figure out what’s in them that attracts visitors. Content is a given, so you have to make sure your webpages provide relevant and engaging information. However, the website’s architecture and design matter just as much.

You don’t really want to compete with giants like Apple and Amazon. This does not mean, though, that you should settle for less, especially since your website serves to advertise your business. Consider investing in a good website design. By hiring a reputable web design company to refurbish your site, you’ll have a good chance of getting good returns on your investment within a short period.

Among the elements you may want to improve on is your site’s typography and color scheme. While there are certain fonts and colors that you personally prefer, these just might not work for your market. Also, you should consider trends in website designs that could work in bringing in more traffic to your site.

Consider adding images and videos, as well. Studies have shown that today’s internet users prefer watching videos and viewing photos than reading texts. Videos and photos help make viewers feel more engaged and connected to your company, complementing well-written and informative content.

Four Basic Elements of Good Web Design

Ideally, a website should be built in such a way that it strikes a balance between function and design. A beautiful website is useless if it’s incompatible with most web browsers, just as how an informative website is less effective if it doesn’t have a user-friendly interface. Online marketing agencies can thankfully help avert these problems due to their knowledge of the basics in web design.

Layout, for example, dictates how a website would appear in a particular window or computer screen. If a website has a good layout, all the necessary elements of each webpage are easy to find and the page itself isn’t jumbled. Legibility, meanwhile, refers to how easy it is to read the various letters and words used in the site. Font type and size can also give a particular website an identity of its own if they’re unique enough.

These two elements may sound like they give great stock on fancy images and aesthetics, but a website should also espouse simplicity to be considered good. Images, videos, and animations should only be used sparingly and wherever necessary because these elements can take quite a while to load in most web browsers.

Finally, a website should also be ”complete”. Completeness refers to the presence of important features that all websites should have for the benefit of the user, like a home page, contact information page, and a sitemap.

Current Web Design Trends

As more and more people are using mobile devices to search for what they need and want online, most companies are choosing to make their websites that comply with the current trends. Here are the top 3 characteristics on how to make your website ready and equipped for the ever-evolving needs of customers:

Responsive design

A website that looks great on all platforms and modifies itself is a website that speaks about its commitment to its customers and caters to their every need. It can adapt to the screen sizes of different devices – smartphones, tablets, or desktops – and automatically adjusts and improves the various elements of the site, resizing fonts and images to provide a better viewing experience.

Simple design

Give your visitors what they need. Make things easier for them to find what they want to know by creating straightforward pages, presenting clear and concise content, and showcasing effective images that answer their queries. When dealing with content-heavy websites, it’s crucial to place fixed side or top bars for effortless, uncomplicated navigation.

Engaging user experience design

You want to impress and to stand out from the rest of your competitors, and one of the best ways to be unforgettable is through an engaging encounter. Allow your customers to interact with your website through powerful images and captivating words that tell a story about how you can help them with what they need. Introduce relevant content and help them solve any difficulties they may be facing.

Adopting a Mobile-first Ethos for Law Sites

The practice of law is a tough battleground in the U.S., with thousands of attorneys trying to outsmart each other in pushing their clients’ cases in court. Part of that battle includes securing the clients who need representation in various matters. As many of these prospective clients may be using electronic gadgets, you must have a website they can access at the touch of a finger and be educated on your services.

Please Respond… Over!

“Responsive design” is gradually becoming the buzzword among online marketers tasked to build mobile-friendly websites. The term means adapting the website to be easily viewable over all kinds of mobile platforms, regardless of what operating system they run on. In some cases, the website should have a desktop-viewing version as well for users who can’t get the hang of the mobile version.

Themes

Your preferred web design agency may be using the blog site Wordpress as a platform to assemble your company pages. As such, you can consult them about using custom themes based around your practice’s official colors to give the site a more authoritative look.

Covert Surf

Mobile-friendly website design also helps for added discretion among potential clients. Some lawyers have claimed securing clients who researched about legal topics on their website while away from a desktop. This may apply, for example, to a spouse who wants to file for divorce but could not let his or her partner know.

How Businesses Can Benefit From Professional Web Design

Nowadays, businesses can’t seem to operate without a website. For smaller firms, it might be tempting for them to simply hire an intern with basic knowledge of HTML to have a go at developing the company’s webpage, but that’s never a good idea if you must compete. Hiring a professional web design agency may seem like an unnecessary expense, but the team’s expertise is well-worth the price.

First, professional web designers know how to create a unified look. From fonts to background graphics, a professionally designed website mostly adheres to a single design aesthetic. This consistent visual style helps impress an identity with which people associate your company.  When the public remembers, it’s one step closer to solidifying your brand.

Second, well-made sites keep people interested. If you’ve ever thrown up your hands and just closed a browser tab because a site was too slow or had a horrible interface, you can understand this problem. Businesses want people to stay on their webpage, which makes easy navigation and interactive and user-friendly functions top priorities.

Third, efficient web design leads to fewer problems down the road. A professionally designed site will have gone through some essential checks and balance to ensure that its pages operate properly. Experienced web designers understand certain pitfalls to avoid when designing a site; they are also more than capable to make the changes and updates, as well as in maintaining the site.