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One of the greatest things about web design is the fact that its trends evolve with each passing day, giving small business owners an opportunity to adapt before their larger counterparts and in this way gain a competitive edge. However, this requires a huge amount of investment of both time and energy, which is only fair if one is to triumph over companies with greater assets and better-established business infrastructure. It also means that you need to be on an active lookout for the newly emerging web design trends, as well as some old ones that are soon expected to re-emerge. Here are several examples that just might come in handy.
Mobile-first
In April this year, Android has officially overthrown Windows as the primary web-browsing trend out there. While it is true that tablets and desktop devices still have higher conversion rates, smartphones dominate the Asian market, which is currently becoming one of the greatest trading hubs in the world. Therefore, in order to approach the ever-growing demographic of mobile users, you might want to further invest in making your website mobile-first.
On the other hand, it is a known fact that about 90 percent of the time on their smartphones people spend on apps, rather than on browsers. This is what made some people question whether investing in mobile-optimization is even worth the effort. Still, considering how little effort and investment this idea may yield, as well as how great of an ROI it brings, going with mobile-first design indeed seems like a win-win scenario.
Authentic content
Another thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that the online audience values authenticity above all else. This especially takes prominence when it comes to the issue of images and illustrations. You see, using a generic image to back your content may be fairly successful but it will never have the impact of an image taken especially for that situation. With about 1.3 billion websites out there, it is getting harder and harder to appear unique, so tailoring your content to appear as a single-purposed might just be the tool that can win over your audience.
Hand-crafted design
Earlier on, we addressed the issue regarding the ever-growing websites out there. With the number constantly on the rise, it is getting harder and harder to distinguish yourself in a positive way. Now, you don’t necessarily need to self-host in order to have unique web design. If you’re weighing up platforms like Wordpress vs Wix, you’ll be aware that there are pre-made templates to consider. But you can opt for personalised and specialised web designs too! Sure, going for a free template might seem like a more frugal choice but how can you quantify losses you will endure due to the fact that your website appears generic? The truth is that when it comes to web design there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. This is also why web design veterans from Bapple focus on hand-crafting high-performance business websites, in order to create a unique impression on your audience.
Homepage videos
According to one conversion-rate statistic, including an introduction video before offering your audience a CTA (call-to-action) button can increase your conversion rate by 144 percent. This is why so many companies nowadays decide to use this tactic on their very homepage. One major drawback of this tactic is a fact that the video needs to be of a high-production value, which makes it quite costly to produce. First of all, you need a great script, an adequate gear and someone with either great editorial skills or at least a naturally gifted orator on your retainer. This is also what makes so many websites outsource this function, which is also quite expensive.
Daring shapes and colors
Finally, even in the era where minimalism and flat design seem as predominant forces, going with daring shapes and colors does have its advantages. The perfect example of this is the trend of brutalism which draws inspiration from the Soviet-era Eastern Europe architecture. Odd and unpredictable geometrical shapes dominate the landscape of brutalist web design, as well as color combinations that even some of the most experienced web designers wouldn’t even dream of.
The key here is to attract the attention of your website’s visitors at any cost. Surprisingly enough, this design trend which so many professionals deem as ‘ugly’ manages to succeed where all other trends have failed. So, if we are speaking of results only, brutalism is definitely not a force to be reckoned with and not an idea you should outright dismiss.
More accessible than ever
The web is getting open to even more people with the advancement of the website creation platforms. Now without coding skills and with a low budget (or even for free) you can launch a professionally looking website for your project. There are thousands of predefined designs and almost everything is drag and drop. These online site builders are mostly beginner friendly and they have their pros and cons that you can read more about at bestwebsitebuilders.uk
As you can see, with these few revolutionary ideas at your side, you have all the tools necessary to start making your mark in the digital world. Keep in mind that even though some of these trends may give you great immediate results, there is no guarantee that they will still be valid for several years or even months. The key to survival, therefore, rests on your ability to adapt to the newly changed circumstances in the world of web design. Luckily, succeeding at this daunting task will be more than worth your while.
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