Website development continuously evolves to meet new standards and user expectations. While design trends seem exciting, they’re not always for the better. Some trends transcend and others just… end. Come along with us as we discuss website must-haves, answer a few frequently asked questions, and uncover some trends shaping the website development landscape with Riggs Creative Group’s Website Development Director Bryan Klugh.
When and How Often Should I Update My Website?
Website technology evolves rapidly, making a website older than five years antiquated. If your site is beyond that timeline, Bryan suggests undergoing a structural update so your site remains functional, secure, and engaging for users.
How Do I Protect My Website from Cyber-Attacks?
Cybersecurity is a top priority nowadays, so here are some tested strategies to help combat cybercrime:
- Premium Firewalls: Tools like Wordfence offer robust protection against a variety of threats.
- CAPTCHAs on Login Forms: Prevent automated attacks by requiring user verification.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification.
- 24/7 Monitoring: Continuous surveillance helps in detecting and mitigating potential threats in progress.
- Regular Updates: Keep your platform and plugins updated to patch vulnerabilities.
Does My Website Have to be Mobile-Friendly?
Having a mobile-responsive website is no longer optional. Bryan explains, “If your site isn’t mobile, you shouldn’t even have a site.”
You might be thinking: “Ouch, Bryan! Why so harsh?”
Here’s Why: Google penalizes sites that are not responsive for mobiles.
Now you’re thinking: “Ouch, Google! Why so harsh?”
We can only blame our mobile-centric world. Google wants users to find what they need online no matter the device they use. You’ll be penalized with significant impact to your search rankings for not following Google’s game plan. A mobile-friendly site ensures a seamless user experience. This enhances engagement and retention, which is good for Google and good for your business. Got it? Good!
How Can I Stay on Top of Google Rankings?
To maintain and improve your Google rankings, focus on the following:
- Optimized, Relevant Content: Bryan says, “ is King!” He adds that users must “ meaningful content that is optimized around the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of your products and services, including blog posts and Search Engine Optimization landing pages.”
- Service-Specific Pages: Develop detailed pages for each of your services with rich content. These are valuable to the visitor and proof that you know your industry.
Website Design Trends
Bryan gives his feedback on some of the hottest trends in website development.
Heightened Website Technology
- Immersive Technologies: Virtual and augmented reality provide new means of interaction and engagement with site visitors. While this technology can be exciting, site page speed and functionality are more important than animations and immersion. Although it can be fun and eye-catching, don’t sacrifice a fast-loading site for this type of tech.
- Micro-interactions are small interactive elements that enhance user engagement and can be helpful. An example of a micro-interaction is a button that changes color when clicked letting the user know they have turned on a certain feature.
- Hyper-personalized experiences in web development can offer truly customized interactions. Artificial Intelligence and data collection aid in this type of marketing. An example is when your name is included in an email or your shopping preferences are on display and you’re left wondering, “How did they know I like wide-leg pants and sundresses?” Making a site visitor feel seen and understood based on data from online habits greatly impacts buying behavior.
Hyper-personalized experiences don’t stop there. Bryan chimes in on fascinating innovations still being perfected. “Hyper Local advertising is huge! Some cool new tools tied to AI can ID a site user’s house and literally send them a letter via USPS thanking them for visiting the Website. This is insane new tech that cross-references public records to figure out where you live as a site visitor without ever asking you for information. It is far from perfect and has a way to go but it is amazing!”
Niche Website Design Trends
- Gamification is the use of game-design elements as a way of engaging customers or site users. Gamification can be useful in certain industries but not in all. Someone looking to hire emergency HVAC services might not want to engage in playtime online. However, you may have seen gamification in action on educational sites. What a great way to engage a child and help them retain knowledge – make a game of it!
- Scrollytelling combines storytelling with scrolling for long-format pages. This layout can be impactful and can add deeper meaning to a site visitor. Check out this successful scrollytelling example – Sydney Opera House at rest.
Bryan’s take on scrollytelling for business owners: “Long format pages are in and they are good for SEO as long as they are on topic. Long, general pages that cover multiple topics are really bad for SEO. More specific pages that detail each service will greatly increase your SEO footprint. It is crucial for SEO that you have SERVICE SPECIFIC pages that have a good keyword density and represent rich content including text, photos, videos, and blogs.”
Trends with a Disclaimer
- Scrapbooking Aesthetic refers to a website design trend that has an art gallery look for creative websites. This is a trend from the 2010s that is making a comeback but could just be a flash in the pan.
- Skeuomorphism incorporates design elements that mimic real-world objects, like the image of a trash can to indicate where documents can be deleted. The thinking behind this trend is to make sites more intuitive and user-friendly with the use of everyday look-alike objects. One warning — overuse of this technique results in clutter and puts a strain on site functionality.
- Parallax Scrolling is a design technique used for a more immersive user experience. The website background moves at a slower pace than the foreground. This design method allows developers to tell a story with layers for a more immersive experience. The downside can be that if too many elements are being utilized, your site may become sluggish.
Parallax sites are often a single page. As visitors scroll down, the story and layers are revealed. While this can be visually appealing, Bryan warns it can hurt SEO.
A Look Back on Design Trends from Last year – How have they fared?
- Dark Dominance Mode: The Dark Dominance trend was intended to reduce eye strain. Bryan noted that ADA plugins offer this option, but it hasn’t gained widespread adoption.
- AI-Generated Images and Content: More and more, people are using AI-generated images and content. Bryan was spot-on when he stated in last year’s update, “If an image doesn’t exist, AI can make it. If an image is too small, AI can make it larger. This has been the best productivity tool for web development in 2023.” The use of AI has skyrocketed but there is a caveat…
A recent Google update shows the search engine giant plans to penalize low-quality, copycat content and other abuses from AI over users and reward original ideas to provide searchers with the best information. Our best advice is to let AI support your original content but not to take your hands off the wheel entirely or you may end up looking a bit spammy and unoriginal.
- Serverless Architecture: When asked about serverless architecture, Bryan commented that cloud-based web servers are the only way to go these days. “Speed, Cost, and Security have practically killed the physical web server.” You heard it here, folks!
In conclusion, trends come and go. Keeping an updated, informative, fast-functioning website should be your top concern. First and foremost, give your customers the ability to find what they need quickly, no matter the device they are using. Employ strong cybersecurity measures for site safety. Stay abreast of current trends that cater to your industry, business, and audience to maintain a competitive edge. Stay on top of SEO by adding rich, original content (including photos and videos) with support from AI. By prioritizing these elements, you’re sure to have a website that visitors will appreciate.
Author: Tracey Hofmann with insight from Bryan Klugh
