Now that 2017 is finally here, you’ve likely set many goals and resolutions for your business to capitalize on the new year and accomplish even more than you did in 2016. One way you can do this is by updating your website according to the latest trends. Follow each of these seven trends to position your site for years of success:
1. Provide a mobile-first focus
Expect 2017 to be an even bigger year for mobile devices. Smartphones, tablets and wearable tech are already dominating the market, and as such, more and more people are preferring to use their mobile device as their first-choice computer than anything else. Companies all over the world are experiencing higher spikes in online traffic among mobile devices and that trend is expected to continue. This all means companies today will need to adopt a mobile-first focus. Whenever you do a new web design or make developments, you should consider your site’s appearance and functionality on mobile first. This strategy will dramatically improve your online presence and audience.
2. Incorporate more responsive design
Responsive web design isn’t anything new. It’s been around for several years now, but expect more and more websites than ever before switch to a responsive web design in 2017. If you want to stay competitive, you’ll need responsive web design to succeed so you can reach many people on any device at any time.
3. Wow with rich, bold colors
With so many websites competing for attention, it can be hard to stand out. That is why websites are incorporating richer and bolder colors than ever before. Don’t believe us? Take a good look at Spotify, Apple and Microsoft. Each one is not afraid to use rich and bold colors to capture the attention of their online audiences.
4. Focus on original imagery
Of course, stock photos make the job easier, but they don’t necessarily increase your engagement on your website and social media. A better approach is to include your own original imagery that represents who you really are. This gives your brand more authenticity and helps your audience to identify it more, especially with increasing competition. Stock photos, on the other hand, can be used on other sites, which can easily make your audience confused or not understand what your business is all about.
5. Implement video wherever possible
Think a picture is worth a thousand words? A video is worth that and 10 times more. According to Hubspot, 79 percent of all consumer internet traffic will be video by 2018 and already 50 percent of all mobile traffic is now video based. Video is already exploding on social media with Facebook Live and Periscope and many studies show a majority of social media in the future will rely much more heavily on video. So why is video such a big deal? It catches your attention far more than any other medium. If you can create an engaging video, it will captivate your audiences from start to finish. Plus, your audience has much more exposure time to your business with a video compared to a photo and that is always a good thing.
6. Engage with animated effects
Static websites with high-quality photos are becoming outdated. In fact, many sites now are shifting their focus to making imagery more animated in an effort to engage users. Animations can be anywhere from a small movement on a website to an entire full-screen movement. Expect more websites in 2017 and beyond to start becoming more alive with all sorts of animation features.
7. Innovate your scrolling and add parallax
Standard scrolling, the browsing feature that gets you to the top to the bottom of a website, is already a thing of the past for many websites and 2017 will be no exception. Where many web developers were concerned with keeping content above the fold, this trend is starting to disappear as the fold is now becoming harder to define, especially since users are now on all kinds of different screens with different resolutions. Many sites are now instead using parallax, which provides a 3D effect as the foreground moves at a faster pace than the background behind it. This feature makes a site feel more appealing and innovative. Apple.com is one of the best examples of how the parallax effect can be done successfully.
If your website is struggling to keep up with the competition, is in need of updates, or both, incorporating these trends will definitely help. Another great strategy is to research the sites of competitors and come up with a plan to make your online marketing even better. You’ll be amazed by how much better your site will compete and increase sales if you incorporate all of these trends and advice.
What are your website resolutions for 2017? We’d love to hear from you.
