Even on the web, some things don’t change (for now)

Web design trends change rapidly because of technology and personal preferences. What was cutting edge 10 years ago is boring today. Fortunately, unlike mobile devices, your website isn’t out of date the moment it launches – there are a few things that won’t change about web design anytime soon. Here are the trends you can count on, at least for a little while…

Responsive/mobile friendly – This ain’t going anywhere. Last fall, the number of people accessing the Internet using mobile devices surpassed those using computers. What is responsive design? It’s a website that scales gracefully on all devices so the content is easily viewable no matter the screen size. If you don’t have a responsive website, Google is already placing you lower in their search results behind other sites that are responsive.

Fast loading speed – If your site is slow to load, either because of images, code, or a slow server, people are leaving your site before they find the information they came for. If you want to know the overall speed of your site, enter the web address in Google’s PageSpeed tool. It will give you a bunch of suggestions for speeding up your site. Not sure what to do with the information? Text me at (916) 947-4026 and I’ll help you get those things done.

Engaging user experience – People crave interactivity that’s tastefully done, like hover effects on links and sliders, swiping through images and content, and messages that engage the user. Check out the University of Wisconsin’s Discovery Building site – as you scroll through the pages, the high quality images and brief but engaging text invite you to keep moving through the site to learn more about their projects.

Does your website have these critical features?

If not, you’re probably losing visitors who are dissatisfied with the website experience you’re offering them. Send me a message and we can take a look at your site. Sometimes the fix is simple, like reducing the file size of your images to speed up your page or adding a slider with engaging photos that keep the user on your site.

Whatever your website needs, I can help you reach your goals and stay within budget.