2021 Web Design Trends: Are You Ready For Them
Technology never stays the same and the same can be said for web design; the trends come and go. Website features and design elements that were once deemed "innovative" eventually wear out. The last thing you want as people visit your website is to lose conversion because your site is outdated or does not follow critical web standards.
Working with photographers doing beauty portraits or products for e-commerce, or changing website layouts can help, but if you want to maximize your website, stay updated on current web design trends. Since 2020 is nearing its end, it's best to prepare for the trends of 2021.
Page Speed and Website Time Load: Ultimate Priorities
One of the most important aspects of web design is the loading time. Quick loading times have been essential factors in search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience (UX). Years later, it remains a priority for websites that want to score top ranks in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
In 2020, your website should load in three seconds or less. Otherwise, your users will visit another website.
Personalized Content According to Browsing History and Geolocation
You might have visited a website and returned to it a few hours later to see that its content has changed. When you check it on your phone for the first time, the original content might also be there. This proves one thing: websites track geolocations and browsing history.
Web agencies often recommend displaying dynamic content based on user behavior (aka what you know about your users). Generic content may be purposeful, but it's not personal or engaging. Keep users on your website by serving content that answers the website visitors' needs, and use automated internal links to cross-promote pages on the site.
Also, custom content created for users returning to your website can increase conversion. This often happens when you use Google as a search engine. For example, people looking for "best smart watches under 100 in North Carolina" will see different results than users from other towns.
A great food directory website also recognizes a user's favorite meal or restaurant. If you saved or reviewed Mexican cuisines recently, Mexican restaurants will rank higher in your search results.
Personalized content is a priority for e-commerce websites. Displaying saved, recently viewed or liked products for shoppers guarantee increased conversions. Also, highlighting abandoned cart contents for returning customers can lead to a higher conversion rate.
Low Light and Dark Mode for UX Web Design
Many companies are starting to offer dark mode versions of their website. Dark mode, night mode and other low-light user interface options offer website visitors a low-contrast app or website that is easier to view in low-light environments.
The popularity of night mode and low light toggle switches could lead to more black and white web designs in 2021.
Incorporating Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
As mentioned, personalized content is better since hyper-personalization is a trend in web design. To keep a user on the website/ web page for as long as possible, combine machine learning and artificial intelligence. The ML and AI combination helps you develop web pages with insights like location, browsing history and user preference. These insights enable web developers to create highly personalized landing pages that serve the user's wants.
Vlogs Help, Too
Video has become a powerful tool in the field of digital marketing. With the growing abundance of vlogs, not using video is not an option for marketing in 2020 and beyond. According to social media giant Facebook, 73 percent of video content positively impact users.
So when it comes to building your website or preparing the layout, focus on the video content to entice more users.
Storytelling and Interactive Web Design
Interactive web design trends have also become increasingly popular and this trend will continue in 2021. Consumers tend to spend more time on websites that use interactive and responsive features. Unfortunately, these UX design trends can be time-consuming and pricey to implement. If you are interested in interactive web design, work with a company that can offer a discount on such services.
Must-Have Web Design Trends
The aforementioned design trends can boost your website's performance from 2020 and beyond. Apart from these, however, there are still design trends that will remain significant today and in the future. These design trends are:
SEO-friendly websites
Synchronization to social media platforms
Easy-to-track website design
Compatibility with illustrations, GIFs and animation
Incorporation of bright colors and gradients
The Bottom Line
Trends and technologies are changing and will continue to change; so will your customers' demands and expectations. Instead of lagging behind, it is best to adopt design trends as soon as possible to meet your customers' present and future needs.