2016 Top Web Design Trends
1. Faster HTTP/2 Protocol
Every year, websites get fancier, and this year it’s accomplished with the rise in video use. With this, webpages are growing in size – potentially slowing down website load time.
HTTP/2 is new technology that dramatically improves site performance and security; The first upgrade to the protocol used to handle connections between your browser and a server in over 15 years, HTTP/2 streamlines information transfer – with the most important content getting to the user faster and more safely. Fortunately, all modern browsers already support HTTP/2.
With only 6.7% of the top 10 million websites supported by HTTP/2 as of February 2016, set yourself apart by getting your website up to speed!
2. Custom Video & Photography
How many times have you opened a company’s website or newsletter and been struck by an odd feeling of deja vu? Consumers today have grown wise to the tricks of stock photography. 2016 may be the beginning of the end for the age of the stock photo. Companies are moving away from the same old tired stock images available to everyone in favor of custom photography and video that convey authenticity and warmth.
3. Subtle Animation
Animation adds character and personality to your website. Small interactions with the user can bring a smile to the face and leave a memorable impression. Just don’t overdo it. Animation should serve a purpose and not obstruct user experience or slow down page speed.
Effective animation is:
- Functional: When conveying words or data, animation enhances the message.
- Responsive: Animation is activated by the user, not on continuous autoplay.
- Quick: Animation running time is less than 1-2 seconds.
- Familiar: When simulating motion, use motion that looks natural to the human eye.
4. Responsive Design for Mobile Devices
Over 60% of online traffic comes from phone and tablet users, and that number continues to grow. If your website is not responsive design–that is, it isn’t programmed to automatically scale to fit a user’s screen size-Google no longer includes your website on its mobile search results. Even if you’re quite proud of how your website looks on a desktop, it may not turn up on mobile searches, and you may be losing business. Update to responsive design today!
5. Intuitive Infographics
You’ve probably heard of the expression “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The human brain can comprehend an image thousands of times faster than text. Almost half of the brain is dedicated to visual processing, and no matter how long you’ve known a language, your brain still needs to take a moment to translate it. Surveys show you can dramatically improve the rate at which your brain retains important statistics by spacing them out between visuals. A well-designed infographic is easier and more appealing to look at than a wall of text.
6. Organic SEO
Ensuring high rankings on online search results is critical to obtaining business for your company. Google highly ranks websites that use search keywords in the url address, meta description, page titles and sub-titles, page content, and image tags. Google favors new, high quality, original content being added to websites. The best advertising is free advertising be sure to leverage your organic search results!