Web design is a constantly changing discipline. What’s in fashion changes with the times – websites evolve to suit the preferences of consumers. A website that is well tailored to its users expectations maximises conversions. Therefore an up to date website is an important tool for any business to have.
During 2020 we experienced an uptick in businesses looking to move online. Whilst we trudged through multiple lockdowns, you probably frequented many websites to source your wares from. You’ll have found some appealed to you more than others – perhaps some had a better layout, faster loading times and were more creatively designed than other sites.
By providing a better user experience, these websites represent the gold standard for your own.
So what are the 2021 website trends that we’re expecting to see?
- Bold colours and unusual colour combinations
- Ultra-fast loading times
- Interactive elements
- VR
- Micro-animations
- Large, attention grabbing titles
- Detailed footers
- 3d elements
Bold colours and unusual colour combinations
Previous years have seen websites feature a more minimalistic colour palette, focusing heavily on the ‘white’ element of white space. As we move into 2021, we’re seeing a trend in websites utilising brighter colours, aiming to be more eye-catching and memorable with their branding.
To integrate this trend into your own website design, consider using neon shades and intense colours. Think about using your colour scheme to highlight important elements on your webpages. Brighter yellows and greens and pinks stacked on top of dark backgrounds are highly memorable.
Just avoid layering bright coloured text over a bright coloured background – your site still needs to be readable! Have a play around with your colour palette to build a modern and dynamic looking site. Do make sure it ties in with your brand!
Interactive elements
Implementing a little interactivity into your website ensures that your visitors aren’t just passively sitting on your site. Instead they will be engaging with you and your business.
Hosting interactive elements is a good way for you to collect data from your visitors. This helps you to learn more about who’s visiting your site and gives you the chance to target them with things like email campaigns.
For instance, if your company operates by generating quotes for customers, you could integrate a simple quote generation form on your website. Straight away this allows your visitor to simply and easily interact with your business. This generates a lead for you and could even give the customer an idea of what your prices are.
Ultra-fast loading times
This isn’t a new addition to a list of vital features for your website. Having a fast loading time has always been important. Internet users have a whole wealth of websites to choose from and if yours is too slow, they will simply leave and choose the next one.
As a rule of thumb, you want your website to load as fast as possible. Where page loading speed goes from 1 second to 3 seconds, the probability of your visitor bouncing (leaving before the page has loaded) increases by 32%. Worse still, as page load time goes from 1 second to 5 seconds, the probability increases by 90%. Therefore, you really want to be aiming for your website having a loading time of less than 3 seconds.
To get your website 2021 ready, use Google’s PageSpeed insights tool to get an idea on your website’s page speed performance. The tool will then generate you suggestions for fixes you can make to help your page load faster, such as removing large videos and compressing images.
Virtual reality
This one might seem a little out of the left field, even if VR is becoming all the rage these days. But with later iPhone models having 3D imaging capabilities, creating 180 images is easier than ever. To bring your website up to speed in 2021, think about using some VR elements on your website.
As a tradesperson, you might be used to including before and after images of rooms you’ve renovated or installs completed on your website. However, you could take this one step further by making those pictures 360, allowing your visitors to really step into your work. If it works for IKEA, it could work for you.
Micro-animated logos
Does your logo simply sit up at the top of your website, not moving or doing very much? Want to give it a bit of an overhaul? Well, you could animate it! If you’re looking for some small but effective ways to get your website looking flash, animating your logo is an exciting possibility.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out this animated logo compilation by 99designs.
Large, attention grabbing titles
Internet users are used to receiving an overwhelming amount of information day in and day out. It’s enough to make anyone’s eyes gloss over. In 2021, we expect to see websites designed to help avoid some of these issues.
One thing that you can do to ensure your visitors are seeing and absorbing the important points on your website is employ large, attention grabbing titles. These act as signposts for the reader, yelling out ‘look over here if you’re searching for this bit of information’.
3D elements
We don’t mean VR here. We mean incorporating features into your website that move your pages away from flat immutable designs into something more bold and dynamic.
Such features include the use of soft shadows and layered elements to bring your webpage to life.
3D design does more than just give your website artistic merit – it engages your user, capturing their attention and reducing your bounce rate
Detailed footers
Footers often get overlooked in the world of web design. But if you’ve gone to the effort of designing and hosting a website, you should be making the most of every square inch of your digital space. This includes the footer!
There are certain things you should include in your footer as standard. Three key must haves are: copyright (the current year plus the copyright symbol to protect your website from plagiarism), your privacy policy (explains how you will use and protect your visitors’ personal data) and your terms of use (offers general rules and guidelines governing the use of your site). It is also useful to include a sitemap in the footer.
Outside of this – the world’s your oyster! At the beginning of this list we mentioned a trend for bold and unusual colour combinations coming our way. Design your footer using your new colour palette – be dynamic and exciting.
Are you ready for 2021?
In 2020, we’ve seen an increase in the amount of time people are spending online. Internet users are starting to become oversaturated with content, meaning web designers need to go to greater lengths to capture the attention of visitors. Breaking away from the norm with your website design will be the thing to do in 2021. The use of bold colours, interactive components and dynamic design will help you to stand out from the rapidly growing crowd, reduce your bounce rate and engage your potential customer.
If you need help with your digital marketing, why not give Shake and Speare a shout? We’re a digital agency in Bristol that provides a myriad of services for tradespeople and all other businesses, such as website design, SEO, Google Ads and more. If you are looking to create excellent websites and get your business growing, reach out to us today!
