Web Design Trends in 2015: Five Compelling Reasons to Redesign
Nothing last forever, especially online. The speed that search engine rankings change keep website owners, marketers, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) analysts on their toes.
So when was the last time that your website went through some changes or was updated? If you can hardly remember, you could be in trouble. Then again, why fix what isn't broken, right? After all, you're still generating leads and your sales are not actually dwindling.
Here are some facts that could change your mind:
- Website leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate. (Search Engine Journal)
- 79% of companies that have a blog report a positive ROI for inbound marketing. (HubSpot State of Inbound)
- 47% of people expect a web page to load in two seconds or less. (Econsultancy)
- According to marketing statistics provided by HubSpot, business websites with 401 to 1000 pages get 6x more leads than those with 51-100 pages.
- On a 2014 Mobile Behavior Report by ExactTarget, 37% of consumers are highly likely to buy from a website that is optimized for mobile.
- $20K is the average companies save per year by investing more in inbound marketing (i.e., their website) vs. outbound marketing as reported in the 2014 State of Inbound report.
And, perhaps most importantly: Content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing, but costs 62% less. — Hubspot, January 2015
Even without the statistics, there are signs that your website is in need of a makeover:
- Your marketing strategy (or audience) has changed, but your website remains the same.
- It is no longer generating leads or ranking on search engines.
- It does not have a responsive (aka Mobile Friendly) design.
However, the biggest reason your website has to be redesigned is that your audience has already evolved. Part of your demographics may have already outgrown your website's design, and the only reason that they are staying is that they haven't found something better.
What if a new, modern and more aesthetically pleasing competitor website comes along? Deciding on a makeover at that point may be too late. It's better to lead and be aggressive on the web, than lag behind and/or copy your competitors. Even if you misstep, your customers will appreciate the attempt to innovate more than the frustration of an outdated, misguided, or poor imitation website.
The success of your business in this modern age is to proactively adapt to your audience, and to do that successfully it's important to take note of web design trends in 2015.
Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent. - Joe Sparano
(Note: I didn't list Responsive, Mobile-Friendly Design as a 2015 trend, because at this point, it's a fundamental necessity for any web site. Any reputable designer should be providing mobile friendly, SEO-optimized websites by default in 2015.)
Going big is a prominent theme this year, which is more likely to stick than most fads. Apple started it and PayPal picked up on it, but many websites are going bigger and bolder!
Following suit just because the big brands are doing it is not the only reason to use huge background images. For a business who wants to create a lasting and maximum brand impact, this is the design idea to use.
Full screen images has been around since 2014, but it is only this year that the concept has fully taken off. This is likely related to the accessibility and standout imagery on mobile devices, but it's a bold statement nonetheless.
Some unique examples of websites that use huge background images are:
Website designers are seeing interesting layout trends that will emerge this year and grow stronger in 2016. In fact, 2015 has been a rapid growth year for design styles and it won’t be long before acronyms and design labels are created and will become the next fads on layout designs.
The Parallax Effect Layout
The best web design is one that will capture the attention of your visitors. Since you only have a few seconds to keep them engaged and make an impression, your homepage should be interesting and invoke excitement. The parallax effect helps achieve this. It uses mouse movement, page scrolling and other functionalities to animate different elements of a page.
Some examples of the parallax effect on websites are:
- Seattle Space Needle
- Honda CR-V Australia
- Mint Design
- Bonus: Check out the tilting multi-layered parallax effect!
The Split Screen Layout
As the name suggests, this layout will have two different screens - each one presenting individual elements. This is applicable to a business that wants to promote two things of equal importance, or separate concepts and ideas into uniquely designed layouts.
Some examples of the vertical split layouts are:
Other layout fads that have emerged and grown are full screen, block grids (equal and unequal blocks), headerless/footerless design, and boxless design (circles, verticals, and other unique layout approaches that think outside the box - literally!)
In the past, brands were treated the same way across the board, which is why some of them would work with traditional marketing campaigns, while others would completely flop when used on the web.
The new trends are about to change this, as branding becomes part of a digital-first approach. That is, a brand is first worked online before it is filtered down to be used to other channels.
So if your website branding is based entirely on your traditional branding, it may breath some new life into your business by taking a new look and a unique approach to showing your customers that you understand digital, and embrace it.
Personal information is essential to process any transactions online, especially forms and purchases. These are vital to utilizing the web to generate business leads and close sales.
Ironically, once the Internet gained popular traction and people began to feel confident in the security and safety of online transactions, a series of recent issues has flipped this back to the early insecurities in many people's eyes. From Snowden and the Sony hack, to the abuse of spammers, malware, and unscrupulous tricks to steal and sell personal information, it's more important than ever to gain customer's trust with your website.
Even if your website has security measures in place, new visitors are likely to be reluctant in sharing such data, as they are now more aware of how information is being exchanged with third parties. So now, you not only have to work on security, but also in protecting your clients' privacy.
An updated and simple Privacy Policy is good, but not enough - if you intend to collect information or conduct transactions through your website, it's important to incorporate ongoing communication with your customers about privacy, as well as incorporating third-party, trusted tools (and security certificates) to show that you take security seriously.
If you are still reluctant to adopt a totally new web design, the good news is trends in 2015 place value on existing concepts. Most of the new design fads are focused around presenting the same content and information, simply in more direct and interesting ways.
Specific and low-cost enhancements to your design can make significant changes. Better typography, content layout and structuring, responsible and mobile friendly design, updated graphics, and a focus on privacy and security can be affordable solutions that will breath new life into your site and enhance your appeal online.
Of course, careful consideration must be taken in deciding which part of your website will be altered and why. Understanding your audience, and how your customer base have evolved since you last designed your website is vital to the future success.
People ignore design that ignores people. - Frank Chimero
For example, if you own a restaurant, it's vital that you focus on local search optimization and mobile friendly (responsive) design. Your customers are looking for a menu, your location, and want to be able to easily view them on their smartphone. They generally don't care about privacy or split screen design. But if you are a Doctor's office that has a contact form or booking system online, privacy and security as well as ease-of-use are the number one concerns.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to web design, but if you plan to invest in a website redesign, it's important to understand what concepts are trending in 2015 and into 2016. It's not about what you think your website should be like, it's important to understand what your audience is looking for and find a way to engage them in a way that promotes your business as technology savvy (even if it isn't). Your customers are getting smarter and more connected by the day, and if you don't provide what they're looking for, they will quickly move on to something else.
Although I provide full service web design and development, the purpose of this article is to provide information that can be used by your current web team or designer. If you have any comments, questions, or just wanna talk shop, contact me through LinkedIn or my company, Hyper-VPS.com.
- Brandon
