Creating a good website design is knowing when to use tried-and-true methods and when to push the envelope. Sometimes you can follow the conventions of good design – simple, basic practices that stand the test of time. Sometimes, though, you’ll benefit from thinking forward and figuring out what new expectations are taking root and hovering just out on the horizon.
If you’ve planned an organized, easy-to-use site, it may be time to think outside the box, which is what this next tip is about.
Tip #4: Ride The Trends
Your site may function perfectly but if it was designed more than five years ago, it’s probably looking a bit outdated. Design trends change as quickly as technology and an “old” design can make your business look dated and reflect poorly on your credibility.
You’ve probably noticed that technology changes, seemingly every quarter-second. As technology changes, its evolution provides new opportunities to market your business and attract leads and customers, whether it’s by adding some beneficial interactivity to your website, providing a platform to showcase photography or video, or simply by making your site more interesting and more likely to keep people coming back.
Sometimes an aesthetic facelift is all your site needs to start attracting new customers.
A good site design will take into account the trends in your industry as well as the general direction of visitor design expectations. For example, if you have an ecommerce site, are you incorporating product reviews, video and interactive closeup photography or are you still stuck in the dark ages of thumbnails and static pages?
Don’t feel compelled to jump on every bandwagon that rolls by, but do take into account whether your site looks current and appeals to what customers are looking for today.
What current trends have you incorporated into your site?
Read More In The “Good Design Practices” Series
- Tip #1: Plan It Out
- Tip #2: Make It Readable
- Tip #3: Follow The Conventions
- Tip #4: Ride The Trends
- Tip #5: “More” Is Not Always “Better”
- Tip #6: Consider The Technical Side
