12 Crucial Web Design Tips For 2021
Web design tips are a necessity for new and old websites alike. Anyone who thought that their MySpace site had the coolest designs only needs to see it today. What a difference a couple of years makes in designing a site! For full disclosure, that example is extreme, as many years have passed since those days.
The basic principle remains the same. What was popular in 2019 may not work for a website that is designed for 2021. As time changes, so do the many reasons a website design needs to adapt to the times. Let’s investigate what you need to know about web design in 2021 and how to keep your site relevant going forward.
TIP # 1. Know Your Customer
This may appear to be common knowledge to everyone, but this can be one of the hardest things to pin down when designing a website. Sometimes we get tangled in the weeds of website creation. Do the colors pop? Is it boring? These can be important items to look at, but in the end, it comes down to who your customer is. Are they someone who is purchasing a product to clean their driveway, or are they on your site to find the best information on the best restaurants in town?
Each of the two above sites would require a different theme. The driveway cleaning product website may only need a list of items, some prices, and a few reviews. The best restaurant site content would be heavy with pictures of food and on the restaurants’ reviews. These are only two examples, but the point is to create a website that attracts and is functional for the customer you need.
TIP # 2 Speed Counts
This is probably on the list every year, as it should be. Society has become accustomed to and continues to expect instant results. You will find high bounce rates for websites that are slow to load or react to the user. This is a part of maintaining good SEO for your website and it’s still very important to consider.
If you have the only information or product they need, they may return to the site. If users find another site that can give them close to the same need, they will use the faster of the two.
Be sure that images on a site being developed or updated have been optimized to allow for faster speeds. There are many other issues that can cause a bad experience and a slow website, such as listed below.
- Poor third-party integrations such as Javascript issues, problems with Flash, etc.
- Not compressing files
- Poor Code
- Too much ad content (We will discuss this in detail further)
All of these, plus more, can cause a website to load slowly. Whatever may be contributing to the slow loading, make sure that in the end, the pages are loading under three seconds. Any more than three seconds and customers will leave the site.
PRO TIP: If you want to know how your website is performing and if it’s too slow, consult with NJ SEO agency, Bizmap LLC. They offer free audits of websites and will certainly help you out!
TIP # 3 Use Dynamic And Personalized Content
One of the most effective ways to convert traffic is to use dynamic and custom content that personalizes the user’s experience. Have you visited a website, only to see that it knows you were interested in a new type of refrigerator or a new candy bar that you searched for the week before? By creating a website that will personalize itself to the user, you can keep the user engaged and happy to shop on the site.
Use plugins and software available within a website that sees the user’s data displays suggestions to purchase products, or even gives them tips on a vacation they are interested in.
By personalizing the experience for the user, it keeps them on the site and returning in the future.
TIP # 4 Do Not Let Advertising Bounce The User
For sites that are not eCommerce heavy, advertising is essential to generate income. Correctly placed and timed ads can also keep a user engaged longer. The problem comes when the advertising gets in the way of content.
There are many people who will not continue to fight advertising pop-ups when trying to read something that is interesting to them. Even if they are engaged initially, they will soon become tired of clicking off advertisements that return with each scroll.
Use advertisements wisely in your design and do not let them impede why the user is there, to begin with. In 2021 find a way to be more subtle with advertising in your custom web design. Advertising is key to making money, but it does not help if the user leaves the page and this will additionally hurt your site’s SEO.
PRO TIP: Read this great article on how to choose the best SEO company! You should definitely consider SEO when designing a website and we’re sure you’ll love this article!
TIP # 5 Keep it Simple
If you are creating a website to showcase your graphics programming skills, then by all means, make it beautiful and complicated. If not, keep the site’s design simple. Keeping in mind our first two tips (know your customer and speed counts), this is imperative.
Let’s discuss a few attributes of a simple website.
- It loads fast: By keeping the site simple and not overly full of graphics and images, you increase your load times.
- It is mobile-friendly: Sites that are simple work much better on mobile devices. Mobile devices are more popular than ever for searching online. If the site looks great on a computer screen but not on a mobile device, you could miss a large population of customers.
- Easy to follow sitemap: Links are clear and easy to find to allow movement around the entire site. If users become confused, they will leave.
PRO TIP: Read this awesome article on how web design affects SEO. We know you’re going to love it!
TIP # 6 Keep Pages Focused
This may sound counterintuitive, as the purpose of most sites is to provide information to the user. However, a better way to describe what a site should do is to provide the information the user needs and wants.
Inundating a user of a site with too much information can create confusion. As long as the information is on the topic of what the user searched for, provide clear and abundant information.
The issue arises when the content goes off-topic of what the user needs. You can always create links and other pages to answer similar questions that are of a different topic.
TIP # 7 Use White Space to Break Up Text
The days of stuffing as much information onto a landing or any other page are over. Have you ever tried to read continuous and monotonous text? Most people will only engage on a page with large amounts of unending text for so long.
One way to break up text is with images. This is fine and can keep the user interested. Having too many images can have the opposite effect by creating a crowded effect. If the design of the site is becoming crowded, there is nothing wrong with using white space to separate the never-ending text.
PRO TIP: Read this article on where to hire a web designer. We know it’ll help you make a choice!
Tip # 8 Use More Video
Some of the top social media sites that are the most popular are that way due to video engagement. Website designs that are text-heavy cannot keep up with sites that use more media. Images are good to add value, but the video takes sites to a new level.
The problem is so many corporate web design projects do not take video into account. This may be because the site owner does not feel comfortable creating a video or is worried that video will make their site slow. The software of today, however, makes video creation a breeze, and embedding videos from another platform can keep your site speeding along.
Did you know that adding media such as a video to a web design can keep a user on a site up to four times longer than with text and images alone? Even if the owner of a site is not comfortable with video creation, it is time to learn. The benefits of video engagement cannot be underestimated.
TIP # 9 Allow User Sign Up for Extra Access
Having a user sign up with an email address is not new to 2021, but it is still important to have this function designed into a website. Yes, the software now gathers a user’s information and habits that can lead to more engagement and sales. Having a user that freely gives their email address is one that is engaged fully.
The key is to give the user enough information that is helpful makes them want more. Once they have invested their interest, most will be happy to provide their contact information to receive more information they think is important to them.
Once you have a user’s contact information, you can keep them engaged with a site through occasional and planned email campaigns.
TIP # 10 Add a Human Touch
When creating web designs for 2021, add in a human touch. Instead of cold text and stock images, find a way to make users see that there are real people behind the website. People are apt to engage with companies that appear personable to them.
Below are a few ways to show users the people behind the brand.
- Use photos of real people: Instead of using stock photos from the internet, take pictures of your employees. Whether it be of them in an office setting, working in a production line, or using a product from their website themselves. Be sure to mention the positions at the company these people hold.
- Use bio pages: Not only are pictures of your employees good to have on your site to give it a personal touch, but also include a short bio of the site’s employees. Knowing that the people behind the site have similarities to a user can help keep them engaged further.
- Use Humor: Why do some websites tend to be so stuffy? Sometimes humor is looked down upon in business as unprofessional. This concept will usually translate into a company’s website. A paradigm shift to this way of thinking is that using humor can make a website have a more human touch.
- Keep language simple: This could easily have been covered in our earlier tip on keeping the site simple, but we saved it for this section. The reason is that using simple language is more about communicating with a normal human. Just as with humor, companies tend to use more elaborate language or tech-speak to sound professional. By using a more common language used by users, you can add a human touch.
TIP # 11 Consistency In Branding
Creating and updating a web design must stay consistent with the company’s brand. Using the latest tricks and tips on web design will not accomplish what you are seeking if the brand does not match the website. As an example, if the company brand prides itself on being aggressive in sales, the design of the site would probably not include images of butterflies.
Throughout the time that it takes to design the site, make sure to continue to ask if each addition or change is in tune with the company’s brand. It is a good idea to seek feedback from the company in interval stages throughout the process to make sure the site is on track and consistent.
TIP # 12 Create Interaction
One of the most important web design additions in 2021 is to make your site interactive. Long gone are the days of having a static website for users to read or see images. The more interactive you can make a site, the longer you can keep users engaging.
Think of social media when designing for interaction. People have gotten used to the interaction of these types of sites. Some of these positive elements can be added to a company’s website to make it similar to social media.
A few ways to do this are by including buttons linked to social media pages, ask for participation in surveys, and request feedback from users.
Summary
As you see, several additions can be added to web designs for 2021. Others are tried and true design elements that are still viable from previous years. The main theme of all is to keep sites simple and engaging to users with interactivity, videos, etc., and keeps users on the site as long as possible and return. Using designs that help the user to know the company by showing humans are behind the scenes is important. Getting to know the user through personalization and knowing their wants and needs are just as essential.
If you want to hire an excellent web design company, you should be sure to choose Bizmap LLC. They are located in Parsippany, NJ but service businesses of all sizes and types from all different places. Bizmap always begins with a free website audit (if you already have a website) or a free consultation on services. Give them a call about any questions you have regarding web design services.
We hope these 12 web design tips for 2021 have helped and wish you all the best!
