Bringing in powerful modern design elements to your website can distinguish a great brand image, user efficiency, and enjoyment.
For your website, it’s important to keep up to date with the design trends that people are looking for. Your website can be a direct reflection of you and your business, so projecting a modern image to those potential customers, employers, etc. is always beneficial.
Design features can bring better sales, more traffic, and committed users with less bounce rates.
Bounce rates can have a detrimental effect on your website, so it is key to discover innovative ways to keep that from increasing. Cutting edge features should be a top priority and don’t have to be hard. Let’s look into a few that you can adapt to your website:
- Mobile-friendly
- Chatbots
- Serifs
- E-commerce Efficiency
- Micro-interactions
- Minimalism
- One-page
- Videos
- SEO
- Parallax
Let’s look at these in more detail.
1. Mobile friendly:
No matter what the purpose of your website is (to sell a product, informational, a personal portfolio) having a responsive mobile website is crucial. This has proven to be the nuts and bolts of modern websites. In 2018, 52.2% of all website traffic worldwide was generated through mobile phones and will continue to grow in 2019.
So it makes sense that most brands and businesses have taken the small step in bringing responsive mobility to their website.
Tip:
We also recommend taking it a step further and having a dedicated mobile app (if your business can utilize it). In deciding on a website builder or hiring someone, be sure to check what the options are for mobile apps.
2. Chatbots
Chatbots use artificial intelligence to chat online as if you were having a conversation with a real person. You have probably had a conversation with one if you have used a modern website recently.
Businesses have implemented chatbots into their websites as they continue to develop and engage with potential customers and clients.
They can be used to sell products, enhance customer support, and quickly answer questions. Users appreciate the ability to chat immediately, especially when some companies don’t have the ability to respond as quickly as needed.
3. Serifs
Serifs are making a sleek impression on the digital world, especially in this modern age.
For those not familiar, when it comes to typography, serifs are the fonts with strokes or small lines attached to the end of the letter.
The most familiar serif typeface is Times New Roman, and they are usually not considered to be as modern looking as sans serifs (don’t have lines at the end of the characters)
But serifs have been used by many businesses in a new and innovative way. Let’s say they are being brought back. A common myth is that only sans-serif can be used in digital productions yet here are a few websites that successfully presented serifs in a contemporary way.
Design Tip:
When choosing a modern font for your website it is important to represent your business in a cohesive style. Typefaces can give a certain feeling or emotion to your audience, and a perception of your brand.
From a design perspective, if you want to successfully use a serif it can be beautifully paired with a sans-serif to give a contrasting and interesting contemporary look.
Contrast can also help break sections up and give large paragraphs of information a distinct look, to make it easier to read.
4. eCommerce efficiency
It is no secret that eCommerce has been a large part of online business and is expected to continue to rise. 4.8 trillion in retail eCommerce are sales projected worldwide in 2023, and with that comes versatile, functional, and outrageously custom eCommerce websites.
This includes integration of chatbots, more personalized interactions, consumer data, and modern design.
Also, many consumers want effortless ‘cart to purchase’ websites. To compete with the massive online business trends out there, it’s important to make sure your eCommerce website includes efficient and safe checkouts, modern displays, and current products.
Tip:
When building a modern eCommerce website is also important to have email marketing capabilities, not only for the reliability of receipts but also to bring more traffic from past and future customers.
5. Micro-interactions
There are many definitions of micro-interactions when it comes to web design. Basically, micro-interactions are contained moments that revolve around a single-use. This can be classified as loading icons, animations, or any other element that gives the user a better experience.
The use of micro-interactions has escalated in 2019 and are now used in apps. Many businesses design their websites to encompass the benefit of the user.
6. Minimalism
Simplicity and minimal elements have always been considered modern. But in 2019, this has become more prominent than ever in web design.
Condensed wording with the minimal amount of imagery and features have blown up in the digital world. It is no secret that this has and will continue to be an important modern element.
Let’s look at how this is achieved in these websites:
7. One-page
Single-page websites give the user a one-page layout with sections. The user can scroll down the page or navigate to the desired portion. Simplicity at its finest right? These are all the popular rage sections especially for portfolio websites to present designer’s work.
It’s easier for the user to scroll or jump straight to the of the page they want to see. This also eliminates any worry of malfunctions between pages.
Design Tip:
Always make sure with one-page websites that the categories are easily recognizable and broken up by a design element. This can be color, contrast, or just adding a simple line. But make sure to stick to a cohesive look and feel or it can be distracting for the user.
8. Video Background
Videos videos, videos. Videos are the most popular and efficient ways for businesses to grow. From social media, keeping websites interesting, or tutorials, one thing is constant in this modern age: videos catch people’s attention.
Social media platforms have made changes to be more video-friendly for that reason. Within the last few years, many websites have implemented videos as much as possible.
GIFs and animations have been a strong influence on modern design, as well. Videos are the way to go to keep the users coming back for more.
Here are a couple of modern websites with beautiful full-length video backgrounds.
9. SEO
There are many ways to go about search engine optimization (SEO), but one thing is for certain it is the most necessary part of any modern website, especially in 2019.
SEO has always been an extensive part of the website building process and it can be achieved through using programs, plug-ins or just a few tactics to get search engines to recognize your website.
Either way, having SEO integrated with your website can be a critical component to drive traffic and business.
One of the most important is being mobile-first indexing. As of 2018, Google announced it would be optimized for those searching on mobile.
So, once you get your website mobile, more people can search for it on the go.
10. Parallax
A modern website design that has not left trending charts for a few years now.
The background of parallax websites scrolls slower than the foreground images, which brings a subtle feeling of three-dimensional design.
Integrating this will have a lasting effect on the user, but no one can deny it is a top pick to easily integrate a modern look for your website.
Design Tip:
If you want to optimize your design website approach you can combine many of these trends together, such as using minimalism in combination with parallax scrolling.
With minimalism, the goal is to not overwhelm the viewer and give simplicity. With parallAx scrolling, the achievement of simplicity and another lasting impression can be achieved.
Combine a few of these trends into your website and combine them to give your users an even better experience.