Research shows that there are over 1.58 billion active sites in the world. More than 4.5 billion people use the internet worldwide and three out of five people prefer to stay on the site that provides the best user experience. Likewise, around 64% of small businesses and SMEs have a website with mobile devices accounting for nearly 70% of all online traffic.
Web design matters, as we outlined in our post 4 Critical Website Factors for Success. According to Adobe, companies with a strong design outperform companies with a weak design by 219% on the S&P Index (a stock market index) over the span of 10 years.
These stats show the importance of web design for today’s companies. In today’s article, we will tell you about 5 web design trends to follow in 2020. We also guide you on the importance of web design for your company and how it can benefit you in the Covid-19 era. Read on!
Covid-19 and How Companies Are Pivoting
Covid-19 continues to disrupt business operations across the world. Supply chain disruptions, increasing product/service/goods demand, customer behavior changes and store closures are some factors that have affected businesses worldwide.
Business reports and statistical data show that global sales will drop by 5.7% in 2020 due to the pandemic. But there are exceptions – Amazon’s sales went up by 26% in the first qauarter of 2020 and 40% in the second quarter. Moreover, online businesses have increased their sales by 11.8% in the first quarter and 16.1% in the second quarter.
Companies operating online during Covid-19 can better manage their suppliers and clients, increase sales, use analytics to evaluate their business while effectively implementing better sales outreach and engagement programs.
The Demand for Web Design during Covid-19
Covid-19 has stunned the world. The novel coronavirus has affected millions of people around the world. At the same time, businesses are experiencing struggling times.
As a result, web design services are seeing a significant surge in demand during the lockdown scenario across the world. Many companies are also seeing this as a perfect opportunity to tackle a new site design or improve the existing one.
Here are the 5 web design trends to follow in 2020.
Minimalism
A recent report shows that 75% of consumers evaluate a company’s credibility by its website design. Statistics show that around 94% of negative feedback a business website receive is related to its design elements.
Having a business site that checks all the boxes in terms of design, aesthetics and functionality ultimately attracts more customers while yielding a higher return on investment (ROI). Minimalism in web design is a timeless trend for helping companies that want fully-functional sites that provide a great user experience.
Likewise, with a minimalistic design, a company can communicate its main message without distractions. Even Google is considering minimalism in their ranking algorithms. Simple, clean design elements and small paragraphs are among the best design practices in 2020. So is using white space to help your clients to easily navigate through important web pages. Concurrently, sites should also leverage high-quality photos and demo videos to stand out.
A minimalistic design is also crucial in keeping the users’ focus on your brand, products and services instead of unnecessary elements. The trending web design data show the use of white space and small paragraphs of textual content create better experiences for users, specially on mobile devices, helping visitors easily understand the provided points.
The reason why a minimalistic design is trending in 2020 is that it reduces loading times, improves user experience, enhances readability while making information easier to digest. Ultimately, minimal design practices make a substantial impact on users’ experience with your brand.
User Experience (UX)
User Experience is one of the most important components of a business website. Online reports highlight that every $1 invested in user experience can result in a higher ROI. For example, some studies show that investing $1 in UX can yield a $100 return on average.
Around 40% of clients don’t engage with slow speed sites and 85% of online users believe eCommerce sites should improve their mobile user interface.
Besides, 88% of visitors don’t return to a business site after poor UX. Mobile users will simply leave your website if it is not optimized for mobile.
You can improve user experience by improving the speed of your website. For instance, you can do it easily by simply compressing all the images before posting them onto your business site. The size of the image file is the leading cause of slow webpage speed.
Online users are accustomed to visual cues that help them figure out important content. Call to Actions or CTAs enable users to easily navigate your website and take the desired action.
While a web designer creates buttons for your site, he or she should think about the psychology of color. Research shows that the use of rights colors can increase by around 11% of all clicks on the site. Also, don’t forget to think about a special message that can evoke a user on your site.
Responsive Design
Mobile internet users have surpassed desktop users. This means smartphones now drive more traffic to all types of websites, including business websites. The reason is that users find it easier to search for a product or service from their mobile devices.
That’s the reason a responsive mobile design has become one of the biggest trends for companies in 2020. Not only is it an important factor for Google’s ranking algorithms, but it also enhances user experience. Keep in mind that user satisfaction leads to customer retention, business productivity and higher ROIs.
IBM is the most prominent example of a company that has streamlined its business operations using high-quality responsive design for smartphones and tablets. So, responsive design is something that enables customers to easily navigate your business site and find their desired products or services.
An experienced and professional web designer will ensure an easy-to-navigate site by putting elements in the right space and building clear menu options. A skillful web designer will also put a search box in the right place to help users find products and services quickly for those visitors searching on a mobile device.
Ultimately, responsive design benefits customers in many ways. For instance, users expect the ease, simplicity and user-friendly experience that your business site delivers. They can find what they are looking for quickly and stay on your site for a longer time. And a responsive design helps customers searching for information and solutions quickly find what they’re looking for, driving increased ROI and customer experience.
Chatbots
Artificial Intelligence is quickly changing the online business world. Chatbots are a popular web design option for businesses. Research shows that by the end of 2020, 80% of all online businesses will use chatbots on their sites.
Undoubtedly, companies are recognizing the importance of chatbots as a way to boost your sales processes effectively. A chatbot is a software program or app that interacts with users. Not only does it understand written text, but it can also interpret the intent of your customer. Thousands of B2B companies across the world spend millions of dollars on customer support services.
Smart chatbots can converse with visitors and answer their queries as well as automate interactions and help streamline your business operations.
You will be surprised to know that over 58% of B2B companies are using chatbots on their business websites. Although most people think the uptake of chats in the B2B domain is slow, research shows that during Covid-19, more and more companies are implementing chatbots on their sites.
For a thorough list of the best chatbots, visit G2’s Best Chatbots Software review list.
Aesthetics (Visual Design)
Aesthetics are all about the visual design and appeal of your website. Undoubtedly, usability plays a key role in improving the user experience.
However, aesthetics are also very important, and when it comes to B2B businesses, we recommend them to treat both aesthetics and usability equally. One of the most powerful visual tools in web design is the use of color to improve the user experience.
For example, green is a cool color that produces a calming effect. So, if your business is about selling organic food for pets, you can use this color to display eco-friendliness. Red color, on the other hand, commands attention.
Your web designer must choose colors that perfectly reflect the nature of your business. An experienced designer will think carefully about the colors for your site’s background, navigation, headers, footers and links.
A picture tells a thousand words. Putting a wrong picture or image can reduce the effectiveness of your site. No matter if you use pictures, illustrations or diagrams, choosing attractive imagery that supports and enhances your brand and messaging is vital.
Final Words
With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, doing business is not as easy as it was in the pre-Covid-19 era. With routine visits to Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines, companies are looking to plan and run their businesses online. To do so, your company must be have an excellent website that enhances the user experience and satisfaction while effectively communicating your products to more effectively increase leads and sales.
