This year is an exciting time for website trends. It is imperative that marketing agencies stay on top of the latest web design trends, ensuring clients receive the most modern, functional designs that appeal to mass audiences.
While we are all drawn to attractive websites, it takes more than just a pretty design to draw readers in.
I’ve helped hundreds of law firms design and optimize their websites. Here are the latest website trends I’m seeing that are making a splash this year. No matter your industry, consider implementing these design, development, content, SEO and PPO trends on your own or your clients’ websites to see increased traffic and engagement.
Design Trends
• The Bigger, The Better: In the last couple of years, I’ve seen a dominating trend: Bigger is better. Embrace wide designs for desktops to promote higher user engagement numbers. This allows designers the space to capture stunning visual images that convey a story to audiences.
• Consistent Branding: Having a consistent brand across all platforms, including print, website, marketing materials and social media, is imperative. That way, audiences will associate your unique brand image with your company.
• Mobile First: Mobile devices drive more than 50% of all website traffic. Having a mobile-friendly design is no longer optional but a must in today’s smartphone-driven world.
• Compelling Videos: In my experience, incorporating videos on your website helps increase conversion rates when they are before the fold. Before the fold means the area is viewable on the site without scrolling and is the first thing people see when they visit.
• Reviews: Never underestimate the power of having reviews feed into your site. Whether your company has reviews on Google, Avvo, Yelp or Facebook, updating your website to show off good reviews provides compelling information that your company rates well with clients.
• Declutter: This year’s minimalist movement made its way into website designs, at least in terms of menu options. I recommend limiting your main navigation bar to seven pages. White space is also back to keep sites looking fresh and clean.
• Personal: Incorporating bios for the leadership team and even behind-the-scenes videos adds a personal touch to any website design. It’s important that audiences connect with your brand, and first impressions are critical.
• Interact: Let visitors interact with your website by incorporating drop-down menus, hover states, unique pages leads and even content reveals. Your website should offer an experience for visitors. Additionally, many sites are using chatbots to allow visitors to get answers to frequently asked questions. Chatbots offer answers 24/7 to many common questions, allowing people to engage with your site well after regular office hours.
Development Trends
Common development trends include mobile optimization and chatbot technology, but there are several other types of development trends that are making a splash this year.
• ADA Compliance: Being compliant with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) is essential. Websites should be accessible to all users, regardless of any handicaps or limitations. For more information on testing your site for ADA Compliance, read my recent piece, “How To Test Your Website For ADA And WCAG Compliance.”
• Push Notifications: A notification that pops up on your page can give visitors a gentle nudge to subscribe to your newsletter or receive updated notifications from your company. This allows you to capture email addresses so you have a direct way to communicate with clients.
• Speed: Having a fast-loading website is essential to ranking high in search engines. You’ll want to achieve a ranking of 90 or more for page speed scores. A great way to check speed score is through Google PageSpeed Insights.
Content Trends
• Long-Form Content: In my experience, writing blog posts that are 2,000 words or more will help your site get noticed by search engines.
• Education Center: Creating an education center that serves as a resource is important to establish your authority as a leader in your industry. Share your knowledge by writing long-form articles that relate directly to your areas of practice.
• Storytelling: Storytelling has been popular for the last several years, but it’s crucial to capture your audience’s attention by relating to them on a personal level. Provide examples of case studies and humanize your company by highlighting the results you achieve for your clients.
SEO & PPC Trends
• Cross-Channel Marketing: Using a variety of cross-channel marketing, including paid search, organic search and social media ad campaigns is the best strategy for garnishing results.
• Link Building & Keywords: Once again, organic link building and naturally used keywords and keyword phrases are popular this year. After selecting a relevant keyword phrase, I recommend including it an average of one to three percent in the content of your page.
• Niche Marketing: Niche marketing to the specific practice area and demographic you are looking to attract will help return more results than broad advertising campaigns.
• Facebook Targeted Advertising: Facebook offers targeted advertising that helps you reach out to your select demographics, including gender, education level, interests, etc. It’s an incredibly robust feature that sifts through personal data captured online.
If your company is looking to update your website this year, consider incorporating these latest 2019 website trends to help you better reach and engage with your intended audience.