With all the new technology, SEO changes, mobile devices and multiple browsers, it’s important to make sure your company’s website is compatible. People are now surfing the Internet in many different ways, making it challenging for companies to adapt. Constantly updating your website can also be an ongoing expense, albeit a good investment. Fortunately, there are many web design strategy companies can utilize to future proof their web design.
The first strategy is to embrace responsive web design. This is a design format that allows websites to adapt to multiple browsers and devices. While a standard mobile site can deliver the experience necessary to browse a website from a mobile phone, it doesn’t deliver the optimal experience for all devices. Responsive web design creates multiple alternate versions of a main website that are specifically optimized for the browser and device that the user is using.
The second strategy is to design under a platform that’s adaptable. There are many content management systems that have the support of developers and have a strong community backing. That’s why many companies are opting to go with platforms such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and Magento. While they are all intuitive, simple, and user friendly, it is still important to invest money into getting your website properly designed according to the platform.
The third strategy is to have a streamlined design by setting up a well designed UI and optimizing for UX. Both UI and UX are related and both have the purpose of delivering the best experience to visitors. Designing under these standards have become important as companies have found that improving the experience impacts their conversions, sales, traffic, and even their reputation.
The fourth strategy is to aim for a clean design with readable font, strong colors and plenty of breathing space. The goal of every website is to get and keep the attention of its visitors but it is done differently today compared to how it was done many years ago. The goal of designers today is to make sure that their websites are easy to read, inviting and clear. It’s about minimizing the noise to get visitors to focus on the content rather than being flashy.
Finally, companies need to display a strong brand identity on their websites. It’s not just about making sure the brand logo is being promoted as much as possible on the website. It’s about telling the story behind the brand, product or service. Companies are engaging visitors through visual storytelling, multimedia, images, and more. This creates a stronger lasting impression than treating a website like an extended business card or digital mail order catalog.
The big takeaway is that companies need to make sure that their website is mobile friendly. More people are using mobile phones and devices to browse the Internet. The number of mobile Internet users has been on an upward trend and it’s bound to continue climbing. And it’s not just about having a mobile website. Companies also need to make sure their mobile or responsive websites provide the optimal user experience if they intend to get any value from their mobile or responsive websites.