Do you remember the time when having a well-performing website was not essential for the success of a brand?
Those days are long gone.
In a world where, as per Statista, 50 percent of the global population has access to the internet, having a strong online presence is no longer an additional benefit. Instead, it is a necessity.
Now, people don’t just expect businesses to be online; they expect web design to be flawless.
According to Econsultancy, slow loading websites end up costing retailers over 1.7 billion USD in terms of lost sales. Additionally, Sweor reports that users form impressions about the website in merely 0.05 seconds.
Considering how most buying decisions begin online and consumers almost always search up websites before purchasing products or services from a company, you must develop a flawless modern website to excel in today’s competitive online world.
Here are the key characteristics that every developer should include in a modern website design.
Minimalism
According to research conducted by Adobe, over 40 percent of site visitors stop engaging with a website if they perceive it to be “shabby.” And mostly, extremely cluttered websites fit well into this description.
You might have noticed one key trend in consumer behavior – consumers of today wish for minimalism in everything.
This also extends to web designs. In other words, you must create an elegant website that communicates more with fewer design elements. Include ample whitespace to make your key messages stand out.
Apart from having a favorable first impression, minimalistic web designs are easier for site visitors to navigate. They also help boost your page speed, which is a very important metric for people.
In fact, according to CXL, a mere 1-second additional delay in page load can lead to a loss of conversion by 7 percent.
You will find various brands incorporating this characteristic in their web design. For instance, Femme Fatale, a creative studio based in Paris, features a website that relies on key visuals to get its message across.
Web Accessibility
Pew Internet Project conducted research to gauge the internet consumption of people with disabilities. It discovered that over 54 percent of adults with disabilities in America go online.
A modern-day website needs to be accessible to all, regardless of the ailments or disabilities they may face. After all, the world of today is all about inclusion.
How should you ensure web accessibility?
For starters, your site should include text to speech function. It should have the right contrast for easy readability of text by all. And each image should be accompanied by a short written description of the image.
Remember, there are various other disabilities out there other than visual impairment. It is imperative to cater to all disabilities. Hence, the task can seem daunting. This is why it is often advised to seek help from professionals to do so.
For instance, web accessibility tool Accessible offers customized automated web accessibility solutions for websites.
It uses AI technology along with market insights to develop designs that feature smooth UX that doesn’t alter the website, but rather connects with assistive technologies powered by an interface for those who need it.
You will find various websites offering an accessible user experience.
For example, Scope.org.uk, a charity website for promoting equality for people with disabilities, offers excellent keyboard accessibility. Its ‘skip to main content’ option, which is reflected on the top, the transition styles and high-res large images aim to make the site friendly for all.
Visual Appeal
A book titled “Psychology of User Experience” by Phil Turner revealed that 46 percent of site visitors gauge the credibility and authenticity of a website based on its aesthetics.
Even in modern times, it doesn’t matter how revolutionary your product is and how captivating your content is; you could still end up losing visitors if your site isn’t visually appealing.
There are three aesthetic elements your site must perfect. This includes typography, color and tone.
The color scheme you select must be consistent with your brand. According to Forbes, such consistency helps boost revenue by 33 percent. Nike, whose color scheme is black and white, features the same palette on its website.
Furthermore, typography helps in establishing your site’s tone. For starters, cursive fonts like ornate tend to relay a sophisticated image, more in line with feminine products, while Sans Serif gives a modern feel.
High-quality visuals
The days when you can get away with having subpar stock images on your website are long gone. Now, people expect high-quality visuals to be present on the site.
However, at the same time, this should not come at the cost of a high load time. In fact, as per HubSpot, 39 percent of site visitors stop engaging with a website if its images take too long to load.
Therefore, the key is to find the optimum balance between picture quality and page load speed.
Also, while previously visuals solely meant pictures, now it is an umbrella term used to refer to videos and infographics as well.
Research conducted by Inc. reveals that a staggering 92 percent of B2B customers first watch product videos before finalizing a purchase. Therefore, including relevant and professionally shot videos is a fundamental characteristic of modern-day websites.
Furthermore, no one likes reading verbose site content, regardless of how brilliantly it has been crafted. Instead, people find infographics to be a much easier and time-effective way to obtain key information. Include all these varieties of visuals on your site.
Parting Thoughts
Not all modern websites are effective. Conduct your research to understand what other leading players in your niche are doing. Don’t copy them but use their insights to further perfect your website. While you are at it, implement the four fundamental elements of web design.
When you do so, you will notice a significant difference in your site traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.
Don’t have a website for the sake of it. Consider it to be an important medium for connecting with your audience. Only when you understand its importance will you be able to develop a design that works!
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Erica Silva is a blogger who loves to discover and explore the world around her. She writes on everything from marketing to technology. She enjoys sharing her discoveries and experiences with readers and believes her blogs can make the world a better place.
- 4 Essential Characteristics of Modern Website Design You Shouldn’t Ignore - January 14, 2021
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Hi Erica, I love the minimal look of websites and blogs today. Too many still have a lot of things on the sidebar that can be distracting or even worse pop-ups you can’t easily get rid of. High-quality visuals with the right alternate texts can make a difference with SEO and visibility online. Excellent points made Erica. The last thing I would suggest is updated content too. No one wants to land on a site with old content today 🙂 L
A cluttered site can really be confusing. It might look interesting, but it doesn’t convert. A nice, simple site with a solid user experience is the way to go.