What Did Web Design Used To Be Like?
Web design has been around for as long as websites have themselves. It started with basic HTML and grew with CSS, Adobe Dreamweaver and CMSs. Web design has grown over time and is now more integral to other marketing efforts as it has ever been. In part 2 of this 3-part blog series, we’ll go over where web design is today and the vast capabilities available.
Did you know? Users form an opinion about websites within 0.05 seconds, determining if they like it or not! This means that the first thing that users see after clicking on to your site should be inviting and well-designed.
Where Is Web Design Today?
- CMSs Content Management Systems like Wix and WordPress have grown alongside web design over the years. WordPress is the most popular CMS today, with more than 40% of websites being created with it. CMSs have managed to keep up with web design trends by updating their customisability, plugins and themes. As more of these options and themes were added, web designs were more varied and could be more ambitious.
- Front-end Builders Modern web design mainly uses front-end website builders like Divi and Elementor. Some are paid for and some are free. These website builders enable you to view how your website looks as you are building it, rather than going back and forth from the back-end. These web builders also have a variety of add-ons that can be purchased/downloaded and incorporated into your site.
- Responsive Design We mentioned responsive design in part 1 of this blog series, but it is imperative to web design today given the popularity and necessity of mobile phones. In fact, many web designers say “mobile first” in terms of design because of how many searches are made via mobile (60% of all online searches are done on mobile). Social media also supported the idea of “mobile first” because web designers had to ensure web content was easily shared and ensure users could navigate easily.
Benefits Of Web Design
In the modern day, web design is essential if you want your website to perform well. Upon clicking, if your website isn’t hooking visitors, leaving a lasting, positive impression, you’re losing out to competitors. A good web design captures the attention of the visitor, compelling them to scroll through your site, regardless of if they’re on mobile, tablet or desktop. A professionally designed website also increases your credibility and trustworthiness because it communicates to users that your site is reliable and knowledgeable. Your web design should aim to be as user-centric as possible. This means designing for different screen sizes, making navigation easy and understanding the hierarchy of a website and using that understanding in your own site to ensure a smooth journey throughout. On top of this, being user-centric means providing content that is valuable and helps the user with their problem/search. Being focused on the user and their journey is also a ranking factor for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), meaning by being user-centric, you also help yourself rank higher in SERPs, enabling you to earn more traffic, help more people and hopefully, convert more of that traffic into leads and sales. A well-designed website also allows you to expand your brand identity and showcase your personality and values, which can increase brand recognition and differentiation. It allows your audience to resonate with your brand, which provides a strong foundation to your relationship with your users.
Final Thoughts
Web design of today is vastly different from web design 20 years ago, with the constant updates of CMSs, front-end builders, themes, plugins, etc. Not only is it different, but it’s also more important to businesses today and as technology advances with A.I, fold phones, Apple’s Vision Pro, etc, it will only be increasingly crucial.
Join us for Part 3: “The Future of Web Design” next week!
