Just as almost every industry continues to evolve and adapt with the digital world, one industry that is constantly adapting is the website design industry. With 2020 being right around the corner, here are the top trends for the new year. 

Dark mode 

Dark mode is a common feature for smartphones and most social media platforms, such as Twitter. This option helps with blue light and works with a minimalist design. Just because a website design works with dark mode it does not mean it is black, silver and white. Often times, these designs are created with illustrations and animations with bold fonts and colors to help it stand out against the dark background. 

This website design is all about saving and extending screen power that allows for an Austin web design company to design a beautiful website! 

Illustrations and animations 

In 2017, animations and illustrations were being introduced to websites more frequently, but with this, the animation could not slow down the website! Searchers and search engines are a tough crowd to please! Why are animations in style?

Google has stated, “A website should take two seconds to load. At Google, we aim for under half a second.” So, a website should take two seconds for searchers and .5 of a second for Google? Every second counts for a company’s website. The longer a searcher waits for the website to load, the more often they will back out. Once this starts to consistently happen, Google will start to take note. 

This is why animation is so critical. An animation still packs a punch like a video, but is a smaller file so there is less of a chance for it to slow down the website. 

Voice Search

Research after research shows that in 2020 about 50 percent of all search will be conducted with a Voice Assistant. What can anyone do living in the Google and Alexa age? The answer to that question: User Experience needs to be on point. This will allow for Google Home and Alexa to easily navigate throughout the website. This includes focusing on website design, content marketing and SEO strategies. Our Austin web design company and digital marketers have their work cut out for them this upcoming year.

Minimalist Design 

Minimalist Design is also known as flat design and is the latest trend in the website design industry. When a company has less than a second for a website to load before a consumer moves onto a different website, this is when loading speeds are critical. A minimal design isn’t black, white and boring, it’s the exact opposite. The best examples are large retailers such as Target, Macy’s and JCPenney! This helps to keep navigation throughout the website easy for consumers that is easy on the eyes, grabs their attention and draws them into the important pieces. 

Is the website accessible for all? 

The visually impaired or blind individuals are able to navigate the Internet using  technology and are searching for the same things as those who are not visually impaired.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is being used and enforced in website design and social media platforms. There is a lawsuit for any company who does not follow the 38 requirements from the ADA. This is called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA. 

There really is no excuse to be exclusive when it comes to websites in 2020. 

Mobile search

We all want to be able to scroll through a website easily without zooming and navigation bar to work. No, not everyone? Well our Austin web design company wants that for EVERY single website that our designers make.  As a consumer, it can be frustrating to find a website that is not cooperating with your smartphone, and because of this, a consumer will go to a competitor's website that is mobile friendly. It is estimated that smartphone conversion rates are up 64 percent compared to desktop conversion rates which once ruled the website design and development industries. 

People want to find the answers to their search queries on their smartphone, not desktops. 

These are the top trends for 2020, but how is your company’s website? Are you still stuck in the early 2000s?