Nowadays, getting a website up and running is as easy as creating a social media profile. With all of the website builders and tools available, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a professional website to promote your products or services. However, just because you’ve created a live website does not mean that it’s fully optimized.

Ranking on search engines like Google means implementing relevant keywords, building links, opting for paid ads, and so much more. It’s not all about the website design, but also about the website development and search engine optimization that makes a website worthwhile.

So, if you’re a business owner looking to optimize your business website, here are 10 web design and development best practices to look forward to in 2020.

Dare To Be Bold

Color is what creates for an eye-catching experience. Whether it’s with painted walls, a piece of art, or an advertisement, having a bold, vibrant color scheme will attract spectators.

It’s recommended to use bold colors accompanied by simple design elements to attract the most attention by potential customers. Also, digital devices are evolving to make bright, bold, and vibrant colors appear clearer and in high-definition.

Many companies choose a specific color palette to correlate alongside their company logo, which is always a safe bet.

So, dare to be bold in 2020 by choosing bold colors for your website.

Less Is More

When it comes to your content, you want to aim for quality over quantity. Don’t fill your pages with too much fluffy text, but rather, fill it with meaningful and relevant text that will help you rank highly on the search engines.

Use minimal text on your homepage and landing pages. Tell your story in a way that resonates with the reader. Be clear and precise without being too wordy. Identify your brand, what your company is about, and your products or services in as little words as possible.

And, even in some cases, being slightly vague is a good thing. It keeps the readers guessing and intrigued to learn more.

Attention-Grabbing Visuals

Yes, graphic design is essential when creating your website. Logos, social media posts, and other visual elements incorporate graphic design practices. However, if you’re not a graphic designer by trade, there are other ways to implement visual elements within your web design.

The most effective and commonly used way are images and photos. Choosing engaging images sprinkled throughout your website both attracts visitors and keeps them engaged throughout their journey.

It’s true what they say about a picture being worth 1,000 words. So, instead of writing a large piece of copy about a topic, try implementing a picture instead. It potentially could say a lot more than anything that you’d want to write in text.

Chatbots

Chatbot artificial intelligence is used as a way to communicate with customers who make inquiries about your products or services. They’ve become the ultimate alternative to using forms and newsletter opt-ins. Chatbots speak to customers as a representative of your company, fully automated with programmed responses to provide the most effective and informative user experience.

This web design and development best practice will give your business a digital interface that can speak to multiple customers and online visitors at once. This frees up a lot of time for you and your employees to focus on the day-to-day operations of the business while chatbots handle customer inquiries.

Photo Galleries

Incorporating eye-catching images will make readers want to learn more about your business. Try not to rely upon royalty-free pictures or stock images for your website since they tend to be bland and ineffective.

The web design trend for 2020 is using real photographs such as doodles, collages, or artwork to express your brand. So, keep it real in 2020 and whip out your smartphone if needed to capture a moment that will last a lifetime and add more credibility to your website.

Dynamic, Engaging Content

There’s no question about it. Content is one of the most important aspects of your website. If you’re not a good writer by nature, then hire a professional content writer to depict everything that your company stands for in easy-to-read, engaging text.

Create high-quality content on your landing page and services pages that will allow visitors to effortlessly determine what your business is about. This content should include information about:

1. What your products or services are
2. What the benefits of selecting your products or services are
3. What some of the features of your products or services are
4. How to contact you (CTA – call to action)

This may look easier than it is. However, writing high-quality content isn’t always as simple as stating information about your business. You want to engage the reader in a matter of seconds. The first sentence or title of your homepage should be engaging and informative.

So, whether you choose to write the content yourself or hire a professional content writer, make sure that the content is dynamic to keep your audience interested.

Reduce Choices

Have you ever looked at a menu at a restaurant that has just way too many options? Too many choices can be overwhelming for the customer. In fact, the greater number of choices that you offer to someone, the harder it is for them to make a decision. This is commonly referred to as “analysis paralysis,” which is never an effective marketing strategy.

Don’t bombard visitors with too many options. Remember to keep it simple, stupid! Create CTA’s that are consistent and easy to understand. Don’t overcomplicate things. Reduce the amount of choices for your customers to make to conduct business with you.

Utilize Negative Space

Negative space allows the reader to take a brief breath in between your CTA’s. It also improves the aesthetics of your website, as it’s never appealing to have a bunch of text and pictures squished together.

Implementing ample spaces in between content also displays as less text to the reader, preventing them from being overwhelmed with text overcrowding. We all need a little bit of space in relationships, don’t we? The same goes for your website.

A professional website encompasses your relationship between your business and your customers. Make it presentable and appealing by applying spaces throughout the web pages, giving your customers a chance to scroll through and gain the user experience that you’re presenting.

Contrast With Color

Contrasting colors draw the eye to specific visual elements in your web designs. Whether you have an ecommerce online store or an informative website describing your services, utilize a sense of color contrast to keep visitors guessing.

Use this design trend to highlight your logo with relevant keywords and phrases that you want your audience to see immediately.

Responsiveness

Having a mobile-friendly and responsive website is crucial to these digital times. People use their smartphones to conduct searches more often than any other digital device. In fact, more than half of the web pages worldwide are served to mobile phones. This trend is continuing to rise as mobile internet traffic officially surpasses desktop usage.

Mobile responsiveness is not only important for web design, but it’s also essential for SEO optimization. Over 90% of websites are critiqued based on their level of responsiveness. If your website isn’t responsive to mobile devices, then this must be corrected immediately if you want to attract new customers.

So, needless to say, it’s vital that your website displays as smoothly and clearly on a smartphone as it does on a desktop computer. Making this trend a priority in your web design and development efforts will make your business a priority for your customers.

Hire A Professional

If you’re looking to optimize your website for maximum performance and success-driven results, then it’s time to hire an expert marketing and development agency.

At Ringo Media, our professional designers and developers are dedicated to making your website shine brightly above your competitors. We improve your online presence by creating a vibrant web design enriched with dynamic content.

Our award-winning web design services are comprised of both web design and development practices to place your business on the Internet map. So, make the right choice by choosing a web design agency that cares about showcasing your products or services in ways that speak true to your customers.