When you’re designing a website you can’t plan for every eventuality but you do need to think about how technology is changing and how people are using the internet in different ways.
There’s always a need to review your website every year to check it’s performing as it should and still serves your needs, but when you’re revamping your online presence with the help of web designers in Surrey, it’s important to think about future trends.
A recent article for Search Engine Journal picked out some of the top web design trends you should be aware of and try to embrace when you’re creating a website for your business.
Among the things to consider is the rising popularity of voice search. With home assistants like Siri and Alexa, not to mention more voice controls on our phones to enable us to use them hands-free, more and more people are using voice search to find the information they need.
It’s important to consider how this might work with your content. Do users use the same phrases and keywords when searching by voice rather than text? If not, how can you adapt your content to make sure it features prominently in voice search results?
But be wary of focusing on making changes just to suit the bots that return search results. As the news provider notes, “content should be structured in a way that makes logical sense to users and Googlebot”.
Have you considered including a chatbot on your site? If you’re regularly fielding the same, basic queries from customers this could be a good way to free up some of your time. It will also mean you’re providing a better service to your users because they can get instant answers to their questions.
This can also tie in with another trend – personalisation – because you can use your chatbot to direct people to the most relevant content for their needs.
“The efficiency of chatbots is that they’ll collect feedback and take a user’s questions to grow and improve – making for a more personalised user experience,” the website stated.
It also can’t have escaped your notice that the applications of augmented reality (AR) are growing. This is one of the more challenging areas of technology to get to grips with when you’re designing a new website, but it can be worth the effort when it’s done well.
Already businesses that sell products like clothes and furniture are using AR to help customers see how the item they’re considering buying could fit into their life.
In fact, TechCrunch recently pointed out that a number of companies are embracing the idea of using AR and virtual reality (VR) in interior design. For instance, Modsy, a start-up based in the US, has secured funding for its platform that allows users to virtually render a room and restyle it in real time.
As well as enabling people to virtually reposition furniture, the platform is combined with a marketplace where you can buy items to kit out your home. This is just one example of how our interactions with technology are changing, and what you might want to be prepared for as a business.
