The most significant trends in website design and development this year

 

Failure to keep up with new trends can have serious consequences for the performance and user experience of your website. You risk falling behind your competitors and losing traffic to websites that provide better user experiences.

The best way to stay competitive in your business niche is to develop and maintain your website in accordance with current trends.

1) THE BEST PERFORMANCE WEB APPS (PWA)

Progressive web apps (or PWAs) are not a new phenomenon. However, the technology drew the attention of modern developers and investors due to its ability to provide a high-quality user experience comparable to that of a native app.

In 2019, mobile devices accounted for 65% of online shopping orders placed through the website. PWA's rising website trend allows users to view their favourite websites on a mobile web browser or desktop without the need to download special apps or computer programs. PWAs will be written in HTML and CSS, JavaScript, React, or Angular in 2021. In addition to providing a great user experience and eliminating the need for programs, a PWA could send push notifications and provide users with offline access to cached content.

2) BOTS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

How will web development evolve in the future? Many people believe that next year, bots will become more self-learning and will be able to easily match specific user needs and behaviours. That means that 24/7-operational bots will be able to replace support managers, saving many businesses money.

Official-page chatbots inside Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Skype are just a few examples of how large B2C companies are already using the technology to serve their customers. A bot could also be integrated into a PWA, regular website, professional or household equipment, or any commercially developed Internet-connected app. The rise of bots will have an impact on web design trends, particularly UX trends.

3) IMPROVED MOBILE PAGES (AMP)

Another web development trend is Accelerated Mobile Pages (or AMP). The idea is to improve page performance and reduce the likelihood of a user leaving it. AMP technology is similar to PWA technology. The difference is that pages are now accelerated thanks to an open-source plugin developed recently by Twitter and Google.

When compared to full-scope web products, AMPs are optimised pages that can operate quickly and have a simplified, yet convenient, design with only basic features. These pages are also mobile-friendly, with always-readable content. New web design trends, such as AMP development, demonstrate that the Internet is becoming more user-friendly.

4) SINGLE-PAGE APPLICATION (SPA)

SINGLE-PAGE APPLICATION (SPA) With today's high-speed Internet standards, there's no need to be stuck on an approach in which every action on the page, such as clicking on various buttons, leads to another web page being downloaded from a server.

SPAs are becoming more popular as JavaScript frameworks gain popularity. Working with them entails intercepting specific browser events and requesting JSON, which appears to be working with a web application. Google pages such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Maps, as well as social networking platforms such as Facebook, fall into this category. Current web trends indicate that most functional websites will be built as SPAs in the future.

5) VOICE SEARCH OPTIMIZATION

The future of web development appears to be less textual and more vocal, and it isn't just about virtual multifunctional home assistants like Siri, Google Home, or Amazon's Alexa. By 2021, more than half of all smart and IoT devices will be able to hear and respond to voice commands. Furthermore, they will be able to recognise different people's voices and provide a personalised AI-based experience for everyone.

Voice search is just one of the most notable examples of technology that was introduced more than a decade ago. People would prefer to spend less time typing commands in 2021 because devices could clearly understand them. As a result, most businesses are now perplexed about how to optimise their physical and digital products.

6) UI FOR MOTION

Innovation Web design is another popular trend in the digital world. Startups are increasingly focusing on the user experience and investing fewer resources in aesthetics. Beautifully designed websites and apps, on the other hand, have a higher chance of being noticed by potential users and going viral. In this context, visual design becomes a matter of marketing strategy rather than engineering.

MVPs will most likely remain minimalistic in 2021. At the same time, experts predict a surge in demand for novel design approaches such as motion UI. Although motion user interface design has been popular since 2018, it is only now that SASS library technology has made it widely available to all device users.

7) AUTOMATION TESTING

Most emerging web technologies aim to reduce development costs while providing the best possible user experience. The tool for achieving the first goal is development-stage automation. Machine learning and AI approaches enable us to build complex projects with a small team or fewer development experts, while product test automation assists us in determining whether or not our product is ready for deployment.

The approach also assists the development team in collecting and learning from test cases, lowering development costs (up to 20%), and shortening the test cycle time in general. In other words, test automation allows you to produce a higher-quality end product while spending less money.

8) JAVASCRIPT FRAMEWORKS

Although JavaScript was not invented yesterday, it is now one of the most widely used programming languages in the world, making any innovation in this area highly debated. New website trends in 2022 will include the rise and development of JavaScript frameworks.

Technically, JavaScript frameworks are still application frameworks built with the JavaScript programming language and based on the integration of libraries (both visual and functional). This web trend has numerous advantages. Immediate feedback to users without page reloads, high efficiency and fast performance, and coding simplicity are just a few examples.

9). ARCHITECTURE AND APPLICATIONS WITHOUT SERVERS

What does the future of web development look like? Serverless technology arose as a result of the search for a way to avoid system overloading, data loss, and costly development. Serverless algorithms, which are supported by major vendors such as AWS, were recently developed as a cloud computing execution model. Regular servers, according to the concept, could be replaced by clouds that manage machine resource consumption.

Current web trends in serverless app architecture aid in the reduction of development and ongoing support budgets, the strengthening of apps with flexibility potential, and the sustainability of the Internet environment. The technology is based on the use of "function as a service" (FaaS).

10). BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

Cryptocurrencies are not the most cutting-edge web development technology. They first appeared in 2004, and the crypto trading market (based on blockchain technology) was explored with investments three years ago. What can we anticipate in 2021? Many people believe that the official authorities cannot ignore blockchain currency trading. Within the last decade, their use has grown significantly, and major payment systems have decided to accept Bitcoin and other currencies.

In 2019, over 34 million blockchain wallets are in use worldwide. Blockchain technology also necessitates hardware and software support, legal oversight, and trading infrastructure. As a result, emerging web technologies are likely to cover those aspects next year. Blockchain operations must be secure and free of hacker attacks and technical errors.

Bottom Line

To meet the needs and expectations of online consumers, web development is constantly evolving. Many of these trends are focused on improving the mobile user experience; others may be focused on improving the UX for smart wearables or other devices we haven't seen yet. Keeping up with web development trends can help you ensure that your website consistently attracts and delights visitors.

Choosing a reputable web development company is one of the most important prerequisites for implementing one of these key web development technologies to achieve your business objectives. Please contact DesignLab if you have any questions about this blog.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about branding for businesses

 

Small businesses, non-profits, and start-ups are among our clients. We make our living by bringing the branding and marketing tools and tricks used by big brands and Fortune 500 companies to organisations that cannot normally afford them.

Unfortunately, many people who work with small businesses, non-profits, and start-ups don't seem to understand the principles of branding, and those who do tend to chase money and target big brands and Fortune 500 companies.

Another notable difference I see between marketing professionals who work with big brands and Fortune 500 companies and those who work

Step 1: Research your competitors

Discover what they do well and what they do badly. You need to know what they do well because you want to be at least as good as them. You must understand what they do poorly because this represents an opportunity.

This is referred to as "landscape analysis." It is an understanding of the competitive landscape.

Step 2: After learning about your competitors, articulate what you do differently and better

It's as simple as that. If you can do this, it's just a matter of getting your brand in front of as many people as possible, and there have never been more people or more places to do this in history.

But don't mix up simple and easy. This is similar to the game of Go in that it takes a second to explain but a lifetime to master. This is known as a "value proposition." People will want to work with you, buy your products, or join your organisation because of it.

Step 3: Make it plausible

This is where your story enters the picture. Explain to others why you do things differently and better. However, be cautious: while focusing solely on the story may be interesting and pleasant, if it does not support your value proposition, people will remember you but not buy your products or services or join your organisation.

Most agencies refer to this as a "brand story." That term irritates me because the acronym is BS. We prefer "organisational story" because, when done correctly,

Step 4: Make your name do some of the heavy lifting

Naming is one of the most difficult tasks we face because everyone tries to make it personal. They want the name of their organisation to be meaningful to them. And yes, you can use a personal name. Personal names have certainly been used successfully by organisations such as Walmart and McDonald's, but it's much easier if you make your name meaningful to your customers, as Apple, Nike, and Tesla do.

Step 5: Apply the "different and better" filter to your slogan

A good rule of thumb is that your name is what people remember you by, and your slogan is what sells you. "Think Different," a slogan created by TBWA/Chiat/Day for Apple, is my all-time favourite.

Step 6: Put your logo through it as well

I am not saying a logo isn't necessary. A great logo has the potential to become iconic. It is not your brand, but rather an expression of it. It bears your seal of approval. And when you run the logo through the "different and better" filter, you get something truly unique. Take, for example, the Nike swoosh. When asked what the now-famous swoosh means, Nike co-founder Phil Knight replied, "It's the sound of someone going past you."

Step 7: Create a fantastic website

People frequently ask me why we build websites, and my response is always the same: Because it is frequently the first point of contact people have with your brand, your website is the most important communication tool your organisation has. If you get this wrong, the first six steps are meaningless.

One of the most common mistakes that businesses make with their websites is to use the valuable real estate above the fold to explain what they do or why they are needed.

Treating your website as an infomercial for your brand is an extremely effective strategy. To save space, have the menu at the top tell people what you do, and then use the banner and headline to communicate what you do differently and better. Then, as they scroll down the page, have the next section give another reason why you are different and better, and so on and so forth.

Step 9: Increase your visibility

Another advantage of investing in consistent branding is that it makes your brand more memorable. Customers become more familiar with your company when they can identify it based on physical, visual, and auditory cues. This builds trust, which 81% of customers rely on when making a purchasing decision. Customers' recall and engagement with your content, emails, or advertisements may also be influenced by brand recognition.

Step 10: Employee recruitment and retention

According to LinkedIn, companies with a strong employer brand will attract 50% more qualified candidates 1-2 times faster than others.They will also recruit at a 50% lower cost per hire. Moving down the line, your current and former employees' experiences, as well as how they spread the word, have an impact on your workplace reputation and employee retention rates.

Actively managing your brand is not an option if you want to hire skilled developers and other specialists or keep your best talent away from competitors. It is a

Conclusion

The importance of relatable content cannot be overstated. Understand your target audience and create engaging content that can elicit emotions and help you build a relationship with them.

As you can see, developing your brand does not have to be difficult or expensive. The majority of these suggestions are free or low-cost. You can begin with a small budget and gradually increase your branding efforts as your company grows. To brand your company, follow these seven simple steps:

• Determine your intended audience.

• Develop your value proposition.

• Choose your mission.

• Define the personality of your brand.

• Create brand assets.

• Integrate them into all your channels.

• Maintain consistency.

Brands should be "refreshed" every five years or so, according to marketing industry standards, and your messaging, marketing campaigns, and overall goals will change as your company does. Developing a strong brand, even if it takes time, implies that your target audience can grow and change with you. Please contact DesignLab if you require any additional information or wish to learn more about our services.

How can digital marketing help you grow your company?

 

What does a company mean by "digital marketing"?

At this point, digital marketing is critical for your company and brand awareness. Every other brand appears to have a website. And if not, they have a social media presence or a digital ad strategy. Consumers now expect and rely on digital content and marketing to learn about brands. You can get creative and experiment with a variety of marketing tactics on a budget because digital marketing has so many options and strategies.

Digital marketing is all about using numerous digital tactics and channels to connect with customers where they spend most of their time: online.

What is the significance of digital marketing?

• You can target only the prospects who are most likely to buy your product or service.

• It is less expensive than outbound marketing methods.

• Digital marketing levels the playing field in your industry, allowing you to compete with larger brands.

• Digital marketing can be measured.

• A digital marketing strategy is easier to adapt and change.

• Digital marketing can boost your conversion rate and lead quality.

• With digital marketing, you can engage audiences at every stage.

 

Let us get started now

1. You can concentrate your efforts on prospects who are most likely to buy your product or service.

You have little control over who sees your advertisement if you place it on TV, in a magazine, or on a billboard. Of course, certain demographics can be measured, such as the magazine's typical readership or the demographics of a specific neighbourhood, but it's still largely a guessing game.

In contrast, digital marketing allows you to identify and target a highly specific audience, as well as send that audience personalized, high-converting marketing messages.

2. It is less expensive than outbound marketing methods.

Digital marketing allows you to track campaigns on a daily basis and reduce your spending on a specific channel if it isn't delivering a high ROI. Traditional forms of advertising are not the same. It makes no difference how well your billboard performsilit costs the same whether it converts or not.

Furthermore, with digital marketing, you have complete control over where your money is spent. Instead of paying for PPC campaigns, you could invest in design software to create highly converting Instagram content. A digital marketing strategy enables you to pivot on the fly, ensuring you never waste money on channels that don't perform well.

3. Digital marketing levels the playing field in your industry, allowing you to compete with larger brands.

If you work for a small business, you will almost certainly find it difficult to compete with the major brands in your industry, many of which have millions of dollars to invest in television commercials or national campaigns. Fortunately, strategic digital marketing initiatives provide numerous opportunities to outrank the big players.

For example, you could identify long-tail keywords related to your product or service and create high-quality content to help you rank in search engine results for those keywords. Search engines don't care which brand is the most popular; instead, they prioritise content that resonates most with the target audience.

4. Digital marketing can be tracked.

Digital marketing can provide you with a comprehensive, end-to-end view of all the metrics that are important to your business, such as impressions, shares, views, clicks, and time on page. This is one of the most significant advantages of digital marketing. While traditional advertising can be useful for certain purposes, its main limitation is its lack of measurability.

Digital marketing, unlike most offline marketing efforts, allows marketers to see accurate results in real time. If you've ever placed an ad in a newspaper, you know how difficult it is to estimate how many people actually flipped to that page and read your ad. There's no way to know for sure if that ad was responsible for any sales at all.

5. A digital marketing strategy is easier to adapt and change.

A marketing strategy requires a significant amount of effort to develop. In general, you will carry out that strategy until it is completed, allow it to take effect, and then evaluate its results. However, things do not always go as planned. You may discover halfway through that a calculation was incorrect, an assumption was incorrect, or the audience did not react as expected. Being able to pivot or adjust your strategy along the way is extremely beneficial because it keeps you from having to start from scratch.

The ability to easily change your strategy is a significant advantage of digital marketing. Adapting a digital marketing strategy is much easier than other, more traditional methods.

6. Digital marketing can boost your conversion rate and lead quality.

Because digital marketing makes it easier to measure your marketing efforts, improving your conversion rate is also easier. The ability to measure the effectiveness of each tactic aids in the development of better strategies. Continuously improving your methods will increase your conversion rate. Investing in online marketing ensures that everything is optimised for the highest conversions possible.

Furthermore, not all leads are created equal for your company. Digital marketing allows you to target a specific audience, resulting in higher-quality leads that are more likely to become customers. Connecting your company with the most valuable leads will directly improve your conversion rate.

7. Digital marketing allows you to engage audiences at every stage.

It is critical to start engaging your audience as soon as possible. Making a connection at the beginning of the buyer's journey aids in moving the lead through the customer funnel. Using digital marketing allows you to do so from beginning to end and at every stage in between.

Online channels enable you to track your customers' entire purchasing journey. Understanding and analysing how customers move and behave is critical for converting leads. You can track them through the process using digital marketing. Even if they do not convert in the early stages, it ensures they have made a connection with your company.

8. Respond to the Mobile Consumer

The average American spends nearly 71% of their time on the internet via a mobile device. If you don't cater to mobile devices, you're passing up a huge opportunity. This is especially true in highly competitive niches.

You don't have to create an outlandish advertising campaign using AI and other buzzwords anymore. Sometimes it's just a matter of simple targeting with eye-catching graphics.

9. Optimal Transition to the Internet of Things

Many small businesses are still discussing the Internet of Things (IoT). However, that is the next step in marketing. and many brands are quickly adopting it.

Scriptr, for example, used IoT to create Saepio. Saepio is a set of physical devices and cloud-based apps that assist you in maintaining social distance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the ideal solution for quarantine management and social distancing.

 

10. Obtain Options for Granular Targeting

True, your advertisement may only appeal to a specific target audience. But whether they buy from you or not, everyone will see it. This is a significant issue because advertising in a high-traffic area will be more expensive.

Consider the following: If you place an advertisement in the heart of Times Square in New York City, it will be seen by a large number of people. However, because that is how outdoor advertisements are priced, it will be very expensive. The more people who see it, the more expensive it becomes.

In conclusion

If you're still debating whether or not to invest in digital marketing, We are committed to assisting small and medium-sized businesses in developing an online presence. We assist our clients in leveraging the Internet's broad reach by designing and developing web solutions that will assist them in marketing their products to a larger audience.

Any interaction with your target audience is an opportunity to convert a lead or gain a customer. Digital marketing creates a plethora of new opportunities by allowing you to reach out to prospective buyers through a variety of channels. It is a fantastic tool for marketing your company, service, or product via social media platforms, websites, text messaging, or any other online medium.

DesignLab - The Complete Guide to Web Design and Development

 

What is web design?

Web design is the process of planning, conceptualising, and organising content for use on the internet. Today, website design extends beyond aesthetics to include the overall functionality of the website. Web design also includes the creation of web apps, mobile apps, and user interfaces.

Did you know that web design has a significant impact on your ranking in search engines like Google? This article will provide you with useful information on how to create a website that not only looks good but also functions properly and ranks well in search engines.

Web Design Elements

When designing a website, it is critical to consider both the site's appearance and functionality. Integrating these elements will improve the site's overall usability and performance. The usability of your site includes elements such as an easy-to-navigate interface, appropriate use of graphics and images, well-written and well-placed text, and a colour scheme. The performance of your website refers to its speed, ranking, searchability, and ability to capture your target audience.

1) Visual Components

Here is a quick rundown of the elements you should think about when designing your website to ensure everything works properly. Each section will give you pointers and tricks to get you started.

• Written version

Fundamentally, the appearance and text of your website go hand in hand. It is critical that your content writers and designers collaborate to create a cohesive design with balanced elements. Focus on creating text chunks (via text blocks) to complement your graphics and images.

• Fonts

Choose a font that complements the rest of your design. Fonts should complement your colour scheme, graphics, and images and should help to strengthen the overall tone of your website. Canva's Font Combinator, for example, can assist you in finding the perfect match for your font.

• Colours

When designing a website, one of the most important factors to consider is color. Keep in mind that there are many misconceptions about colour psychology, and it's more important to focus on colours that complement your overall website design and tone. Match your colour scheme to your brand and the messages you want to send to your target audience.

• Layout

The way you organise your content will have a significant impact on the usability and functionality of your site. There are no specific rules to follow when selecting a layout, but there are a few key principles to remember. Consider your target audience's needs and avoid using an overstimulating layout that may detract.

• Shapes

The use of graphic elements in web design can help to seamlessly integrate text and images, as well as improve the overall appearance of the site. Combining beautiful colours and shapes can help direct your site's visitors' attention and contribute to the overall flow of your site.

• Spacing

Spacing is an important factor in creating visually appealing and easy-to-navigate websites. Every element in your design will include spacing in some way. Appropriate whitespace utilisation is critical in creating a design that perfectly balances text, photos, and graphics. Keeping your spacing consistent can make it easier for your users to navigate your website. The concept of whitespace is unquestionably important to modern web designers.

2) Elemental Functions

These functional elements must be considered when designing your website. A properly functioning website is critical for ranking high in search engines and providing your users with the best possible experience.

• Navigation

The navigation of your website is one of the most important factors in determining whether it is functioning properly. Depending on your audience, your navigation can serve a variety of functions, including assisting first-time visitors in discovering what your site has to offer, providing easy access to your pages for returning visitors, and improving the overall experience of all visitors. Check out these best practices for more navigation advice.

• Animations

There are numerous web animation techniques that can help your design capture the attention of your visitors and allow them to interact with your site by providing feedback. Adding "like" buttons or forms, for example, can keep your site's visitors interested. To avoid developer intervention, keep your animations simple if you are new to web design.

• Speed

Nobody enjoys a slow website. Waiting more than a few seconds for a page to load can quickly discourage a visitor from staying or returning to your site. No matter how beautiful your site is, if it does not load quickly, it will not perform well in search (i.e., it will not rank highly on Google).

 

• Structure of the website

The structure of a website is important for both the user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO). Your users should be able to navigate your website with ease and without encountering any structural issues. If users are getting lost while navigating your site, chances are "crawlers" are as well. A crawler (or bot) is a programme that searches your website and determines its functionality. Poor navigation can have a negative impact on the user experience and site ranking.

• Compatibility across browsers and devices

A great design should be visually appealing on all devices and browsers (yes, even Internet Explorer). If you are starting from scratch, we recommend using a cross-browser testing tool to make this time-consuming process go faster and more efficiently.

Why is less more when it comes to your company website?

The most common mistake we see small business owners make with their websites—and the one we spend the most time encouraging them to avoid—is making them too complicated. If you're an expert in your field, have a wide range of fantastic products, or have a dozen different ways for people to give you money, the temptation is to cover them all.

After all, if you give customers a lot of options, there is a better chance they'll find something that appeals to them among all the other options. Right?

Every page should only have one call to action. Many businesses do not even have one on their homepage; they are cluttered with information, and there is no indication of what the visitor's desired next action or what the visitor's desired next action is. If you know what action you want your visitor to take, you'll know what information to remove from the page because it's distracting and irrelevant to the process of encouraging that next action.

Explore Web Development

The Internet is here to stay, and it is evolving to meet the needs of its users. Web developers are at the forefront of these advancements and developments; web development can be found everywhere, from this blog to your favourite social network to the apps on your phone.

As a result, investing time in learning about coding and programming is worthwhile in order to make your business website the best it can be—for you and your customers. If you require any additional services or have any questions, please contact DesignLab.