Web design and development technologies are constantly changing. The way users interact with a site, design preferences, Google’s algorithms and mobile use are all key factors to consider today. An up to date website is crucial for consumer confidence and will ultimately have a positive effect on your bottom line.
Below is a list of absolutely necessary website requirements for 2020. If you’re looking to update your existing website, make sure these things are taken into account. If you are thinking of a complete overhaul, make sure these items are considered in the planning phase. If your current website cannot be retrofitted with these things, it may be a sign that you are overdue for a new website.
Over 50% of internet traffic comes from phones and tablets (Statista), and that number is only projected to go up in the coming months and years. If your website is hard to use or takes too long to load on a mobile device, you could be missing a valuable opportunity to connect with consumers who may be interested in your product or service.
What’s more, a few years ago, Google began to transition websites to “mobile first indexing”, meaning that Google will primarily use the mobile version of a website when indexing and ranking. This is in response to the increased volume of mobile search traffic; Google wants to index websites that are mobile-friendly first. Ensuring that your website’s framework is designed for both desktop and mobile usability will give you better SERP rankings.
With mobile use increasing constantly, a fast loading site is imperative. A survey by Unbounce reports that slow load time has a negative impact on consumer confidence and behavior. Consumers are actually less likely to make a purchase if the site pages take too long to load and if a page takes longer than 3 seconds to load, consumers are likely to abandon the page altogether.
Furthermore, Google uses page speed as a ranking factor, so if your site loads slower than a competitor’s, you risk appearing lower in a search. Poorly optimized images, bloated code and subpar website hosting can all affect a site’s load time. If you’re having issues with site speed, we recommend getting a professional website analysis to find out what the culprit is.
Curious about your site’s loading time? Use this tool to test page speed.
Your website is your company’s digital calling card. It’s often the first impression a potential customer gets about your brand and offerings. It is the hub of your digital marketing efforts; every digital communication piece, ad and social media post usually leads the consumer back to your website.
Presenting a website that is inconsistent with your brand can create confusion with potential customers and may ultimately damage your reputation and credibility. (Lucidpress)
Beware of web development companies that rely solely on out-of-the-box frameworks or templated websites for this reason; these frameworks and templates are not designed from the ground up to be consistent with your company’s brand. Rather, they are retrofitted both design-wise and programmatically in an attempt to create a branded website, and the results are often a “sort of” branded website, one that has partially branded content but an overall design and framework that is anything but.
Well planned and well designed calls to action should prompt a visitor to take action. Providing clear direction to a site user will necessitate this action. Make sure your potential customer knows exactly how to make a purchase, join a newsletter or contact your company.
This one seems like a no-brainer, but make sure that your company contact information is on every single page of your site. Make it easy for visitors to get a hold of you. Companies that intentionally leave contact information off of their website seem less credible, reliable and transparent; if an organization seems like they’re trying to hide something, it’s probably because they are.
Unbiased customer testimonials can help an organization establish credibility and trust. They further your company’s reputation by communicating the value that other customers have in your organization and offerings.
When you have a positive interaction with an existing customer, make sure to ask them for a sincere and honest testimonial. Once you’ve collected a few, disperse them throughout your website for potential customers to see.
We are a team of nimble creatives and developers in Reno, Nevada. We design, create, code and produce effective work that gets our clients noticed and produces measurable results.
We approach all of our projects and client relationships with a set of guiding principles; these are the core values that help to make us different and better.
Have a project you’d like to discuss? Want to ask a question or two? Feel free to shoot us an email or give us a call. We’re always excited by the prospect of mutually beneficial relationshps and helping businesses grow.
