Every year brings a new list of web design trends. Most are about looks and fade quickly. The ones worth paying attention to are the ones that make a website easier to use, because those keep paying off long after the fashion has moved on.
Worth following
Speed as a design goal. Lighter pages, sensibly sized images and fewer scripts. A fast site feels better before anyone notices why. See how we made a roofing website six times lighter.
Designing for phones first. Most visitors to a local business website arrive on a phone. Designing for the small screen first, then adding for larger ones, gives better results than shrinking a desktop design.
Plain, confident wording. Clear headlines that say what you do and for whom, instead of slogans. Our guide to website text that turns visitors into customers covers this.
Real photos. Real work, real people and real premises build more trust than polished stock images. More in stock photos versus real ones.
Small, purposeful animation. A button that responds when you press it, or a section that fades in gently, helps people understand what is happening. Animation that only decorates gets in the way.
Accessibility as standard. Readable text, good contrast and websites that work with a keyboard or screen reader. It helps everyone, and it is increasingly expected. See our accessibility guide.
Respecting privacy. Small, fair cookie banners and collecting only the data you need. Visitors notice, and so do regulators. Here is how to do cookie banners well.
Worth skipping
- Full-screen video or heavy animations on the home page that slow everything down.
- Pop-ups the moment someone arrives.
- Unusual navigation that people have to work out.
- Text over busy images that is hard to read.
- Copying whatever large brands are doing, when your customers need something simpler.
A useful question
Before adding anything new, ask: does this help a visitor understand what we do, trust us, or get in touch? If the answer is no, it can wait.
A yearly check-up
Instead of chasing trends, give your website a check once a year: is it still fast, are the photos and prices current, does it work well on the latest phones, are the reviews recent? Our free website health check is a good place to start, and if your site needs more than a refresh, read redesign or improve first.