What will your website need in 2023 to be a top contender amongst small businesses? Trends for the new year are leaning towards more informal eye-catching graphics while holding on a little tighter to clean and crisp web designs. Here are a few tips to remember when building out or freshening up your business’ site.

Digital Marketing Trends

Digitial marketing tools are evolving to help business owners make stronger connections with their customers. Digital Marketer outlined a few applications that can help businesses increase influence and sales: 

• Real-time Messaging: Offering a chat feature provides customers with the opportunity to get answers to their questions quickly and with a more personal touch. It can help you get to know your customers better and increases your chances of making a sale.
• Video-Based Content: Moving graphics are becoming more popular with website visitors wanting to see less text. Videos grab more attention from the user and is a great way to promote your business.
• Influencer Marketing: Know someone who has the same niche as your business and has a large following for their brand? Work together to build up your influence, promote each other’s brands, and grow both audiences. 

Read the full article from Digital Marketer here.

Web Design Trends

The look and feel of your website is just as important as the content. Your website needs to be accessible, user-friendly, and attention grabbing if you want users to stick around. TheeDigital shares web designs that will work in the new year:

• Parallax scrolling is still popular and turns your website into dynamic sections of content. Content looks more engaging to the user as images move behind neighboring sections. Here’s an example from okalpha.
• Micro-animations are small moving images that can be used as guides for websites with lots of interactions. Some businesses are using micro-animation to give users a better look at products or a closer look into a location. Here’s an example from Elivi Hotels.
• Dark mode helps to reduce eye strain for viewers. It also gives websites a modern look and can help other elements stand out without much enhancement. Here’s an example from MasterClass.
• White space, or negative space, gives content room to breathe. The space doesn’t have to be white, but it does have to be empty. It’s simplistic and helps users see exactly what you want them to see. Here’s a popular example.

Read the full article from TheeDigital here.

Immersive and Interactive Trends

Using artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) components on your website may seem like a new trend, but it’s truly just becoming more accessible. Check out these insights from Jasper.Studio: 

• AI and machine learning can take the guesswork out of designing your website and produce something that fits your audience.
• VR is still largely used for gaming and entertainment, whereas AR is coming on board for more practical applications. Businesses can use AR to create interactive 3D models of products or to take users on virtual tours.
• Responsive design ensures a website will be easy to navigate regardless of screen size. It will also help your website to load quickly and effectively across all devices.

Read the full article from Jasper.Studio here.

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