Either way, it’s crucially important that you optimize your website for both traffic and conversions. And how do you do that? In 2021, web design is the starting point. Website design more is important than ever to create a great website, attract visitors, and keep them on the site.

In fact, visitors decide whether they’ll stay on a website or bounce in less than one second and that 94% of that decision is influenced by web design. 

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But how exactly does design impact these decisions? And how can you improve your website design to engage qualified visitors, keep them on your website, and boost conversions?

There are three essential elements of a perfect website design: simplicity, functionality, and consistency with your brand. To get into more technical details, the best-designed websites out there make use of a layout that is grid-based so that content is always aligned. Additionally, the best-designed websites are fast, optimized for mobile devices, and use great content (as well as great typography).

While the web design characteristics you employ for your website will vary based on your industry, audience, and other factors, there are some tips you should keep in mind when designing (or redesigning) your website in 2021:

• Colors

Color is of vital importance to successful web design. Your color should be, before anything else, consistent with the branding of your company. But that’s not all. Make sure the colors you use are engaging and inviting to your potential customers. Think about your target audience. What type of colors would they find appealing? Make sure you provide enough contrast — that way, everyone will be able to access your website, including blind and partially sighted people. 

• Illustrations

Illustrations can make your website easier to navigate, and also more engaging for visitors. Make sure you use compelling images and videos. You can try to experiment with more innovative types of illustrative content like 3D animations. Alternatively, you can try using innovative navigation formats, such as parallax navigation, for an innovative and compelling experience. But make sure your file sizes aren’t too large — you can risk making your website load slow, which can be bad especially for mobile users. This brings us to the next point…

• Responsive design

In 2021, it’s more important than ever to ensure your website is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices. Slow websites create a bad experience for all types of users, but it can be even worst for mobile device users. Make sure your website is responsive and don’t load it with oversized files. To make your website responsive, consider also using vector graphics that will resize files without losing quality. 

• Simple navigation 

Navigating your website shouldn’t create problems or concerns for users. They should, instead, be able to easily find everything they’re looking for — content, pages, products, contact information, etc. consider using infinite scroll navigation for a seamless and minimalistic navigation experience. However, the ty[e of navigation you use depends on the type of website you have, and how many pages and types of content you need to display.

• Simple content

Not only should your website’s navigation be simple, but the content on your site should be clear too. In particular, try using minimalist typography, files, and copy. At every step of the design process, ask yourself if there’s a way a design element could be more simple. 

• Engaging

As a final tip for web design in 2021, make your web design engaging. Try to add elements that will make your website stand out compared to your competitors and other sites in your industry. How can your web design give you a competitive advantage? Try to add elements your visitors can interact with — without compromising the other elements in this list (such as simple navigation and responsive design). Using engaging elements will help you capture the users’ attention and keep them on your site for a longer period — which will result in higher conversion rates and, consequently, in a boost in sales. Try improving the micro-interactions on your site, and adding content like 360-degree videos (which your users can interact with).

And there you have it. The top tips you should keep in mind when designing a website or redesigning your existing one. Make sure you apply these and you’ll see great improvements in all your website KPIs including traffic and conversions. Follow the infographic below for more details on the top web design trends for 2021.