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Website design has come a long way since its very earliest days just a few decades ago. Of course, there are plenty of business owners out there who still remember the days before websites. But let’s not overlook the fact that the principles and practices that go into website design have gone through countless changes in that time. Moreover, there are many different ways that various industries make effective use of website design.
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Local Contractors Make Effective Use of Modern Tools
There are many different types of websites on the internet. You can find news sites, shops for products from large and small retailers, and engage in social media. However, contractors for various local services hold a big chunk of websites today.
This category includes plumbers, electricians, HVAC companies, carpenters, landscapers, and similar local services. The common thread here is that they’re professionals for some kind of service. These types of contractors can leverage the design of their website as an effective tool to reach customers.
In the early days of online small business promotion, a website would be little more than a digital business card. The company’s name and phone number were the most important part of the site’s design. Today, small companies such as these can implement a wide range of design features to help them advance their business.
These design features center largely around conversion. Once someone arrives on the website, the goal of the site’s design is to direct the user toward a service or purchase. They use prominent calls to action (CTAs) to do so.
The site should therefore make it easy to call the business or request a call back with a simple contact form. The best of these sites also incorporate mobile compatibility with click-to-call functionality. This makes things simple for customers when they’re on their mobile devices.
Casino Industry Implements Impressive Visual Design Principles on Websites
When developing a website, there are two distinct categories to consider. The first is information. That is, what content does the website deliver?
The second is visual design, perhaps the most important element of website design. In the highly competitive online casino industry, for example, websites must apply the appropriate visual design principles to engage their visitors.
One prominent example of effective casino website design is that of www.truebluecasinos.org. The website’s recent redesign incorporates visuals in a way that engages and presents information in an intuitive and effective way. The visuals draw visitors’ focus to specific areas to impart information quickly and entice further action. This is much the same way that media like news sites utilize headlines.
The core principle behind this type of website design is visual hierarchy. This practice uses a combination of the size, color, and arrangement of elements to indicate the importance and draw focus in a particular order. Clear visual elements provide immediate context to each element. This technique allows users to understand navigation quickly so they can move around the website with no trouble at all.
Social Media Offers Seamless Browsing
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Nearly all internet visitors use social media in some capacity. For example, residents of many countries in the world get much of their local news through social media websites. Through the sharing of text posts, videos, or other content most social media websites today incorporate particular design principles to easily display information. The goal is to give a more seamless experience than conventional websites.
In contrast, more conventional websites use rigid navigational structures based on pages. Most websites still work this way, although more and more industries are beginning to incorporate more flexible navigation and design structures.
But on social media sites the concept of the “infinite feed” is widespread. When scrolling through posts, videos, or anything else, there is no need to go to a second page. The page will instead continue to extend as long as the user continues to scroll.
This removes one barrier to engagement by allowing users to simply continue their activity. Very few actions on social media websites take the user to another page. Instead, the focus is on opening posts or sections within the page. This concept allows the user to resume their experience seamlessly once they’ve viewed specific content. Many online shopping platforms are also adding similar features and are increasing their sales by doing so.
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Keeping up with Website Design Can Be Challenging
So much goes into website design, both upfront and behind the scenes. Many businesses and individuals don’t actually understand the principles behind website design, relying on templates and automated tools to put together a website.
However, those tools are based on the fundamental principles of website design. Moreover, one of those principles is that design itself should always be in flux. We’ve seen website design change so much in recent years, and there is no sign that this will stop anytime soon. The way that different industries make use of website design is therefore also constantly shifting, and there’s no telling what tomorrow will bring.
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