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The 2000s were truly an iconic moment in time. We’re talking about pop culture and tech innovation mammoths to the likes of Britney Spears, iPods, and reality TV dominating the scene — Not to mention an overall surge in internet accessibility globally. The year 2000 also confirms the fact that the world didn’t end with Y2K…As we mentioned, accessibility to the “World Wide Web” increased dramatically between the years 2000 and 2015. This means many businesses took advantage of this new (at the time) opportunity by putting their company on the map with a website. But, time flies, and we are now well into 2022. Is it high time that your business takes a fresh look at your current web design to make some updates? We’ll cover some points below on how your business’s website can become a modern, sleek, money-making machine.
Why You Should Care
Chances are, we don’t need to harp too much on the importance of your website. Not only is it vital to simply have a website to establish your business, but it must also be a quality one. Research shows that it only takes the average reader about 15 seconds or less to determine whether or not they will stay on your website. First impressions do matter, and your website serves as this for consumers and other businesses alike who are taking a peek at what your business is all about. And with technology and style trends rapidly advancing, no one wants to look like an outdated, behind-the-game player in their industry or market -- So it only makes sense that your website should always be looking its best!
How You Can Increase Sales Leads with Your Website
Now that you’re convinced of the importance of an effective website, how can you make the practical changes needed to make your site a strong tool for creating effective sales leads and improving ROI for your business? Here are some main points to focus on if you are interested in revamping your current site...
Creative Design & Branding
If your website's overall aesthetic is outdated or downright hard to look at, chances are that visitors won’t want to stick around long enough to learn more about what you have to offer or make a buying decision.
Start by having your team take a fresh look at the overall style and branding for your business. Does your company have a brand style guide? Does it effectively communicate your message? Once you determine this, you will be better equipped, with your style guide as a tool, to help to give your website the fresh look it needs to communicate your message in a modern and visually appealing way. We’ve listed some design standards and trends to consider in the section below on some specifics you might want to consider incorporating.
Organization & Workflow
If the current layout of your website is making it difficult and confusing for customers to get from point A to point B, you’ve got an issue to tend to. Website workflows and organization are an integral part of your website design. Modern web design capabilities offer us way more creative options when it comes to website layout than we had 10-20 years ago. Without strong workflow goals established and communicated from the get-go, professional web design teams lose direction and fall behind schedule when it comes to the actual design process.
So first think about the steps needed, from beginning to end, that your target customer will need to take on your website to make a buying decision. Additionally, an effective website organization could lead a potential consumer to find your company’s contact information more easily and faster so that they can reach out directly for more information. Even having your social media handles linked and displayed clearly can help customers take one step in a buying decision and better connect with your brand.
Content Marketing
If your website is not doing the heavy lifting by generating leads while you sleep, you can benefit from incorporating inbound marketing techniques into your site. When fully optimized using content or inbound marketing practices, modern websites have the power to consistently generate leads over time.
One of the main methods of implementing inbound marketing techniques is with a regularly updated blog on your website. With this you can speak directly to your target audience through every stage of the buyer’s journey, whether it be the awareness, comprehension, and action stages of the journey, to help them move toward making a purchase. And having your website’s content include relevant keywords, you are helping improve your site's SEO and organic traffic. This means these keywords are improving the chances of your website being listed at the top of customers’ Google search results. Google search rankings may have not been so important 15 years ago, but they certainly are now!
Modern Web Design Standards and Trends To Consider
Mobile-Friendly Navigation
Most people of all ages have and use their smartphones daily, so your website should be thumb-scrolling accessible!
Chatbots
These can lead to a positive experience for the customer and save the business the customer support cost associated with talking to a live person.
Accessibility and Availability
It is important to have a site that every visitor can navigate and interact with, including those with disabilities.
Interactive Elements
Things like polls and surveys, custom calculators, and quizzes are great ways to engage with customers.
Micro-Interactions
We all expect a link to change colors when a user mouses over it. But with micro-interactions, that same experience might be given more attention to stand out a little bit more by incorporating more animations.
White Space
Now, this doesn’t literally have to mean white. A current web design trend is experimenting with colorful minimalism. The idea is to have a bold background color with clean text and minimal design elements to create an attractive and easy-on-the-eyes web page.
Smart Video
Say goodbye to the days when embedding a YouTube video on your site “just to have one” was standard. Having one well-thought-out, high-quality video as your hero image on your homepage, for example, is a great place to start.
In Conclusion
Your website is one of the most important tools in the overall success of your business, and it shouldn’t be something you left in 2008! By taking the points above into consideration, we hope that you have been inspired or motivated to give your website a fresh update, and if that is the case, our team of web development experts would love to help. We have a proven track record of designing websites that generate quality leads and improve ROI for local businesses.
Reach out today for a free consultation, or download our ebook today for more information on how to better monitor and track your business’s ROI. 
Originally published 7/22/21 - Updated 2/13/24
