Your Website - 5 Things You Need To Know for 2018
Your website is the face of your business, and you don't want the fine lines and wrinkles of age to detract from its effectiveness. Mobility should be at the top of the "must do" list for the upcoming year. In the beginning, mobile designs were somewhat limiting, but today's mobile technology provides support for voice search, natural language processing, geolocation, and more. Mobile functionality will drive many of 2018s website trends.
SecurityHave you noticed more site addresses begin with https:// rather than http://? The "s" stands for secure. Visitors want to know they can trust your site. Your customers want to know they can make safe purchases from your website. No individual or business wants to risk having their computer hacked and their files held for ransom. This issue matters to Google as well so they will be influencing how users see your website. 2018 is the year you want everyone to know they can expect secure transactions on your site. SLL stands for secure sockets layer, and it is standard security technology, which allows an encrypted link to be established between the browser and a web server. SLL certificates are issued to websites that take this step to ensure that customer data passed between the browser and web server remains secure. Consumers are learning to look for SLL certificates, and you need to have one. Stay tuned for more offers from Ridpath Creative regarding HTTPS and your website.
Lead-Generating FormsForms generate leads that are valuable. When a website visitor completes a form, it demonstrates an interest in your services or products. Some of the most successful forms offer a free white paper or other incentives to encourage newsletter sign-ups. Lead-generation is essential for business-to-business (B2B) sites and in this age of technology, your website can be the best tool in your arsenal.
High-Quality ImagesExpect to see high-quality images and graphs on business websites in 2018. Your website must always look its best, and you should have a professional photographer shoot images of your business and employees. You can also find professional images at online stock photography companies. Do you need a custom graphic or photograph? Contract Ridpath Creative to help.
Micro-InteractionsInviting website visitors to participate by offering them micro-interaction choices is a wise choice. By offering the visitor the opportunity to like your pages and offerings on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites with a simple button click, you are opening the door to thousands of new visitors. Micro-interactions are proving to break down barriers and increase the speed of spreading your message. This concept works great with mobile connectivity and will be making appearances on the most progressive websites.
Play Your CardsCard layouts are user friendly and inspired by the social "collection" site, Pinterest. Rectangular or square blocks transport the user to an identified purpose of the website. The trend is catching on rapidly because it presents every website in an easy to use format, and it works for every type of business. Wholesale, manufacturer, travel, restaurant, retail, automotive, blog, and entertainment sites all benefit from the card format. This attractive and user-friendly style is sure to become the most popular new theme for 2018.
Bring your website into 2018 with updates that excite the visitors to your site and generate sales and leads. When you accommodate your consumers with greater mobility, security, convenience, and opportunities for interaction, your business will grow, and conversions will increase. Contact Ridpath Creative today to help with your strategy and implementation.