Content management platforms like WordPress use widgets and add-ons to dramatically improve the appearance and capabilities of a web design. These features can empower any web design to compete at a high level for business. There are four web design features in particular that add immediate value to the eyes of visitors, and you can take advantage of these features to make your website more accessible and engaging.
Responsive Design
A responsive design is a web design that looks good on all devices from mobile to desktop. This is especially important when you take into consideration that mobile online access has surpassed desktop online access. There are simply more people viewing websites on mobile devices than there are people viewing websites on desktop computers, so if your site is not responsive most mobile visitors are going to have a hard time navigating thru it.
Over the last few years, responsive web design has become solidified as the standard for web design, especially where WordPress is concerned. Although there are still some arguments over how to create responsive design, there are few arguments on whether responsive design is just a trend. It is the new norm and expectation of today’s mobile consumer.
Typography
Visitors to your website will make a snap judgment based on the way your website’s text is arranged long before they actually read the words themselves. Typography is the art of arranging type and letters to make words legible and visually appealing. The arrangement involves selecting attractive typefaces that look good next to design elements on the web page. These visual arrangements include factors like choosing a good letter size, adjusting the space between letters, and more.
In the past, web type-kits have been too expensive for small business owners to afford but this has been changing. Type kits are more affordable than ever, even free in some cases, which means there is much more freedom for designers to use their typography skills to make attractive websites. This also means that WordPress theme designers can include typographic flexibility in their themes, which makes typography accessible for just about anyone who uses WordPress.
Image & Video Dominance
A website is not complete without eye-catching images and videos. Designers can use visual media to make powerful statements and to make a website memorable for visitors. Using images and videos is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to make a website stand out from the crowd. After all, visitors are more likely to remember websites that were visually impressive. Displaying your content creatively this way keeps your brand fresh in your visitors’ minds.
Micro-Interactions
Pop-ups have a bad reputation to be annoying to website visitors, but they can also be used to enhance a visitor’s experience when done with grace. Similar to pop-ups, micro-interactions are contained experiences or interactions that are triggered by an action from the site visitor. An example might be an email sign-up box that pops up when someone visits a web page. Instead of standing still, the box might wiggle back and forth playfully, giving personality to the pop-up with graphics. Micro-interactions like these promote user engagement such as more email sign-ups or lead-slip fill outs. These micro-interactions are important aspects of web design because it saves website visitors time looking thru your site to give you a conversion!
Each one of these features is notable for the value it adds to both the user and webmaster experience. Studies show that visitors decide whether to do business with a brand based on the first few seconds of their experience on the brand’s website.
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