Why ‘Set It and Forget It’ Doesn’t Work With Your Website
Here are four tips to refresh your website this year
As a brand and website designer, I'm always on the lookout for the latest trends and strategies to keep websites fresh, engaging, and user-friendly. It’s important to view your website as an ever-evolving, ‘living’ part of your business, not a one time deal you can set and forget.
Whether you're wanting a complete redesign or just looking for a quick refresh, today I’m sharing a few of my best tips for creating (or refreshing) a killer website this year. Buckle up!
Refresh your website at least once a year
This doesn't just mean updating content, but thoroughly analyzing your site to see what can be improved. Considering how the user experience can be improved is always a top priority!
Consider Dark Mode and readability
Dark mode is increasingly popular across apps and websites, however it hasn’t made its way over to third party website design sites (yet). However, it’s a good idea to switch up your colors and use some darker high contrasting backgrounds where appropriate. Switching to a dark background with white text can be easier on the eyes and more engaging.
Highly contrasting sections on your site, rather than a uniform white background, can make your content pop and reduce eye strain. You can use a tool like this one to check the contrast score to ensure readability for all users, especially those with visual impairments.
Incorporating texture and depth for a sophisticated touch
This can be achieved through 3D visuals, animations, and layered designs, for example. These elements make your site more visually appealing and can set it apart from others; It’s the thing you don’t know is missing until you see it.
Design the mobile version first
Most users access websites via mobile devices. While desktop designs often look better (and us designers love to show off desktop vs mobile!), I think we all need to be better at prioritizing mobile-first design. This approach ensures that your site is functional and attractive on smaller screens, where the majority of your audience is. Design for mobile initially, and then adapt your layout for desktop to ensure a seamless and effective experience across all devices (I’m taking my own advice here, lol).
When using third-party website builders like Squarespace, changes made for mobile can impact desktop versions. This can be frustrating, but it’s another reason prioritizing mobile design first and considering how elements will translate across different devices from the start will avoid design issues later down the road!
Bottom line: Let’s keep our sites cute and up-to-date, friends! If you don’t want to or can’t tackle this yourself, simply click here. I gotchu. 👊
TLDR: When it comes to web design, you can’t just set it and forget it. Review and refresh your website each year; I’m sharing several tips to make this year’s version is on trend and primed to convert.
When refreshing your website seems daunting or out of reach, that is when I come in!
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