Designing a Top Site
It’s 2015: times are changing and the internet is flourishing more than ever. Like a Venus flytrap, a good website is both seductive and ensnaring. With over a billion sites registered on the internet, competition is fierce. Even with hosting companies such as 1&1 offering eye-catching and engaging web templates for bloggers and webmasters to customize, designing a site that stands out from the crowd still remains a challenge.
For those of you currently running your own blog, here are some emerging design trends to help persuade visitors to stay on your site for longer.
They see me Scrollin’
As with most things in life, it is generally fair to say that the less we have to do, the happier we are. Browsing through a website should be as seamless and smooth as possible, which is why many websites are transitioning to long pages with small sections of information, as opposed to a muddle of webbed regular size pages. Long pages are also more smartphone friendly, which is of course where an ever increasing amount of internet activity is taking place. (Ever wondered just how long an internet page can be? This site here has. Though created for different reasons, it shows you just how high – or low – the limit is.)
A Whole New Web
A site doesn’t necessarily need bells and whistles to attract people; but with a touch of good taste it can be a real diamond in the rough. We’ve come a long way from the clunky websites of the past, as suave design has finally caught up with website building. Features such as
funky loading pages, highlighted passages at the point of the curser and pop-out menus and just some of the ways you can pimp your site. Whilst still providing informative data, these methods can bring a website to life and provide an interactive experience for the visitor.
To the left, to the right
Originating from the tabloid world and additionally the main menus of particular apps, the side-swiping presentation of information is starting to see its way into the browser versions too. It takes some getting used to the unfamiliarity of a horizontal-based menu on the larger screen, but ultimately the change looks fantastic and is quickly catching on across the net.
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