You may be surprised to learn that social media has had a significant impact on web design in the last few years. Before social media, users relied solely on how a business chose to format their website, and the information that they opted to include, in order to make their buying decisions. Now, however, the influence of social media has required businesses to change up how they build and design their websites. So how exactly has web design had to evolve to suit new consumer expectations?
Easier Access to Information
Social media channels give users instant, easy access to information about businesses. This has made users more critical of websites that aren’t providing information on a seamless and easy-to-navigate platform.
This means that web design needs to focus heavily on content. This means making meaningful choices in how it is presented, formatted, and discovered via page navigation. If a website doesn’t have information readily and easily accessible on their site, users are likely to leave in favor of a competitor who has done a better job of formatting their content.
Different Expectations for Ads
I’m sure that most of us remember what advertising used to look like on websites, with things like pop-up ads, scrolling ads, and the like. These days, you might expect to still see these ads on certain sites (gossip sites and blogs come to mind), but you certainly don’t expect to see them on a legitimate business’ website.
Social media has shifted consumer expectations for what ads should look like. Visit any social media platform, and you will find that the ads are designed to blend in with the organic content. This makes ads less intrusive, and more appealing to users if the ad is promoting a product or service that they are interested in.
Nowadays, consumers will no longer engage with, or even tolerate, intrusive ads that make it difficult to access the information they are looking for. In our opinion, business websites shouldn’t have any ads on them. The amount of money you make from these ads is very minimal, it encourages users to leave your site, and, quite frankly, annoys the heck out of them.
An Emphasis on Responsive Web Design
Over half of all online searches are now conducted on a mobile device. This means that sites without responsive designs, which adapt to suit a user’s device screen, are at a major disadvantage. Websites that aren’t responsive will not display properly, leaving users frustrated and often opting to do their business with one of your competitors instead.
Responsive web design means that, no matter what device a user is accessing your site through, they will have a seamless experience. Sound familiar? It should. Social media sites were some of the first adopters of responsive design, ensuring that users could easily access their sites from anywhere.
Proper Web Design Requires an Expert
While there are probably hundreds of DIY website build sites out there that tout their “easy to use” templates, the fact is that these sites don’t offer everything that a website design firm can. There is a reason these sites are cheap – you’re stuck making your content fit the narrow constraints of templates that are often generic and not responsive.
When it’s time for your business to build an effective and engaging website, Gulf Coast Web is here to help. With over 25 years of experience in managing web design for business across all industries, we have the knowledge necessary to build a site that appeals to your audience, generating you quality leads and conversions. Our staff consists of highly-trained web design and digital marketing professionals who are both passionate about their jobs and excel at what they do. Contact us today to book a consultation with our team. We look forward to outlining exactly how we can help you grow your business with our digital media agency services.