Columbus Ohio website design firm's abstract graphic showing a trend

You have trends in your business, right? Doesn't matter whether you're a home builder or plastic surgeon, there's always new technology or looks that become more popular. Not surprisingly, it's the same with web design.

Of course, just like you your business, you'll rarely get everyone to agree on the same trends, or what things are on the way out. They're like Top Ten lists: everyone would come up with a different version no matter the topic: music, food or the coolest restaurants in your town.

With that in mind, for your consideration, here's one Columbus Ohio website design firm's list of...

A few trends in web design

Self promotional sites

No one wants to hear you say how awesome you are. No one believes that when we say it ourselves. Now get someone else to say it for you, it's a different story.

But even beyond that, your website should tell your audience, how what you do will make their lives better or easier. How your expertise will help them make more money, look better, or be a hero on the eyes of their family, friends or bosses. Your website is your main marketing tool: use it to market yourself, not drone on about how great you, or your company is.

DumB Stock photos

Yes, we all use them, and it's tough not to, but there are millions of option. Once you understand that you don't have to be so literal in your choice of images, it opens up all kinds of options.

This is also an indication of how good a web design firm is. Look at the images they use in their own websites. If they have silly or dumb stock photos, you can bet that's the kind of images they'll be using in your website!

Stay away from those design firms!

Columbus Ohio website design firms shows do's and don'ts of using stock images

Pop up windows

But only the pop up windows that are trying to sell you something, or get you to sign up for something. They are SO annoying, though we have one client who says their pop up window offering a free e-book works really well for them.

We're surprised, but hey, we could be wrong. Trends are just that: trends. They are not universal truths.

Simple templates

Templates, used by inexperience web design firms, make your company look like so many others. They don't make you look like a leader in your industry. They make you look mundane.

It;sour theory, that if you're better than your competitors, then your website should be better than theirs.

Long Text

We're all members of the "Short Attention Span Society," and because of that, no one likes to read. So keep your content short.

Besides, if you offer a product or service that people don't purchase online, then, you don't have to oversell. Your copy's goal is to educate folks just enough to get them to reach out to you for more information.

educational copy

This is a big one. Anyone who is a marketer these days has to be a content creator. And not just any content. Content that educates (and maybe even entertains) your audience.

This is called "Content marketing" and if you're adding something of value to the conversation, then people might actually share it. We do. There's lots of articles we love that we link to in our blog posts.

That's all for now...

We don't want to bore you (more than we already have!). There's lots more trends in web design, but they're also about things you can't see in websites. Behind-the-scenes things.

If you'd like to learn more, drop us an email and we can have a conversation.