Website Trends from the First Half of 2019 (Roundup + 2 Evergreen Practices)

Page speed

Almost a year ago to the day, a July 2018 Google update has introduced mobile page speed as a ranking factor for both organic and paid search.

Discover how and why you have to improve your mobile page speed.

Mobile-first approach

As a consequence of the page speed impact and the increasing mobile traffic, the mobile-first approach is truly thriving in 2019.

Depending on the industry, as much as 60% of your traffic can come from mobile devices. On top of that, smart device users have double the dwell time of desktop visitors.

Learn why you need the mobile-first approach to web design.

Local SEO

Another crucial practice caused by the surge of mobile traffic is the local SEO.

While browsing the Internet on the go, people often look for things near them – restaurants, landmarks, businesses.

By taking advantage of localised searches you can leapfrog your competition. An astonishing number of businesses doesn’t have an optimised local SEO strategy.

Here are 4 easy local SEO tips.

Web push notifications

They’re not new, but push notifications have become more prominent in the recent months.

You can use them to notify your users about your fresh content, deliver exclusive offers, remind them about events and more.

Here’s how to use push notifications correctly.

Less is more

We have seen the minimalistic approach to web design come and go over the years. It’s back in 2019, perhaps stronger than ever.

Customers wish to complete their user journey in the shortest amount of time. They desire clear, concise layouts.

Less is more – less distractions, more conversions.

Chatbots

Automated digital conversations are a great way to capture leads beyond your opening hours.

Over half of customers would like to see effective chatbots that provide 24/7 service, respond instantly and answer simple questions, while just over a third want them to solve complex problems.

We have covered the benefits of chatbots and how they can complement your customer service on our blog in February.

Voice search

Tying into the previous mobile trends, mobile devices are one reason voice search is on the rise. One in three smartphone users uses voice search at least once a week.

Localised voice searches will soon become a part of local SEO for businesses. On top of that, home assistants are making voice commerce increasingly popular.

Learn how to prepare your business website for voice search.

The evergreen website trends

Accessibility

Making your website accessible to everyone was always important but in 2019 we finally saw it become a hot topic.

Many people are unaware of the fact that making your website content accessible to the impaired visitors is as much up to the editors as it is to the web developers.

Here are our website accessibility principles for editors.

Content strategy – content-first approach

We’ve been used to the importance of a content strategy for a long time. However, the content-first approach is still growing on business owners and web designers.

It’s awkward at first but has several benefits, including a segue into the “less is more” approach.

Moreover, content is still desired even in comparison with premium services, which you can learn more about in our introduction to the content-first approach.

Our take on current website trends

The one thing that puts the current website trends together is user experience.

We are thrilled to see websites focusing on the user rather than the search engines.

And in doing that, they are actually focusing on both, since Google updates – such as the July 2018 page speed change – are also stressing the importance of user experience.

Let us know what you think about the current state of websites in the comments below.

What’s your favourite trend in 2019 so far? Are there any major trends we have missed?

And last but not least, is your business website ready for the modern era?