Developing Breakthrough Websites for 2022

At last count, three new websites are launched every single second, joining the one billion websites that are already in existence. Every one of those sites wants their readers to take some sort of action, and they’re scraping Internet forums and blogs to find the latest tactics that will move the needle on their bottom line.

When clients come to you for website design services what can you offer them helps them beat their competition?? A mobile-first design strategy and “free” security certificates are not unique selling points anymore. To truly stand out and create more revenue for your clients in the process, you’ll need features that will actually turn those readers into customers.

 AI Chatbots

Savvy Internet readers can spot normal chatbots a mile away, but ones powered by artificial intelligence are gaining steam for their ability to simulate conversations with an actual human, rather than regurgitating a set of answers based on certain keywords.

To accomplish this, AI chatbots use technology called Natural Language Processing, or NLP, that takes real human dialogue and produces a response in real human dialogue. Because of this, most readers are unaware that they’re talking with a machine and not an actual person. You probably have encountered several of these and not even realized it.

The possibilities for business applications are endless. Not only can your clients use AI chatbots to provide around-the-clock customer service, but also lead generation, site navigation, and human resources (such as syphoning through resumes). By implementing an AI chatbot on your clients’ sites, they should see a significant boost in conversion almost immediately — in some cases, four to ten times that of a regular website.

Accessibility

Did you know that one in four Americans are living with some kind of disability? This includes mobility issues, motor skills, visual impairments and more, all of which can impact a person’s ability to interact with a website. Certain features, such as functional alt tags, focus indicators, text-reader features, blinks-blocking, keyboard-only interactions and more provide an opportunity for everyone to be able to engage with the Internet in their own way.

Per the Americans with Disabilities Act, all U.S.-based websites must be accessible to disabled users, so it is imperative to find an agency that provides this website design service who can build one for you. Failure to do so can result in fines and legal actions in addition to missing out on a boatload of potential revenue from prospects.

Dark Mode
For the longest time, users had no control over a website’s visual appearance, outside of a few interactions and animations. With the advent of dark mode — a process that allows the theme to switch from light-based to dark — users now have the ability to change the way a site is shown to them. They can either set this preference ahead of time inside their computer, or (this is where you come in) by doing so manually on a website by website basis. Of course, this is another way to make your website more accessible.

There are two primary advantages to having a dark mode on your website. First, less brightness means less drain on a users’ battery, which is important since more traffic is coming from mobile devices than ever before. Second, dark mode reduces eye strain, which means people can stay on a website for longer periods of time. Do you have any client that wouldn’t want that?

Creating dark mode capabilities for your client’s websites is technical, and requires either coding or duplicating the site entirely to make a totally different version. If you use hire an agency to build your client’s website, be sure they provide website design services that are up to the task.

Once it’s installed though, it will automatically set your client apart from all the other sites that don’t have dark mode, which is a huge boost. Nearly 83% of people prefer dark mode on their browsers.

 Voice Search Capability

Voice search is on the rise in a big way, and the statistics that prove how much your site needs to adapt to this technology are eye-popping. For instance, at the time of this writing, more than 1/3 of the U.S. population uses voice search on a regular basis, with 71% preferring to use their voice to search instead of typing. To help with this, 55% of households are expected to own at least one smart speaker by 2023.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take too much effort to get your client’s site optimized for voice search, but it does require some intentional tweaks. For starters, focus on long-tail keywords in your SEO research, and deploy schema markup on all the pages and posts. This will allow Google to better respond to quick queries by users, which is the reason 29% of customers use their voice assistants.

Story

If you ask ten different website designers which website “style” is better for attracting (and keeping) customers, you’ll most likely get eleven different answers. Some people prefer a more animated approach complete with games and micro-interactions. Others will tell you that minimalist is better: geometric shapes, earth tones and lots and lots of white space.

Regardless of which of many styles you choose, every site needs to tell a story. It’s not enough for you just to list your clients’ products and services. in 2022, websites need to take customers along on a path. This starts with the homepage, then uses clear visual cues to move them from place to place. Along the way, your client communicates who they are, what they’re about, and how they can serve their customers.

Truthfully, telling a story is more about art than it is science, and it takes a skilled website development agency to pull it off. This is not to say that you have to employ Stephen King as your site’s architect or submit your website for the Pulitzer, but you do need have a clear idea for your site’s structure. A good website design service will help you discover your core message, and then match the right style to your business.

 Need a Hand? Let Umbrella Help!

Launching a website in 2022 can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. At Umbrella, we have our finger firmly placed on the pulse of website development and design, allowing us to customize a site that will place your clients at the top of search results. Our white label website design services are just what you and your clients need, so contact us today to get more information!