These days, almost all bookings take place online. As a result, the efficiency, ease of use, and general design of your website is more important now than ever before. If you feel like your website is a step behind your competitors or you’re just not sure what it takes to build a website that drives traffic and generates bookings, continue reading to find out what your website needs in 2020! The digital landscape is constantly shifting, but our guide will help you stay abreast of the latest trends. Additionally, our team of digital marketing experts is always available to help answer any of your questions. Reach out today!
What Your Website Needs in 2020
Speed Matters
Have you ever sat on a webpage waiting for it to load? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? If that’s the experience you’re setting up for your potential customers, you’ll lose yourself a lot of business. Making sure your website is running smoothly and page speed meets industry standards is one of the most important business concerns in today’s digital world. Uploading correctly sized images and clearing your cache are quick fixes, but it gets more complicated than that. It’s best to have a third party run your website for you if you aren’t a web designer.
A Unique Brand Story
A unique brand story is an important part of convincing consumers to engage with your product. What do you have that no one else can offer? Differentiate yourself from the competition and you’ll stand out in the crowd. If you own a bed and breakfast, for instance, show off your delicious breakfast and individually decorated rooms. Give people a taste of who you are with your website.
Make Every Visit Count
If people come to your website and then leave without completing any action items, you won’t get anywhere. Make sure content is targeted toward your audience and creates an intent to purchase or think about purchasing. There should be clear calls to action throughout your website and easy steps to follow throughout the sales process. Every page has to have a purpose and a direct path leading somewhere else. Consider adding a live chat or sparingly using pop-ups.
Unique Desktop and Mobile Elements
The breakdown in terms of website traffic on specific devices goes like this:
Mobile: 55%
Desktop: 35%
Tablet: 10%
So, if you’re not tailoring your mobile experience to fit the needs of your visitors, you’re missing out on the bulk of your business. As of recently E-Commerce conversion rates on mobile have risen close to 25%.
Your design for mobile should not be the same as your desktop. For instance, users on mobile are more likely to be in the area looking for a hotel right now. Therefore, the pathways to book and the information you’re providing should be different. Not to mention, website design and copy doesn’t always convert from desktop to mobile, so you should make sure your user interface is polished on both ends.
Use the Right Software
Ten years ago, the travel industry made SaaS mainstream. SaaS means Software as a Service. Basically, SaaS just means companies will use third-party software providers that can host apps and make them available to customers over the internet. If you’re not up to date with your software, you’ll want to consult with an expert before you decide which route is right for you.
2020 Design Trends
Future trends in web design are tough to predict, but the most successful brands all share similar themes going into 2020. Right now consumers—and therefore designers—are interested in sleek, minimalistic interfaces. Simple and elegant always gets the job done. Users are also all about interactivity right now. They want to be able to engage with the website and learn more about the business in a personal way.
Measure Everything
The most important part of any business is learning how to adapt to the constantly changing marketplace. It’s impossible to update your strategy if you aren’t getting feedback on where your performance needs the most work. The best way to get real, tangible data that can inform your strategy in an accurate way is from your website. If you’re not looking at analytics constantly, you’ll always be one step behind and it’ll be hard to figure out what’s working and why when you’re doing well. What are your top three sources of revenue? What about your top five landing pages? These are things that you need to know!
Is Your Website Ready For 2020?
If you feel like your website checks all of the boxes and you already know what your website needs in 2020, congrats! However, if you feel like you are still a little shaky or don’t know if you’re on the right track, we’ve got the perfect tool. Our Future Proof Website Demo is an excellent resource for evaluating your website’s ability to attract customers and increase your revenue. Get your free demo today!