Minimalistic web design is one of the biggest modern trends in this particular area. Those who are new to web design, or fail to keep up with the latest industry news and goings on, are finding this a little strange.
In years past, complicated web designs have been applauded for their creativity and complexities. Reasons for this have ranged from being able to create something that is extremely difficult to copy to small business owners pleased that their website makes them look like a global top 100 company.
‘Bells and whistles’ was the big demand when it came to web design, and if you didn’t have an off the wall design with apps, add-ons, plug-ins, and other features, you just weren’t at the races.
Crawling Your Site Takes How Long?
People have known for years that loading times and page speed has an impact in terms of SEO. With that in mind, it is a little bizarre that it has taken so long for minimalistic web design to catch on. The more simplistic and minimal a design, the easier search spiders can get around your website and report that it is easy to see and load, and so long as your other optimization factors are in place, you’ll be onto a winner.
Clean Over Dirty
If you had the choice between clean or dirty, you would choose clean every time, wouldn’t you?
Complicated web design, where it was once the ‘must do’ to show your online prowess, is now the equivalent of dirty. Today, simple, clean, and to the point design is what counts. Businesses and consumers are wiser to the ins and outs of web design than ever before, and where a big website would once be seen as impressive, it is now viewed as unnecessary and quickly navigated away from.
This can be frustrating for web designers who made their name building powerful, complex websites, but like everything else in life, they need to move with the times. This rings true if you are creating a WordPress blog since most people prefer a clean and simple design for their web blogs.
The Masses Move to Mobile
If there is one element that stands out above all of the others in terms of minimalistic web design, it is this one.
Yes, SEO has had an impact, and yes, people want a simple website they can get around quicker and find the pages they want to.
However, the main catalyst for change has been the increasing number of people who are accessing websites via a mobile device. Even at home, people are increasingly leaving their laptop or desktop PC’s switched off in favor of using a tablet or Smartphone.
Such has been the volume of web traffic browsing in this way that even the traditional ‘mobile site’ is becoming less commonplace. Businesses can save time and money by having one website for all platforms, and have found that be going simplistic and minimalist that they’re enhancing the user experience on the other traditional devices, too.
Trends Moving Forward
This trend isn’t going to slow down or stop any time in the future. Minimalist web design is here to stay, and the designers, developers, and website owners who embrace it quickest will enjoy the biggest range of benefits.
Those who fail to do so, will simply see their visitor numbers and conversions plummet.