11.2.2022 Phill Burrows
We’re approaching the end of 2021, and that means it’s time to start thinking about levelling up your website so that you can hit your goals for the coming year.
It might be something as simple as updating content to improve SEO, or maybe it’s adding in new features to build a better experience for your visitors.
Whatever your reasons are, my predictions for website design in 2022 includes some ideas that can make your B2B website stand out from your competitors.
#1 Simple, clear user experience
When website visitors arrive at your website they are trying to find an answer to a specific problem. They are looking for a solution to that problem.
As site owners we can help them find the information that they need by keeping our website design simple.
I believe that successful websites in 2022 will be the ones that build on this idea of simplicity. Simple, clean, accessible content published on a well optimised website platform is going to something that Google rewards.
Google looks more closely at page speed and Core Web Vitals as part of its ranking algorithm. I think we'll see site owners paying more attention to page load speed in order to maintain search rankings.
What about use of white space in modern websites?
Modern websites use lots of white space, clear legible text, and do not clutter pages with other stuff that is not needed.
If your website is complicated and difficult to read, then it will be harder to convince visitors to stick around, not to mention bringing them back again. And, let’s be honest, there’s really no excuse for a poorly-built website anymore.
I think we’ll be seeing more bold colours, minimal designs and well-crafted typography.
Take a look at everything that’s going on with your website, and toss out the things that make it look cluttered and busy.
Use whitespace to allow your text and images space to breathe and this will make the information easier to digest for users.
Remember, your goal is to get your visitors into your content quickly so that you can help solve the problem that they are searching for.
#2 Mobile friendly website design
Did you know that only 80% of the top websites are currently mobile-friendly? Makes you wonder what the other 20% are waiting for.
Google has been using a mobile-first index since 2019, so it’s the mobile version of your website is evaluated for indexing and ranking.
Think about designing your website to be mobile-optimised, including making sure that it’s thumb-friendly. Place navigation bars, menus, and contact us buttons within reach of either thumb when holding a phone.
That’s usually a design feature that’s overlooked. Don’t skip this step.
#3 Personalised website experiences
It’s no secret that websites are tracking browsing history and locations, and it’s relatively common on eCommerce sites to display recently viewed items or abandoned cart items. But not many B2B websites are following suit.
Websites that personalise content based on customer need have a higher conversion rate than those that don’t. HubSpot CMS allows you to easily personalise website content based on customer lifecycle stage, geographic location or device type.
By serving personalised content to your website visitors, targeted forms, and other features will help build relevancy and are more likely to result in a conversion.
#4 Chatbots
Chatbots aren’t anything new but I think they’ll become more important going into 2022.
Sales and customer service teams are busy, so having a virtual assistant to help field sales qualifying questions or FAQs makes sense.
Plus, not all visitors to your website are ready to talk to a sales rep, so they are more likely to enquire about your service if they can quickly chat online.
In fact, when it comes to simple and quick questions, 56% of customers prefer to message rather than call customer service.
Think of it like this: You’re enhancing your visitor’s experience.
Drift have a detailed guide on Chatbots which is definitely worth reading.
Depending on your platform, a chatbot should be easy to implement. Hubspot, for example, offers a free chatbot builder. It is very easy to set up.
#5 Progressive lead nurturing forms
If you’re an inbound marketer, then you’ve got 2 basic goals:
- Attract visitors to your website
- Convert visitors to leads.
Converting visitors into leads can be a tough challenge. Tough, but not impossible. Especially if you adopt inbound marketing principles of being helpful.
Offer your visitor something of value that helps solve their problem. Then in exchange for the value ask for their basic contact details.
The key is not to overwhelm your prospects with too many questions, too soon. You want to help them, and in exchange you want to know who they are. It’s a fair trade.
Prospects who are early in their buyer journey are not prepared to fill out a long form to download your content.
Instead of one big form asking for everything, create a series of iterative forms that are altered based on the lead information provided at each step.
Think of each step as a micro-conversion which builds over time.
Whether it’s just asking for name/business email/company info upon first contact, then asking for a location, company role, and any other data you want to add to your CRM, at a subsequent step, you can customise it however you need it.
Features such as these are already built into several CRM and marketing platforms such as Hubspot.
#6 Interactive website animations
You get 5 seconds to grab the attention of your visitor, before they disappear.
Animations and other motion elements can help draw the eye into your page and guide the user towards important content. It could be as simple as subtle movements that are triggered by a specific interaction, or video banners that help tell your story to your visitor.
Adding animation to your webpages isn’t a new concept. But I do think this will grow during 2022.
A few of my ideas for animated website components are:
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Animated icons next to key services or features that you would like the visitor to notice.
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A hover action motion on a “learn more” CTA.
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A spinning icon that shows that your website is processing information.
Finding a subtle way to add meaningful UI feedback when your customer clicks, scrolls, or asks for someone to contact them, drives engagement.
#7 Video
During the last 2 years, we have all grown more used to taking part in video meetings. Video is baked into the way we think and the way we work, and I believe this will only increase.
Video based content is easy to access on mobile devices, and social media users are more likely to engage with video content.
As users share your video content this will help with brand awareness.
So businesses need to have a strategy to make best use of video based content. If you're not using video, you are likely to be losing out to competitors that are.
You could repurpose training material, sales presentations or other explainer videos that are useful to your visitor.
Did you know? People now watch 1 billion hours of YouTube per day! It’s a great way to extend your brand reach and build a wider audience.
Video personalisation services such as Vidyard allow you to send videos directly via email to prospects and customers. This tactic helps to increase touch with your sales or customer service reps and deepen digital relationships.
These are some of the ideas that I will be implementing on Hubmasters.net during 2022, so if you’d like to talk more about any of my suggestions please contact me directly.
