You have 15 seconds to tell users who’ve just arrived on your homepage why your business matters. Although the average time can vary depending on which digital marketing expert you ask, they all agree on one thing: if you can’t convince users to give you the time of day within the first couple of seconds they land on your website, they’re unlikely to stay. And given that factors like loading times and reading speeds can vary, one of the sure-fire ways to command their attention is with web design innovations and web design trends that show you’re exactly what they’re looking for.
While factors like technical SEO and content are still essential for effective home care digital marketing services that put your website under the spotlight, web design is what can capture users’ interest within a split second. But with user behavior constantly changing, so are the web design trends for home care marketing that work – and those that aren’t as effective moving forward.
With that in mind, here are some of the web design trends in 2022 we recommend adding to your website.
Why Is Web Design Important for Home Care Marketing?
Effective web design is essential for any business website, including those that fall under home care and other industries we cater to in Care Marketing. This is mainly for three reasons: to build trustworthiness, to improve user experience, and to generate leads.
Several studies have shown that the internet has evolved into a low-trust environment, and web design is one of the first few ways a business website can gain trust. A professional-looking website – coupled with respectable language, typo-free content, and a clear branding of their service and branding – shows that a business is taking the time to go the extra mile for users, which creates a good first impression. In comparison, ineffective web design and an unsightly website give the message that a business doesn’t care enough to make its online users comfortable.
Next, good web design is strategic and improves user experience. Effective web design ideas are a win-win for both the customer and the business. On one hand, the customer can easily see that the business is what they’re looking for, which makes it easier for them to inquire more about what they need. On the other hand, businesses benefit from good web design because it’s much easier to lead users from the homepage or landing page to their CTA.
Finally, effective web design can help your business generate leads. Think of it as a domino effect as the result of your web design: you get a user to stay, you provide the user with the information they need, and so the user reaches out to learn more about your products and services rather than clicking away.
More than just a pretty website, web design is essential for the lure your website needs. It’s not enough to generate traffic, but to also see results from it. And some of the web design trends found to have helped home care and similar industries include:
User Personalized Experience
Users should be able to find what they need with just a few clicks. The best way to do this is for them to arrive at your website through a landing page specifically designed for the service they were looking for on search engines rather than having to arrive on your homepage by default and then find the service they need later on. By getting your users the information they need as soon as possible, the less time you lose trying to establish yourself as the business they’re looking for.
Optimizing your landing page for certain services and locations ensures that the information your users first see is what they were searching for on search engines. For instance, not all rehabilitation centers provide speech therapy services, but let’s say that yours does. If a user searches for “speech therapy in <your city>”, they’re more likely to appreciate a landing page that points them to a page about your speech therapy services that gives them all the info they need at a glance. In comparison, taking them to your homepage will require them to browse for your services – which can take precious seconds off the time it takes to establish your business as a serious choice for their needs.
Mobile-Friendly Website
Smartphones are becoming more accessible to the general public, with over 90% of people in the world owning at least one smartphone. And with more users accessing the internet through their mobile devices (which now accounts for half the traffic on the internet), it’s important that your web design is responsive and caters to mobile users.
For one thing, Google found that it takes users on mobile devices three seconds to leave a slow-loading website. If your website isn’t primed for mobile devices, you’re losing around half of your potential conversions because of slow-loading website elements. That’s why web design trends point to the more technical side of web design, making it a valuable asset to have a website that can adjust to both desktop and mobile device users.
Secure, Private, and HIPAA Compliant Website
More users are starting to understand the importance of secure and private connections online. And given that home care and similar industries Care Marketing specializes in is tangent with medical services, a popular web design trend is ensuring that a user’s information and data is well-secured.
HIPAA isn’t exactly a web design trend, but more of a data privacy requirement now being required by businesses within this industry. However, you can offer users a chance for personalized marketing even when you comply with HIPAA guidelines. This requires getting your patient’s consent, though.
One-Page Websites
Earlier, we mentioned how effective web design can help user experience by getting users from the home page or landing page to the CTA with as few clicks as possible. Some service-based businesses are now taking this one step further by having one-page websites. In this UX design, these websites are more like comprehensive brochures than a website with navigation tools and multiple pages for each service.
It’s a smart idea for a number of reasons. First, your users don’t have to navigate multiple pages to find what they’re looking for. By putting everything – from details of your products or services to your contact information – on one page, your users can avoid getting lost, not being able to find what they want, and clicking away. Additionally, they don’t have to click out to find where they can contact you for service inquiries, which makes reaching the CTA much more streamlined.
However, this web design trend isn’t for every business in home care and similar industries. For instance, organizations like rehabilitation centers and palliative care providers can branch out into many different services that have different inclusions that really require their own dedicated page. Unless your one-page website has anchor links to specific services (which defeats the purpose of putting everything on one page to avoid users having to click to navigate to services), your user may click away because of difficulty finding the exact service they need.
Another issue is the loading time. Too much content and website elements on one page can cause your website to load slower than the average multi-page website. As mentioned earlier, Google found that it takes users on mobile devices three seconds to leave a slow-loading website, so trying to force a one-page website when your business has a lot of services and content to add can be a harmful move for your digital marketing strategy.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
Given the nature of home care and similar businesses, it’s no surprise that inclusivity and accessibility are becoming a staple in web design. You can find this in almost every aspect of the website, from the content to the technical side of SEO. Some of these trends include:
- Making the website design and layout more accessible.
- Websites compatible with assistive software like apps that can read website text for users with visual impairments.
- Use headings to break down your content into shorter, easily digestible content. As much as possible, make your sentences short, succinct, and easy to understand, and use bullet points where effective.
- Use color palettes and font colors that are accessible to those who are colorblind.
- Add alt text to all your images.
- Provide different ways to contact your business (Phone, email, social media, etc.)
Establish Your Business with the Right Web Design Elements
Web design is one of the most crucial elements of a successful business website. Effective web design trends will come and go, which is why it’s important to stay ahead in your industry and constantly update your website to fit the current demand. By providing users with a good website experience, you’re taking one of the first steps towards converting website users into conversions that benefit your business and minimize the number of users that leave your website within seconds.
At Care Marketing, we understand digital marketing services like web design for home care and other similar industries and how they can affect your business’ success. Experience top-notch digital marketing services specialized to your business and watch the difference a good digital marketing strategy can do for your website. Get in touch with us today to learn more.
