Top 5 Website Trends You Need to Know in 2020

In a competitive market, the look and function of your practice website is integral to attracting and converting more clients. To stand out from the competition and book more appointments, here are five website trends you need to know in 2020 (with examples) from Dale Beech, web and UX design expert and LifeLearn Product Manager.

1. Split Screen Content

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“While split-screen content isn’t necessarily a new concept, I think we’ll see it gain some traction in the coming year. Split-screen content is a great way to tell a story with your site and get the right information to site visitors in a creative and effective manner. By using both sides of the screen independently, you can tailor each section to a specific message or image and capitalize on the screen space that’s currently in client view at any given time. This is a great option for many veterinary websites. However, make sure to consider the following in order to implement this design effectively:

• Implement sparingly and with purpose: Use a combination of images, text, and white space to highlight important messages, and allow visitors room to digest the information and move naturally through your website. Make sure not to overload each section with content, as that can be distracting to the user, causing them to be overwhelmed. Think of it like viewing two separate websites at once… Where does your eye go? Directly to the exit, that’s where. 

• Relationships are key: What I mean is, while each section can (and should) be independent, it’s important that they’re related. The content on each side of the page should have a natural connection to one another, and that connection needs to be done strategically to move users through your website. For example, effective use of split-screen design for a veterinary practice would be their location and hours, with a split-screen to the make-an-appointment form.”

2. Large Color Blocks

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“2020 is the year of large color blocks, and I am here for it. Color has been used as an effective storytelling technique for decades, yet so many people are nervous about including it on their website. I’m not saying we need to use every color in the rainbow. But if there are a few colors that best represent your practice brand, who you are, and tell your story, don’t be afraid to use them. Using color strategically through your site to emphasize certain elements is a great way to capture the attention of your visitor and help move them through your site to encourage completion of site goals. And, as long as you balance it out with a clean design, and plenty of white space, this technique can be highly effective and engaging.”

3. Bold Design & Color Schemes

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“Similar to large color blocks, the use of a bold design or color scheme can be a very effective tool in capturing visitor attention, highlighting your practice personality, and telling your story. While other design styles may appeal to a broad audience, a bold design is typically more specific and geared towards a defined target audience. This style can be highly effective when you have a great understanding of your target market, and when that target market is big enough to support your business, when not appealing to the masses. Usually recommended for practices in larger cities, or locations with a well-defined culture or atmosphere.”

4. Plenty of White Space

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“White space is and forever will be an important part of any great website. It allows visitors room to digest the content and determine where you’d like them to go, or what you’d like them to do next. By strategically placing ‘empty space’ throughout your site, you’re helping users determine where to go next, and eliminating a level of distraction that would likely cause them to leave. I know it may seem like a waste of space; however, I can assure you it’s not. Gone are the days when every inch of a website has to be covered in content, images, and marketing lingo. Today, users expect – and even demand – room to breathe. And just to clarify, white space doesn’t have to be white. It simply has to be empty space that is used effectively.”

5. Full Screen Forms

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“Full screen forms can be an effective tool used to encourage users to complete the desired call to action. By making the form full screen, you tell visitors exactly what you want them to do, eliminate distractions competing for their attention, and reduce the likelihood of them leaving before completing the form. But remember, always give them an easy option to exit, even if that means they don’t fill it out. A satisfied user will return to complete the form, while a frustrated one will never come back.”

Now that we’ve taken a look at hot web design trends for 2020, you may be thinking it’s time to update your veterinary practice website. That’s a great idea! But before making any decisions about the web design style that is right for you, make sure to have a good understanding of who you are, and who your customer is. By using design effectively, you can tell your practice story, and direct users through your site to realize practice goals. Each of the design trends listed above can help you do that, and all are possible with a WebDVM custom veterinary website. Each website is assigned a web design expert, to help bring your website vision and practice story to life, and all sites are optimized to display beautifully on smart phones and other mobile devices as well.

Contact LifeLearn to find out more about WebDVM and book your free demo today.