5 Simple Ways to Refresh Your Website

It’s been just a few days since you launched your new website. The team spent hours dissecting the designs, customizing fonts, colors, and call-to-actions. Content was reworked so it would be more engaging, searchable, and readable for viewers, and forms and integrations are functioning perfectly. There were some great outcomes to the long process, but you would not necessarily be eager to do it again next year. That is when a website refresh comes in handy.

As digital innovation progresses faster than ever before and demands of online users grow, website redesigns no longer have the same impact they used to. Every quarter, trends change and technologies create a whole new standard with every operating system update and device unveiled.

With an entirely digital world with a shelf life of three months, how can you maintain your website to look contemporary and fresh? Consider these five small website refresh tweaks that can enhance your new website, while not requiring a total redesign.

Chatbots

With digital communications becoming the norm, people are realizing the value of human interaction. Chatbots provide a touch of human contact to the traditional user interface by allowing users to communicate with the system, in the same manner, they would talk to a real person. Chatbots make it easy to engage, automated or via a real human, with website visitors during all hours of the day and nonbusiness hours to avoid the loss of potential customers. 

20-40% of website visitors visiting during non-business hours are saved with chatbots because they’re getting the information they need when they’re most engaged, not just when a support person is available during the business hours. In addition to requiring more straightforward information, these chatbots engage users in a more interactive way and provide users with more information than traditional methods. Most importantly, they transform a boring contact form into a conversation.

Minimalistic web design

Users are browsing your website in every imaginable environment, on every possible device. Due to this, web design has started shifting towards a focus on content, rather than fixed design parameters. It is now the designer’s responsibility to present content in an intuitive, effective manner. We see design moving away from skeuomorphism to a flatter, cleaner approach such as Google’s Material aesthetic.

Within the minimalistic design, cards are used to present content in a straightforward and flexible way that plays well in a responsive environment. Many websites such as Netflix have refined the card layout so that it presents a massive content library in a way that can be easily navigated and personalized by the user.

Bold typography

Type can often be as impactful as the statement itself. We see an increasing number of websites push the boundaries on what designers can do with type. Clear, concise statements in big, bold fonts are taking the place of cluttered header areas. More real estate and effective use of color and backgrounds are being used to help these statements pop. In a world that is as busy and information overloaded as ours, users will appreciate these short yet impactful statements.

Fewer stock photos

Your website is a reflection of your brand. It should be authentic, relevant, and transparent. This applies to all content on the site, including photography. While stock photography is easy to find, users have grown numb to stock images. Research shows that images using real people improve conversions. Users are demanding original, authentic images that provide a window to a brand—and the characters that write that brand’s story. Dedicate a portion of your budget to working with a professional photographer and you will see a large return on your investment.

GIFs & subtle animations

Animation in web design is not a new concept. However, the use of animation has matured from funny internet memes and banner ads. Today, we are seeing GIFs being used to create movement in key areas of a page, explain a step-by-step process and elegantly tell a story.

That said, here at Pyxl we still appreciate GIFs for their ability to summarize what words simply cannot.

Partner with Pyxl

At Pyxl, we specialize in designing and developing websites that engage and delight audiences, while simultaneously growing your business. CONTACT US to learn more about how to integrate these components into your website for a quick and easy website refresh.

Updated: Apr 13, 2022