In this digital era where everything is rapidly changing, ensuring that your websites can withstand the test of time is a must. The industry standard for practically everything seems to change a lot. What may be totally in today might be outdated tomorrow. Some digital marketing and social media strategies from last year might not be applicable to match today’s trend. There will never be one final standard for the very best website for businesses, and your online presence will constantly need to be in a state of evolution. With the way that cyber threats and security are constantly evolving, it can be practically impossible to truly optimise your website to ensure that it is protected against threats in the future. The only real way to ensure that your site is protected is to ensure that your website is equipped and can withstand the test of time.
In order to keep yourself up to date and become truly future-proof, all web designs must be flexible and adjust to new devices, technologies and standards. Technology will change, and it will continue to change, but you need to ask yourself whether it’s worth having an online presence that will need to be completely reimagined every time technology changes. In this article, we will give you tips on how to ensure that your website is future-proof.
- Find the appropriate Content Management System (CMS).
The underlying content management system (CMS) platform which is used to manage your website should be a focus. The designing of your website is just one part, moving forward, it will be you and your team who will need to manage. If your website CMS isn’t easy to update and publishers need to jump through hoops to publish content, you’ll likely end up with a website full of outdated information.
- Engage the services of the right service provider.
Identifying the right website development company involves understanding how they can help to build a great website that meets your current needs, as well how they will work with you to meet your future needs. The best websites will evolve according to your audience and business needs. It’s important that your agency or vendor can continue supporting you throughout the project and beyond.
- Prioritise access and usability.
Any website design company worth their salt will be factoring usability right into their web solutions, so ensure that your chosen website developer has a responsive design and user-friendly navigation and accessibility. You need to ensure the interface adapts to the different devices commonly used, particularly smaller screens. Some organisations are even designing with a mobile-first approach. Navigation.Look at your main navigation, sidebars and secondary navigation menus. Accessibility. Does it meet web accessibility standards to ensure your website enables equal access for all your website visitors, including those with disabilities.
- Strategize your SEO and get it right.
Content may be king, but if your website isn’t set up to put its best foot forward to both attract visitors, then all your efforts would have gone to waste. When your website is optimised for technical SEO, it not puts it in the best position to rank well in the search engines, but offers a better user experience for your audience and encourages them to keep exploring your site. Here’s some areas to consider when it comes to technical SEO.
- Be futuristic and consider timeless and relevant functionalities.
Before you decide on a website development company, it’s worth considering in detail the features and functions your website will need in at least the next five years. This could include anything from events management to online forms and payments, to customer login areas or even separate websites or micro-sites. Not sure where to start? A reputable website development team will be able to ask you the right questions about necessary functionality. You’ll also want to be able to add and integrate functionality as needed. When speaking with vendors, be sure to ask whether their solution would allow your developers to add in new functionality with free API access.
- Personalise your website experience for users.
In a study by Evergage, 88% of marketers reported a measurable lift in business results and 63% reported increased conversion rates from personalised website marketing strategies.What this personalisation looks like for your website will depend on your objectives, however you can tailor the web experience based on a number of factors including referral source, website behaviour, customer map.
For example, you might choose to offer different landing pages for users who came from a social media post to those who came from a paid Google Ads link. Alternatively, your website could have a login section where users will see highly tailored dynamic content personalisation based on their past website behaviour.
- Be guided with data, not merely trends.
Website design has seen a number of trends over the years – flashing text, flat design, overused stock images and endless popups – and there’s no doubt more trends on the horizon. Any quality website development company will take these into consideration to ensure you design a modern website that audiences expect to receive. However, the focus will always be on designing with user experience in mind to guide the user effectively. Your website will load faster and your user experience will be vastly improved with a sleek, streamlined design, which will look great for years to come