When considering a website redesign, you must consider many factors. But the most important question is “Why?”. Has your organization undergone a major change? Is the current website outdated? Did you have a recent photo shoot?

Here at Galileo Tech Media, we don’t believe in making any changes – SEO, content, social media strategy – without data.

We call this philosophy Wise Technology, which creates targeted, compelling, and customer-centric websites. Wise Technology strategically combines art and science, by using data-driven insights as the basis of all creative. This is a unique form of technology that can be used not only to capture the attention of your target audience, but convert them into customers.

Before you change a single pixel of your website, you need know the members of your audience inside and out – including their interests, habits, viewpoints, and emotional triggers – in order to connect with them successfully. What attracts their attention? How do they typically consume media? What motivates them to take action? And is your current website doing the job?

So if you have answered the question of “Why?”, let’s move on. Here are 3 design trends our designers are crushing on.

  1. Realistic Imagery.

Using great photography is no trend, but using photography that accurately depicts your target audience is more engaging and effective. Your readers want to see people using your product that look like them.

Picture this – you are a family-friendly resort hotel. A mother of 3 young children visits your website to book their annual trip there, only to see the website filled with childless models sipping cocktails by the pool or dining in a chic, quiet restaurant. This mother will not connect with your product, and will likely run to the hills. Know who your audience is, and show them photos of themselves.

  1. Personal Branding.

In this age of social media, customers make purchasing decisions based on their emotions. If an influencer they connect with recommends a new hair product, the customer is more likely to purchase the product because of the weight of the recommendation. Your audience wants to get to know your personal brand.The main focus of personal branding is to align vision and mission so you are perceived as you’d like to be instead of people speculating and having different opinions about you. And you’d better believe, Realistic Imagery is of the upmost importance here.

  1. Mobile Matters.

Mobile designs

[and design in general], is becoming more flat and simplistic. This flat design focuses on “simplicity and clarity to ease functionality and emphasis usability.” This is a delicate balance, as we want to give users as much information as possible. White space is now its own design element, and allows users to focus where you want them to focus.

All this white space means fewer buttons for navigating. This makes “gestures” all the more important. As devices get larger and buttons become more scare, gestures will become even more important to give users options within their reach.

What design trends are you considering for upcoming releases of your website?