When we look at the entire digital world, we can say that social media is on top of everything else. Nothing can match the growth of social media platforms in terms of popularity, usability, and innovation. That is why web designers try to break down the elements of the success of social media apps and apply them to other projects. As a goal of this article, we want to talk about how social media impacts web design.
Web design has had many changes throughout the years. All businesses now require a website because that is the only way to be visible online and empower your brand. Here is how you can mix social media with web design and create a successful website.
The use of social media icons
Social media icons are known to everyone around the world. That only shows how widespread these platforms are. Besides their popularity, these icons are also handy for web design. As we all know, when you visit a website and see a social media icon, if you click on it, it takes you to a business profile of that company on social media. This element has become necessary for all websites today, showing how social media impacts web design.
Additionally, some icons allow users of the website to share content on their social media pages. That is a very effective way to promote your website and your business. If you run a blog, users can share articles on social media, comment, and drive more traffic to your website.
Mobile-first web design
It is no secret that you must optimise your website for social media if you want it to rank high on Google. The mobile-first policy was introduced a long time ago, and this is one of the first parameters that Google inspects when ranking a website.
All of this happened because of the popularity of mobile phones over the years. People like to do things on the move. Furthermore, social media significantly contributed to the popularity of mobile phones. The average user has between one and three social media apps installed, using them for more than 50% of their time spent on the phone.
That dramatically impacts web design today because all websites must be interactive and made available to the user 24/7, no matter where they are.
The are of using images in web design
Why are social media apps so popular? Is it because of their nature? Is it because they connect people? Or because they are so fun and engaging?
There are many reasons, and they all contribute to social media’s popularity. There are also some elements like images that play a big part in that success. One of the most popular things you can do on social media is to share photos of yourself, your friends, or anything else and comment on them.
We all know pictures speak a thousand words and how important images are to web design. This obsession with photos on social media certainly plays a huge part in web design. You should resize all images to fit the screen size of a smartphone. You need to use images intelligently and create that same sense of wonder that happens on social media.
How to make websites more entertaining
Undoubtedly, social media entertains like no other digital form can do today. On top of that, the form of entertainment is quick, and it rapidly shortens the attention span of average users. Videos on social media are becoming shorter and shorter, and people are switching from one video to another in a matter of seconds, looking for the next high.
Web designers must take inspiration from this fantastic phenomenon and incorporate it into web design projects. Social media apps enjoy a lot of popularity because they engage people in a beautiful way. That is why you need to involve your audience in the same manner.
Besides being informative and functional, websites also must become entertaining.
Showing social media feed
When we look at different social media profiles and the content shown on them, we can notice a couple of things:
- the number of followers;
- number of posts and comments;
- how many likes the profile page has;
These are the most important metrics that showcase the popularity and activity of every profile. Today, all websites show these metrics as a sign of social proof.
Incorporating reviews into your website
Customers like to leave comments when they visit a business’s social media page. If they are satisfied with the company, they always write something positive. Those comments become reviews and testimonials that speak of the quality of service.
Another wise practice is to include those testimonials on a website. That becomes yet another form of social proof. Sharing customers’ posts on a website page is an excellent way to display the activity on social media.
Embed videos from social media on a website page
Just like pictures, many social media apps allow videos as well. As a business, you will probably have video ads that market your company and talk about the company culture, products, goals for the future, and so on.
Another smart move is to include those videos on a website. That accomplishes two things. First, any visitor can now see all the material the business posts on social media. And second, by clicking on the video, the visitor is taken to the social media page.
That creates a two-way connection that benefits the website and social media page.
Social media impacts web design, and it pushes it to the next level
As you can see, web design rapidly changes under the influence of social media. Social media impacts web design in many ways, which is a great way to show how combining two elements can create an even better experience for the customer. Furthermore, it also benefits the business. With that in mind, it is crucial to always look for the next hot thing on social media and find a way to incorporate it into web design.
0 Comments