At Mountain Mojo Group, WordPress is our exclusive content management system for building websites for our clients. Why? Thanks for asking! Over the years we have found WordPress to be the most dependable, rock-solid, most user friendly for our clients, well maintained, and updated CMS on the market. WordPress powers over 61% of the online world making it the most popular CMS worldwide. There are over 54,000 plugins (essentially apps and add ons) available which have been downloaded 1.5 billion times worldwide. There is always a plug-in for what you want and need!
The online world is constantly evolving and it is our job to stay on top of the top trends so our clients will have an advantage over their competitors in the online world. Here are the Top 10 WordPress Trends in 2020 that we’ve noticed and have been updating for our clients’ websites so they are ahead of the curve in 2020 and beyond!
Tend 1: Mobile Optimization
This is by far the most important trend to be aware of and implement in your current website! 2016 was the first year that cell phone use for online activity surpassed desktops. A recent study conducted by EMarketer estimates that by 2021, 72.9% of all online purchases will happen from a cell phone. To get ahead of this so you can have a competitive advantage, optimizing your website for mobile is something you should be doing now. Many small business owners do not even realize that just because a website was built, does not mean it loads quickly and aesthetically pleasing for prospective clients on their cell phones and tablets. Nothing makes you lose business faster than a slow loading website or one that looks sloppy on a mobile device.
Trend 2: Voice search optimization
With the rise of Siri on iPhones, Amazon’s Alexa, and other voice search assistants, voice search optimization is on the rise. Traditional SEO continues to be important for screen-based web searches, but as voice search continues to rise, a shift to include voice search optimization is a top trend we are seeing in WordPress in 2020. At some point this year it is expected that 50% of all web-based searches will be by voice and not by the screen.
Trend 3: E-Commerce Capabilities
In 2019, E-Commerce accounted for 14.1% of all sales worldwide and it is predicted that by 2023 it will grow to 22%. WordPress is ideal for E-Commerce websites as there are a number of different plugins that can be inserted into your website based on what you sell: physical product, exclusively digital content, subscription, or service. What’s a plugin? It is a piece of software that is an “add-on” to your website that enhances its functionality and from an e-commerce perspective, it can help automate and streamline the purchasing process on your website. And in today’s climate, we have seen a serious uptick in eCommerce startup website development projects.
Trend 4: Artificial Intelligence
Did you know that 77% of businesses are already implementing some type of A.I. technology in their workplace? A.I. is the wave of the future and we recommend that you get on board so you don’t get left behind! For WordPress websites, A.I. can be incorporated too3 (1) install analytics into your website that will show you areas of weakness that you can improve and how to maximize your marketing ROI, (2) automate and streamline the process for the desired behavior of your potential clients such as purchases, booking calls, filling out submission forms, etc. saving you and your team a ton of time and (3) behavior tracking of potential customers so your marketing campaigns are more effectively targeted in the future and so that you can better understand your customers for improved sales strategies.
Trend 5: Live chat or chatbots
Chatbots and live chat features are a top 2020 WordPress trend. Your potential customers have questions for you. An FAQ section on your website is great, but having a virtual assistant pop up to answer questions “live” makes you look more professional and improves their user experience making them more likely to become an actual customer. Are you thinking chatbots are annoying? You are in the minority. It is something website users prefer and are starting to expect. In 2018 Facebook found that 73% of customers preferred to interact with businesses through live chats and 40% of millennials use chatbots on an almost daily basis.
Trend 6: Virtual Reality Technology
WordPress now has enabled virtual reality content technology for their websites. VR is taking off as a trend in 2020 and is expected to radically increase in popularity through 2024. VR allows us to upload 360-degree images and interactive 3D videos to really wow your potential customers. Visually it does not get more impressive than VR for highlighting products and services. This is only the beginning of this trend and we cannot wait to see what is to come over the next few years as this technology continues to evolve!
Trend 7: Microinteractions
We think this is really cool! Think about when you are on Facebook and you hover over the like symbol and the different emojis pop up at you full of life to choose from. This can be done on your website too for symbols and text! Microinteractions give your website a living, tactile feel. This highly improves the user experience because they feel like they are actually interacting with your website and this will keep their attention longer making them more likely to convert.
Trend 8: Custom Typography from Third Party Applications
2020 is trending as a year of individualization and we see this continuing the next few years! Every year there is more and more competition in the online world. To really stand out, visuals are important but so is the font on your website. WordPress has a wide variety of headers and fonts to choose from but if you really want to have an individualized site that stands out, third-party applications such as Google or Adobe are the way to go. These creative 100% unique and customized fonts can be imported into WordPress. At MMG our creative designers are expert typographers and seasoned calligraphists ready to create your unique style font for your website.
Trend 9: Bright Colors
Vibrant colors and extreme contrasts are what is catching the eye of consumers in 2020. Simple black and white websites still can be aesthetically pleasing and successful depending on the industry, but what we have seen trending up in 2020 is striking combinations of colors on websites. A bright pop of color draws people in, improves the user experience, makes them more likely to stay on a website, and ultimately convert by doing the desired action (purchase, subscribe, book a call, etc.). We have a team of 5 that works on each of our website projects here at Mojo. One project manager, an SEO strategist, a copywriter, a marketing strategist, and a graphic designer that focuses on brand consistency and beautiful designs like these!
Trend 10: Asymmetrical slants, tilts, and broken layouts
As we said above, 2020 is about individualization and standing out in the online world. A new 2020 website design trend that is really hot is the use of asymmetrical lines, tilts, and broken layouts. These are aesthetically hip, modern, and visually divide the page so your potential customer doesn’t get lost in the content on your website and lose interest. In a world where a large number of websites look and feel the same, a fresh new look may be what your website needs to revamp and express your business’s individuality.
Conclusion
WordPress is constantly changing and updating its platform. That is one of the reasons we love it! But because WordPress has cutting edge technological advancements so frequently, it is essential to stay on top of them. If you want to grow your business to new heights, having a fully optimized high functioning website you are constantly updating is crucial. As a small business owner, you are super busy. We get it. That is where we come in! Let us focus on optimizing your website so you can focus on what you do best, your business!
Whether you need an entirely new website built, are looking to implement new features in your current website, or keep your current website functioning at optimum performance, Mountain Mojo Group is here to help! Learn more >
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