If you’re running your business on WordPress–whether that’s a blog where you discuss new business ideas with followers or an ecommerce store where you’re selling products around the world–you know how important it is to stay up to date. There are always changes going on in the online world, from Facebook’s algorithm changes to the number of active users on Instagram, and that makes a difference to the business you run from WordPress.
And in 2018, it’s no different–there are new trends in the world of WordPress. If you want to learn what they are, just read on:
1 Fun, fab colors
Did you know that colors have different effects on our brains and that depending on how they’re combined, they can make even more of a difference? Being surrounded by blue makes us more imaginative, and combined with green is calming, so if you’re selling spa products on your blog, you might want to use these color combos. Learn more about the psychology of color–and how you can use it–here.
If you’ve been thinking of the perfect time to totally makeover your WordPress site, rebranding and having a whole new fun color scheme, now is definitely your chance.
2 Mobile-friendliness
Considering that we’re spending over 4 hours a day on our mobile phones–come on, you know you’re addicted to those Facebook notifications as much as all of us are–lots of WordPress sites are using strategies to become more mobile-friendly. According to Torque Mag, this means that “design elements from mobile have made their way over to the desktop. Examples include large typography (learn to add custom fonts to WordPress), hamburger menus and the declining importance of “above the fold” (because scrolling has become second nature to most users).”
So if you’re selling vaping products like Juul e-cigarettes or marijuana products like cannabutter, you can connect to your younger buyers who are more likely to make purchases on their phones by improving your blog’s display on phones. (Not sure how? Check out mobiReady.)
3 Crazy typography
Maybe it’s because the 80s aesthetic is resurging, while at the same time the jelly shoes of the 90s are coming back. Whatever the reason, crazy fonts are all the rage in 2018, which include, according to elegantthemes.com: bolder, oddly spaced, transparent, weirdly misshapen, and haphazardly placed typography. Especially if you want to attract Gen Zers, who are forecast to reach 2.56 billion by 2020, you’ll want to be on top of this aesthetic trend.
Just remember that this mostly is going to apply to your logo choices, headers for pages, and titles for blog posts–when it comes to the more text-heavy content appearing on your page, you’ll still want to stick to a legible font like this one.
4 Video headers
According to d5creation.com, “All design trends across the web confirm that video and rich media will continue to dominate the web design in the time to come and 2018 will be no exception in this regard. We can expect more WordPress sites to use video in the headers.” No doubt this is thanks to the fact that videos just get people more excited–87 percent of online marketers use video content, after all, because it’s such an effective way of getting leads.
To learn more about how to create the perfect header and use it on your WordPress site, check out this guide. It may be slightly intimidating, but it’ll make a huge difference to your business!
5 Advanced sites and heavy-duty themes
Did you know that WordPress has been running for 15 years now? That’s right; they’re one year away from their sweet 16 in 2018–which is exactly why they’re making this year an even bigger deal for anyone running a business. According to theme-junkie.com, WordPress isn’t just about blogging anymore–now, they’re going to be offering even more versatile and advanced websites: “We will see more themes made with page builders such as Visual Composer which will give users the freedom to build rich websites with personalized features.”
So if you’ve been thinking about offering more to your customers, or even starting up a new WordPress for other services, now is the perfect time. WordPress is making the world of running businesses online easier than ever before.
Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for: the ability for WordPress to work along with virtual reality. With the total number of active virtual reality users forecast to reach 171 million, according to GreenBuzz, any site that doesn’t have a virtual reality plug-in is going to be left behind. Luckily, this is something that WordPress is simplifying for anyone using their platform.
To learn more about the plugins they have available, check out this list here.
As you can see, there are some very exciting changes going on in the WordPress world this year. It’s your opportunity to get modernized and get more customers than ever before.
What WordPress trends are you excited about?