It has almost become customary that every five years we overhaul our presence on the web. With our last revamp in 2011, this week we unveiled our brand new website. So it seems a good time to reflect on all the things that have changed in the world of web design and functionality in the last half decade…

The last five years has seen a dramatic shift in both how websites are used and also the design of the web pages themselves. The rise of tablets and mobile devices has seen a change in the way websites operate and are built. It is now very much a case of designing for a mobile device and scaling upwards.

In fact, according to SimilarWeb, mobile web traffic roughly equates to 56% of overall web traffic, meaning more users now visit websites on a mobile or tablet than via a laptop or desktop computer. (Source: http://marketingland.com/mobile-top-sites-165725)

In 2011, responsive web design was a relatively new term, but didn’t really flourish until 2014. Today a responsive website is the norm, having seen Google put so much emphasis on having responsive websites. Last year Google rolled out a new algorithm update specifically targeting websites that weren’t responsive. This became dubbed as Mobilegheddon –don’t worry, it’s not quite as scary as it sounds but it did mean your site might appear lower in the Google ranking if it wasn’t adapted for mobile.

Over the past few years, algorithm updates from Google, with lighter names such as Pandas, Penguins and Pigeons, have been sent our way. Just another sign of the ever-changing web.

This has meant that Search Engine Optimisation has taken on even greater significance for many small, medium and large size businesses. Something we ourselves have adapted to, and now offer to our clients when talking all things web.

Over the past year or so, there has been a greater focus on user experience. You could argue that websites became too complex a few years back, as designers and web builders suddenly had a whole range of extra tools and gimmicks at their disposal. But today focus is very much on creating a clean, effective and easy to use website.

So that leads us to today, and we hope that you like the look of our new site, showing off just some of the work we do and we welcome any feedback you may have. (We just won’t tell Dan if it is negative!)

By James Hale and Naked Marketing on 27.06.16