Web design trends have been evolving and adapting over the years. Clever web design always has the user in mind and aims to engage the user with your website. You always want your users to spend more time on your site in order to convert them into customers. Well, there are some new web design tricks specially crafted for this exact purpose; user engagement, increasing conversion rates and search engine optimization.

1. Use of a large image on the homepage

People are more appealed by what they see. Having a large image on the site is one way of getting your visitors engaged with your site. An image tells more than a whole page of text would have. Having a large image is always good for establishing your brand presence as your users will be able to associate the image with your business or company.

A large image has a unique impact on the user experience and goes a long way to increase your conversion rate. This has become a web design best practice of late and many people are taking advantage of this in order to gain more customers. People generally do not like reading pages of text. Instead of having the text, one large image can still convey the same message in a clear and efficient manner. It is good a web design practice to make the large image on the homepage as catchy as possible to make the user want to explore your site more. Now with modern image editing software, it is possible to create stunning images that your users will love.

2. Scrolling image

Human beings are naturally curious. They always to discover what may seem hidden or just out of reach. Web design has evolved to take advantage of this for SEO purposes. When people are shown something in bits, they always want to see more. You can take advantage of this in your web design by having an image that is shown partially above and below the fold of your homepage. People will see the first part of the page and since it is incomplete, they will want to scroll down and see the rest of the image.

As they scroll down, they get to see what you have to offer thus increasing their engagement. This is also very beneficial for SEO purposes as they will tend to spend more time on the page hence increasing your ranking in search engine results. But more importantly, Google can track scrolling, and when people are scrolling on your site, that proves that you have better engagement.

This enhances the user experience on your site and the user will always want to share this experience to their social circles. And that’s Google’s goal – that people will enjoy the content they were searching for enough to share it to Google+. The act of talking about your website on social media goes a long way to boost your page ranking and ensure that you stay at the very top of search results.

3. Give the user something to play with

We all know how powerful gamification is. So when you give your users something fun to play with that keeps them on your site longer, Google will reward you for it. Here’s an example of a cool tool my friend used to keep college students on his site longer. This little tool allows you to see how many drinks it would take to get drunk and what your score would be if you had to take a breathalyzer test at that moment.

4. Have an image that points to something

If you have a picture of someone, and they are looking or pointing at a button on your website, more people will click that button. It’s been proven many times over. It makes sense. We look where people are looking even on a subconscious level. Mail Chimp recently changed their site, but they used to have a picture of a cartoon monkey looking right at the sign up now button, and that increased their conversion rate drastically from a picture of a monkey not looking at the button.

5. Use images that describe what you do

This sounds like a no-brainer, but some people don’t do it. If you’re a real estate broker, you might want to show some pictures of real estate. If you’re a restaurant, show pictures of your restaurant. And don’t use stock photos when you don’t have to. Try to get real pictures from your business. This helps to develop a story and a background on your company that builds rapport and trust with your clients. People want to know who you are. So show them and have fun doing it. The more personality you can convey with pictures, the better.

In conclusion, the use of a large image on your home page really helps to increase your conversion rate by a huge margin. Additionally, the use of a partial image below and above your homepage enhances the user experience and boosts your rank on search engines hence making your site more discoverable. You can always take advantage of this and start seeing the benefits for yourself.