For those who are serious about inbound marketing, HubSpot’s State of Inbound 2018 has continued to be the focus of marketing chatter, even in 2019. And with good reason. Inbound marketing continues to be a global phenomenon. More than 6,200+ respondents in 99 countries from a mix of industries, company sizes, and levels of seniority weighed in on last year’s report. Most are reporting that inbound marketing is still their organization’s primary strategic approach to marketing their goods and or services.

HubSpot boldly states that, “The world is becoming more inbound. HubSpot’s goal is to provide the benchmarks and insights to help businesses everywhere grow better.” That’s an excellent goal for HubSpot and one that begs the question:

How can website designers build websites for an inbound world?

If your website hasn’t been refreshed in a few years, well, a lot has happened. And there’s no time like the present to create a bold website that attracts visitors, transforms them into highly qualified leads, converts, and delights.

Recommended Reading > How To Review Your Inbound Strategy

Even in this day of social media obsession and preoccupation, every company needs a website developed with inbound in mind. From the Fortune 500 stalwarts to the youngest and smallest of startups, organizations need a professionally designed website to lend credibility, serve as a home base, educate consumers, drive traffic, and forge lasting connections and loyalty among clients and diverse stakeholders.

That said, a poorly conceived and designed website can actually hurt your business. Ask yourself this: if you stumble across a website featuring garish colors, extinct Flash animations, maze-like navigation, or pages that stubbornly refuse to conform to your mobile phone, do you stick around for long?

Didn’t think so.

The good folks at Business2Community.com recently identified several hot trends for 2019 that need to be considered when developing a website and that brings it all back to inbound:

  • Mobile first design continues with ⅔ of all website traffic coming from a mobile device.
  • Asymmetrical / Broken Grid Layouts, which is aligning more elements at an angle to be more visually appealing and adds a sense of movement.
  • More Depth / Flat design 2.0 is fun to design in – it uses bright colors, simple typefaces, and focuses on minimalism.

Speaking of layout, it pays to have a plan. When you have a clear content strategy laid out, your designers can build a website that fits your business and your buyers. Take the time to draw a road map for your customers, leading them from blog to educational eBook download, to requesting a proposal. Each and every page should consider your visitors and offer an opportunity for conversion at every turn.

Scrolling

If your clients are on the move, then your website needs to be thumb-intuitive. Awwwards gave their stamp of scrolling approval to Susa Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm.

Responsive websites take “mobile-friendly” to the next level. They not only look great on a cell phone, but they look great on your desktop, netbook, tablet, or eReader.

Icons

Icons are a great way to convey large amounts of information in a single, stunning illustration.

Innovating UI Patterns

In inbound, creating a website that guides visitors along the buyer’s journey is what it’s all about. And nothing does this more successfully than a User Interface that speaks to your clients needs and adapts to how they use the internet and your website. Think user-friendly, and then some.

Animation & Demonstration Videos

Nothing educates your visitors like a professionally produced short animation or video. Not only that, but according to Intechnic, “If you are looking a creative way to get noticed and stand out from the competition, custom videos are a great option that provides many benefits to your website and company.”

Check out Harry’s for Inspiration.

We’d go so far as to say that these are trends that all organizations should at least consider when giving their website that much-needed overhaul or designing a website with inbound in mind. Horton Group helps businesses keep inbound in mind. We’re a HubSpot Certified Partner, and we’ve been designing great websites since 1996. Call us at (615) 292-8642, and if you’re in the Nashville Area, come by our office and say hi!