No matter what kind of industry it is, change is inevitable. Same is the case with web design. New trends have always been a driving factor for change and well, they always push an industry towards a better future.

If you are planning on an affordable website design, it is important you embrace the new web design trends that have made their way to 2017. Let’s have a look what is acceptable in a cheap website design so far:

1. Mobile-First Approach

The mobile-first design means designing a website for mobile before working on anything else. This approach has been around since 2015. Since mobile phones have been officially named as the primary device used for browsing, you cannot ignore it in 2017.

The content should be designed for fitting on mobile devices first and then the designers should move on towards the large screen devices.

2. Next Generation Responsive Design

The idea of a responsive design is also old but this year, even the large brands are going to take it.  The bonus of such an affordable website design is that you simply have to pay for a single site, which delivers content on small and large screens effectively. Furthermore, in April 2016, it became a part of the Google ranking algorithm too. With a responsive design, your website’s content will be able to automatically re-jig itself according to different devices.

3. Conversational UI

In 2017, people will interact with websites and companies through chat, messaging and other language interfaces. Messaging platforms like Slack, WeChat and Facebook Messenger are all over the social networks. This is the year for companies to think about utilising them. For most web designers, having a cheap website with conversational user interfaces is going to be a hot topic.

4. GIFs and Animations

Lots of websites have been using animations for a while, but a new thing that you will observe in 2017 is the use of GIFs. When they are being used in WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook, then why not use them in an affordable website design too? The key is to not overflow your website with them. All you have to do is use them effectively for drawing the attention of users. But why use GIFs anyways? Because they help you explain the workflow, provide a richer product experience and guide your users.

5. Fewer Stock Images

You surely want to create an affordable web design, but that does not mean you accomplish this goal with stock images. People today want to see bespoke images that relate to your company. The era of generic images is over now. If you want to add authentic images in your website, your answer is Photography. Even if you are working on an affordable website design, everything on it should serve a purpose and that includes the images too. A good beginning would be to put a face to your brand. Share the images of your team!

Lots of more trends have made their way to 2017 web design, so make sure you catch up with them!