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Just like you might get sick of looking at that once-trendy stainless steel countertop or look askance at the pile of low-rise jeans in the back of your closet, your website, too, might be showing signs it’s not the trendsetter it once was.
Ten years ago, social tools were all the rage. There was no integration or social sharing widget we weren’t slapping onto sites.
More recently, websites have become much more streamlined, thanks in part to the ubiquity of mobile phones.
We love working with WordPress blocks because they open up so many opportunities to completely break out of old, boxy web design templates.
Even better, our clients continually surprise us with their ideas for big, vibrant panels, using video and interactive elements and much more.
But another challenge often comes up in our work: clients can be overwhelmed by the options! And when you think about it, that’s only natural — there are a LOT of them!
So today, we wanted to write a post about getting your creative juices flowing for using blocks and WordPress.
Sometimes just perusing the best-in-class example of web design in 2023 can spark a desire to evolve your website.
You may not end up with the trendiest looking site on the block, but you will have some ideas to freshen things up.
Here’s how to get started.
Step 1. Decide on an Objective
Deciding on an objective will help you in several ways, but mostly because it will narrow down:
- What sites you look to for inspiration
- What your redesign needs are
Your objective may be tied to a specific initiative such as:
- I have an event coming up and I’d like to create a bespoke page or “microsite” to which I can direct attendees
- I have a marketing campaign and I’d like to give it a branded look.
You may have a more general set of objectives:
- Improve time spent on page (measured by Google)
- Push email signups
- Surface archives more often
Step 2. Look to the Trends
Another key component of a successful redesign is being aware of trends that are shaping web design in both:
- your industry or sector
- the web design world itself
Some recent trends we really like and our clients have used:
Mobile first: these sites put visual information front and center and are usually big and bold. They are designed with mobile users in mind first of all, and desktop as a workable alternative.
Video background: another very dynamic look that we have been admiring on client sites. This is a pretty easy fit for most sites nowadays and the good news is, mobile now supports video backgrounds (as long as they don’t have sound!)
Scrolling pages
Step 3. Developing Design Inspo
The next step is to match your specific objective to a design idea. For this there are several great tools we reccommend.
Tools to use:
Site Inspire
Site Inspire is still one of my favorites. It’s a clearinghouse of website design, organized by site type and subject, so it’s easy to find exactly what you are looking for. Just make sure you look at the posting date and try to collect inspiration from sites designed within the past three years.
Google is also your friend. It’s also worth simply Googling whatever you are attempting to do:
- “Best example of lead generation pages”
- “Best events listings for theaters”
- “Best newsletter landing pages”
Scope out the competition
Often overlooked but incredibly important! We had a client who wanted us to provide a 30-day calendar interface for their events. Mobile first design has made these more rare but a quick search connected us to examples of similar organizations that we then showed to the client for their feedback. Always look to see what the competition is doing — it will definitely give you great ideas.
What You Can Do with Blocks & Builders
The native capability that WordPress has now with blocks is pretty darn impressive, but sometimes our clients want even more plug and play options. That’s where custom block sets and builders come into play. These are usually a set of layouts and templates that you can use in a modular fashion without needing to code or manipulate your website’s core files (always a plus).
Some that we have used and like:
- Genesis Pro Blocks: this is pretty useful and extensive block set that comes with bundled with Genesis themes, and it’s a great really flexible block set that we use a lot.
- Kadence: this is a beautiful and extensive block set and builder that can really help you enhance your site without knowing a lot of code.
- Elementor: this is a page builder that has proven very popular thanks to its slick, page-ready designs. We have used it, and it often is heavier than we want on our sites, but it can be a good option, especially for quick development.
Are you ready to refresh your site and want some more help?
Please contact us for more information about how we work with brands and organizations to boost the capabilities of their WordPress sites.
