Are you planning a website redesign or overhaul in the next year?

Your instinct might be to browse competitor websites, take a look at templated themes designed for your industry, or stalk Pinterest or Instagram for current designs that speak to you.

While this strategy would result in a beautiful and functional website, there’s also value in looking to the future.

What design elements, layout styles, or functionalities will be the most impactful now, but also in the months and years to come?

A website can function as a work of art, but its primary purpose is a selling tool.

Visitors need to land on your site and complete an intended action, whether that’s signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or filling out a contact form.

The way visitors engage with and respond to website designs changes over time, sometimes dramatically.

Ten years ago, it was accepted that you would have to navigate a minefield of popups just to load a page.

Read more: Your Next Website Redesign: 6 Trends to Embrace Now