The webinar I chose is “2021 Website Trends – What You Need to Know,” presented by TopSpot Internet Marketing. The speakers were Jordan Peddicord and Josh Blankenship. This webinar covered the Google Algorithm update and the trending of web design in 2021.
I learned a lot of knowledge after listening to this webinar. Most things I learned from school about web design were coding and using wordpress to create a website. In this webinar I learned that it’s important to get the information up to date. In 2020, most of us had to quarantine at home to prevent the spread of the virus. By the meantime, there is a significant increase of the population choosing digital self service and will continue doing this because it is safer and flexible on schedule. One of the Google algorithm updates is “Mobile First Index,” which pointed out the importance of responsive design(mobile-friendly design). Peddicord also mentioned that 50% of searches everyday are from mobile devices, and this showed how mobile friendly design can impact on a business. From the design aspect, I also learned that we should keep the website easy to use, and the information should be easy to find.
One of the design trends that Blankenship mentioned was the Mega Menu, the case he showed was interesting. There is a web banner image and the mega menu is placed above the web banner image, once the user hovers the button, another image appears on top of the web banner image, and the banner image becomes darker which drives the user’s eyes to the image in the mega menu.
I think this webinar brought a lot of useful information to me, the speakers were professional and explained their point of views very well and organized. I also learned a lot of professional phrases in the industry which I should adapt soon for my future career. One of the most important things I learned from this webinar is, besides making the website appealing, we also need to think of how we can make a website that is easy to use and help the user to engage the digital experience.
