5 Types of Animated Content Your Site Design Needs
Finding ways to engage site visitors requires a knowledge of what’s trending and trying different things. Animated content is one element of site design that grabs attention and keeps people moving through your site. From logos that spin to 360-degree views, think about the impact each addition brings and how it enhances your site.
Although only one type of animated content, videos are used by the majority of marketing professionals. Wyzowl’s The State of Video Marketing Statistics 2021 indicates 86% of businesses use video as a promotional tool.
You can improve your site’s design by adding animated elements. What works best for your site depends on your target audience. Here are five types of animated content and how to implement them.
Hover Animation
Whenever the user moves the cursor over some elements, they change color, move around or text appears. Designers use hover effects most commonly for navigation. As the user rolls over each tab, it highlights to give a sense of direction.
Also read- Podcast on animation
However, some sites also use hover animation to show hidden elements, send a logo into motion, pull up an expanded menu or any number of other results. Think about the spots on your page where you’d like to grab user attention. These are good areas for hover animation.
Videos
Videos are a top animated marketing method. You can use explainer videos to introduce a product or service. Show the history of your company with a video story. Add customer testimonials to drive conversions.
Also read – Improving Videography skills
There are many different ways you can tap into animation through video. One element that drives users to convert is emotions. Think about the pain points driving your target audience to seek content on your site. Now, dig deeper into the feelings behind the issue.
For example, if you sell smoke alarms, the pain point driving customers to your site is a lack of protection against fire. The emotion behind the pain point is fear for the safety of their family. Speak to the worry, and you’ve tapped into a powerful force that creates sales.
Your videos should be short, powerful and filled with vital details.
Slideshows
People either love or hate slideshows. You’ll read one expert opinion never to use them and another to always use them. The truth is likely somewhere in between, with slides working well for some websites and not others.
Know your target audience and whether they’re likely to respond to sliding images or not. Test your site with and without to see how visitors react. Study heat maps, so you know if your visitors click on the slides or ignore them.
Slideshows allow you to showcase multiple images and add some headlines and perhaps a call to action (CTA). The best location is near the top of the page in the header, but some sites have successfully used slideshows under the fold to highlight customer testimonials or various services.
As with whether they are effective, you may want to try different positions and test user reactions. Insert other photos, text, and information until you hit the perfect mix for your clients.
Animations
There is a hierarchy to the way the human eye follows a design. In a millisecond, we organize elements on a page from most important to least important. We also figure out what has relationships.
Movement grabs attention, and we process it as something of importance, ranking it above non-moving parts on a webpage. You can use this knowledge to tweak your design and move your user through your site in the direction you desire.
Little animations, such as moving arrows, can encourage the user to scroll down the page. A logo with animated parts signals it is a vital part of your design or that the user can click on it to go back to home base.
Make a list of your page’s hierarchy. How can you add animation to direct the user to the most essential items first?
Page Motion
A trend we’ve seen in recent years is the long-scrolling website. However, users won’t just scroll endlessly without reason. You must add animation throughout.
Parallax scrolling is one method where different parts of the page move at different speeds as the user moves down the page. It creates additional interest and engages the user, who must pay attention to see the shifts.
Another trend in recent years is sideways scrolling. Rather than the page moving downward, the page shifts to the side, or a new section drops in.
AJAX loading is also popular. While it doesn’t serve a purpose, it can entertain visitors and encourage them to hang around and see what else you have to offer.
As with any change you make to your website, test each animation carefully. See if your users respond. Do your bounce rates improve? Are users clicking on the CTA button more frequently? Your results will be in your conversions.
Know The Purpose
Don’t just add animation for the sake of doing so. Think about the impact you want any moving parts to have. What is the objective of your page, and how does the animation effect work toward the goal? Measure results and keep only those things that bring desired results.
Animation can improve your site visitors’ experiences and make your site more interactive. You must make sure there is a purpose to each thing you do, though. With a little testing and trial and error, you’ll create a perfect combination of design elements.