As we head towards the end of 2017, we’re starting to see all the usual ‘best of the year’ lists emerge – the best social media campaigns of 2017, the best websites of 2017 and the like. While it’s nice to look back on the year that was, we like to look at what we’ve learnt from this year, and how it will apply to your website looking forward into 2018. When it comes to creating a successful website, a few trends have emerged this year that we see continuing into next year. So, if your business is looking to build and maintain success in the online space by providing your users with real value, then you need to be across them. 1. Mobile optimisation This may sound like an obvious one with over half of all web searches now conducted on a mobile device (and increasing). However, if your website isn’t set up for mobile as a priority (as many are still not), then you’re only going to fall further behind in 2018. 2. Navigation Remember that users are time poor, have ever shortening attention spans, and have an increasing number of your competitors’ websites at their fingertips. Therefore, your site needs to be clear and easy to navigate. An easy to navigate site makes a great first impression, and if your users can find what they want easily, then they are far more likely to return. 3. Video The popularity of video has taken a big leap forward in 2017, and it looks set to continue. More users than ever would rather watch a video than read text or look at still images. Combine this with some fantastic advances in technology and ease of production, and there lies a fantastic opportunity for businesses to create video content quickly, easily and cheaply. It’s an easy win. 4. Content is still king Filling your website with quality, engaging and well targeted content is a well proven strategy for improving user engagement, and with competition increasing all the time, this has never been more important. What is new is how it assists with your SEO. Google have recently changed their algorithm so as to give preference to high-quality, engaging and original content based on how often this content has been shared, liked, linked to, etc. Thus, making content even more important. Overall, we’re seeing that users want a simple, easy and seamless online experience where they can find what they want with the minimum of fuss. If your website is delivering this, then you’re well on your way to success in 2018.