Web design is evolving. From animated brands to video backgrounds, web design has been brought to life by animation and video content. Animated content comes in many shapes and forms, and can be a subtle feature or the focus of the website. Including animation into the design of your website will have a positive impact on your online presence. There are more reasons to incorporate animated content into your website, here’s a summary of the advantages.

Grabs the Reader’s Attention

With many other websites to compete with, having a special feature like video content or animation will grab your reader’s attention and make your content more noticeable. Animated content comes in many different forms, such as animation to distract the user from loading times which are popular for flat design, minimalism and portfolios. Another usage of animation used in web design is in navigation and menus, with moving icons and hidden menus that are revealed by clicking on buttons.

Galleries and slideshows are another popular form of animated content that appears on many websites, and these are a simple way of displaying content in an interesting and attractive way. Whatever type of animated content you choose, make sure it complements the whole site and doesn’t distract from the content.

Stand out from the Crowd

The majority of websites will have static content and so by adding animation, your website will have an extra bit of unique content that will make it more evident from the masses. There are many possibilities to use animation in creative and unusual ways, which will help you to create an online presence that is different from the millions of other websites out there. Making sure your website gets noticed and attracts a large audience requires strong web design skills and innovative content.

Furthermore, a mobile-first principle is rapidly becoming the go-to model for web designers, as more and more websites are being viewed on mobile phones. As screen size and scrolling methods differ massively from desktop usage, a mobile-first approach needs to be carefully considered.

Video Works

Presenting information through visual animated video will have a longer-lasting impression than static text alone. Video is becoming the most common way of presenting information, and is an extension of the brand in that it can be used to communicate the style of the company. A short animated video that communicates information about your company or organization will attract online searches and direct traffic to your website. A recent study showed that "people are 50% more likely to retain information when it is delivered in both a visual and audio format," meaning animated videos can help you communicate your message or sell your product or service.

Remember, Less is More

A final tip: when it comes to animated content, less is more. Be careful not to overload your website with too much animated video content, as this will overwhelm the user and distract from the main message of the site. You want people to be able to find information easily, and navigate their way around the website without confusion.