Construction companies put a lot of thought, time and sweat into what they build, so why not show that off for the world (and other potential customers) to see with a website? Take a look at the following nine trends reoccurring in the industry:
Horizontal Design
Horizontal designs are a trend in every industry and construction sites are on the bandwagon; they usually entail large horizontal “sections” dividing up the page. A large header photo appears on the screen first, followed by products/services, about/bio and contact information. This makes it essential to scroll down the page to view everything else. It also allows for an overview of the site allowing visitors to easily find what they are looking for.
Animation
Commercial construction company websites today are using animation to entice visitors further into the site via excitement. This, in turn, creates an interactive experience, leaving visitor eyes happy. Animation can be anything from transitioning photos, drop down menus, galleries and slideshows, hovering icons, to background videos.
Large Header Photographs
Large header photographs seem to be on every commercial construction website. The images are large enough to span across the entire page, usually so large they force visitors to scroll down to view anything else. Original photography is mainly used instead of stock photos, which means the construction companies are either doing it themselves, or hiring a professional to take them.
Color Pallets
A common color pallet amongst construction websites is pairing a dominant color with a neutral one. I viewed many sites with a bright, warm color and a few with a cool, blue or green accents. Color pallets play an important role in the mood of the website. If you choose many colors, they should compliment each other. Most commercial construction company websites chose to stick with a solid color and many neutral tones, such as black, white, grey and tan.
Portfolio Pages
Displaying your completed projects in an easy to sort section on your website is a must have trend. Potential customers want to see examples of your work, validating your business. Sharing these examples can be done through posts, a gallery or slideshow.
Most larger companies show off their work in posts. First displaying all of the projects in a grid, allowing visitors to hover over project images and read a short description. When clicked, visitors are directed to a project details page. A well equipped project details page will share additional photos, in depth description and links to other like projects. Projects displayed as posts are often sortable by category as well.
A project gallery simply showcases photos in a tasteful manner on the page, whereas a slideshow animates photo display, moving from one to the next in sequence. Most of the construction company websites we reviewed tended to use galleries on their portfolio pages and slideshows on the home page.
Social Share Buttons & Social Like Icons
If you don’t already have a social media account, get one. Linking your Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin account directly to your construction website using social “like” or “share” icons will help to expand your online presence, keep company fans informed of what’s happening and drive traffic to your site.
Long Scroll
The trend of expanding page length has become more popular with the increased use of mobile devices. This allows construction companies to add more content to each page, dividing elements with different background colors or divider lines. The use of large, bold text also allows for content division. Adding links for the user to click on as they scroll enhances the user’s experience and cuts down on navigation difficulties that may occur because of the long scroll.
Navigation in More Than One Place
Adding a navigation bar in more than one area on your website will help visitors navigate your commercial construction company site more quickly. This will allow them the ability to spend more time reviewing products instead of trying to figure out where to go next. However, be careful that your navigation bars don’t hinder your ability to showcase your project. Repeated main site navigation is also commonly found in the footers of websites, allowing a way for visitors to continue through the site easily, especially sites using the long scroll style mentioned above.
Construction Company Website Must Haves
Now you know which trends are dominating commercial construction company websites, so move on by reading the must haves for every construction website.