Website design is constantly evolving with new design trends and page functionality. A typical SaaS website project for us lasts between 4 and 8 months, so it isn’t uncommon during the course of a website build for clients to stumble on shiny new trend and ask what would it take for us to do that. The answer isn’t always easy. Some trends are easy to implement, and others are better suited for “after launch”.
In this article, we share 5 SaaS web design trends that have gained popularity with our our clients and are the most requested so far this year.
1. Dark Pages or Dark Mode
For a while, tech companies wanted things light and bright. More recently, dark pages or dark mode (where users can toggle the entire site to dark) has become increasingly popular in SaaS website design. Clients like it for its sleek and modern look, but it also helps to reduce eye strain and improves readability in low light environments. Some clients like the idea, but then in implementation the entire site proves to be too depressing. We try mix light and dark in our designs, often within unique user paths. Need an example? Look no further than this page!
2. Minimalism
The goal of great SaaS website design or really web design for any industry, is to quickly engage the visitor and command an action. Clean, minimalist design (open design, easy reading) has been a popular trend for SaaS websites for a while now and is essential to achieving these goals. A recent focus is on simplicity, with clear and concise messaging, and easy-to-use interfaces. We advise our clients to start with the information that is essential, cut it in half, and go from there. We promise you, less is more.
Actable’s Data Science page is a good example of minimalist design.
3. Custom Illustrations
Illustrations continue to remain a popular way to add personality and character to SaaS websites. In our opinion, it’s becoming a bit overdone, but implemented well, they can help you stand out from competitors and communicate complex ideas in simple and engaging ways. It’s important however to remember your audience. Recognize that some SaaS solutions address serious concepts or sensitive issues, and so should the tone of the illustrations.
EnergyCap using a mix of illustrations and branded colors to bring their solution to life.
4. Landing Page Flexibility
When we’re talking SaaS, we’re talking calls-to-action (CTAs). Be they “Request a Demo”, “Register for a Webinar”, or “Download the Case Study”, the success of CMOs and marketing teams are measured “BTL” – by the lead. Many of our clients use Hubspot, Adobe (Marketo) or Salesforce (Pardot) pages to host their campaign landing pages, but an equal amount want custom-designed, brand-centric embedded forms to create a more seamless website experience. To meet their needs, we build insanely flexible landing page templates that product marketing teams can easily replicate, integrate with CRMs, and launch – all without requiring any outside design or development support.
Opexus can replicate and customize landing page with unique forms and content to serve unique audiences and solutions.
5. Robust Content Filtering & Sorting
You all are amazing content producers! Today’s SaaS websites offer more original content than information about the actual solution. The once humble company blog has become a vast Learning Center with a diverse set of gated and non-gated content types (videos, webinars, case studies, reports) across various industries, audiences, and solutions. The challenge for marketing teams is no longer creating original content, it is helping your visitors quickly and easily find the content that matters to them.
Clearwater Analytics Website Knowledge Center offers a variety of search, sort and filter functions.
Peaktwo is a creative web agency for tech-driven businesses. We craft websites that get found, grow traffic, and increase conversations. Our speciality is in building and managing large, complex websites for private-equity backed businesses and enterprises.