Website Design in 2026

When I first started creating websites using GoDaddy and Weebly, it was more of a creative experience. Web design was about the site looking good while sharing the necessary information and having a contact form. Then it went to a flashier design with local SEO (search engine optimization) and it took a little more skill. Now with the introduction of AI and with the changes in how the internet works which is completely different than it did ten years ago, website design has changed again.

Clear Intention and Brand

Not only is your website built for the human experience, it should be built for the artificial intelligence agents. There is a positive side to this and it is that it forces you to focus and be very clear about your intention as a business, author, or project. You can no longer get by with loading your website with unrelated content or random information.

Before you even think about a website design, create a very clear business design and develop your branding details. You want your intention and offerings to be well thought out and this will give you a clear definition of who your audience is, who you are selling to or who you want to follow your work.

Website

Once your business design, brand, and audience are set then you are ready to lay out your website design and marketing plan. Your website needs to state clearly who you are and what the viewer can find on your site. Plainly state what need you are fulfilling or what you are offering. Make sure it is stated on the homepage and "above the fold". When I was a political consultant we would say that you only have six seconds once someone picks up your postcard or brochure before it goes in the trash. Now you have about three seconds before someone clicks away from your site.

Call to Action

CTA, call to action, is your next item to layout on your site with strong intention. There should be many CTAs as a person reads your site so they don't have to go back or look for a way to buy or get in touch with you. UX, user experience, is not only for the human but for the machines reading your site so your calls to action need to be very direct.

You also want to provide concise interactions. It is super frustrating when you have to click five times to subscribe or purchase something when one click would have sufficed. Think simplicity and ease for the potential customer.

Simplicity & Focus

Instead of a bunch of animations and shiny design work, people want simplicity and the AI reading your site for Google and Bing want focused information. Make sure your content is focused and next steps can be easily understood. I used to throw anything and everything that I was interested in on my site. Now all that does is confuse the readers, especially the AI readers (GEO, generative engine optimization). The site speed and building for mobile first are two aspects that are of utmost importance and help to prevent site bloat as well.

Workflow & Privacy Policy

As a designer, providing a seamless workflow for the client is very important. There are AI agents for your workflow but I personally value my client relationships and would rather answer inquiries and emails personally. I also don't want agents having any autonomy in my workflow or design.

Make sure forms, automations, and data is configured to flow smoothly and in order. An example of this for an author is setting up a subscribe form to collect emails (readers). Have an automation in place that collects the email address and other information and then sends an email to them thanking them with a free novella or essay. Create an automation for your newsletters and blogs to be sent to those readers and a calendar set up for you to write your newsletters and blogs. This is an example of a simple funnel that still stands true but no matter the business or site you will need to set up a defined workflow and these automations and collection systems make it efficient for you and the customer and should also serve your overall goals. Don't forget to meet privacy regulations when setting up your email collection funnels.

Accessibility & SEO

Accessibility is no longer an option. You must build your website with accessibility in mind in every step. It is now required by law. Pretty light colors layered with light colored text will no longer work. It may look nice to you but if it does not meet accessibility requirements your site can get flagged or worse, you can get sued.

This is yet another reason to be clear and structured. Even "white space" is back in website design to provide an easier read for machines and the human. Each page, section, image needs to have a proper title in the building of the backend of your site. If an assistance reader is reading your site for someone visually impaired it will read the code of the site as to what the sections on the page are or the alt text for the image knowing the human cannot see it. This all falls into your SEO, your alt text, section titles, and meta descriptions. They all need to be plainly stated and not contain many different subjects.

How has my business changed?

As a website designer it is hard for me to believe all the changes in just the last year. The good thing is that each year web design seemed to get more complicated and harder to "wow" but now we are seeing a trend in simplifying.

Name

As you may have noticed, my business name changed from Buffalo Creek Designs to the Gill Studio. Google likes a direct name. The witty name that you have no idea what they are selling is no longer the strongest direction for new businesses. Search engine's AI will recommend a clear name. Buffalo Creek is a creek in my town but it sounded like I was selling camping gear according to Google.

Simplified

Aside from a name change and a more focused website, I removed my business social media. In the fourteen years that I have been building websites I have never gotten a client from social media. All my work comes from recommendations from clients (thank you!), Wix, and Google reviews.

Terms & Conditions

Thirdly, I have created a stronger Terms & Conditions. In the past I had a large client base who would create their own site and hire me to edit as they requested or refused to provide solid content such as professional photos. That worked in the past to an extent but there really is no point in building a website without solid organization meeting accessibility standards or with poor quality media anymore. I will still make edits for current clients but my business is geared towards building a properly structured site with clear branding. I love helping the client see their intentions come to life within the internet home that I build for them and for that site to work efficiently for them.

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If you need help with your branding to bring your ideas or business to life and a web designer you can trust, I would love to hear from you.