With 2023 just around the corner, one thing remains clear. Websites will continue to become important tools for growing businesses. To go further, a website will play a bigger role in developing a successful business over the next decade because consumers have become more dependent on the Internet as a source of information and to provide for their needs.
In order to accommodate the diverse and ever-changing demands of consumers, websites have to evolve and adopt the latest digital technologies. These innovations weren’t only designed to improve website functionality. Likewise, the aesthetic appeal of a website is an important factor in providing the best user experience.
10 Website Design Trends In 2023
We’ve created this list of the 10 website trends to look out for in 2023 to help you make a decision on whether your current site needs improvements. And if your business still doesn’t have a website, you can view these trends as 10 reasons for you to invest in a website for your business.
1. Mobile Responsiveness Remains Top-Of-Mind
Mobile responsiveness has been a mainstay in Google’s list of ranking factors for its search algorithm since 2014. Nine years later, why are we still mentioning mobile responsiveness as a website design trend?
Because despite the pandemic, the increasing use of mobile devices, and the growing demand for Internet-based services, 10% of websites aren’t mobile responsive.
That’s 200,000,000 websites!
Either they “haven’t read the memo” or they don’t value the importance of mobile-responsive design.
Mobile responsiveness is a key feature of design that makes the website adaptable, functional, and optimized for a wide variety of mobile devices and their screen sizes.
Here are a few key stats on why your website should be mobile-responsive in 2023:
- 61% of users will leave a website that’s not mobile-responsive.
- 58.99% of Internet traffic in 2022 originated from mobile devices.
- 73.1% of web designers believe that non-responsive design is a top reason why users abandon the search.
- 5.5% of e-commerce visits that originate from mobile devices are converted into sales compared to 3.7% for desktops.
- 50% of mobile shoppers prefer to shop from a mobile responsive website because they don’t want to download an app.
If your website isn’t mobile responsive yet, give us a call or send us an email and have it done before 2023.
2. Improved Content Loading Systems
To stay ahead of the competition, many websites focus on creating high-quality and compelling content. It’s no longer just what the content is about but how it’s delivered that has become the key differentiator in the battle for audience share.
From your own searches, you might have come across content that heavily uses colorful, high-resolution graphics, embedded videos, and various forms of third-party resources.
Let us ask: Was it hard to download the page?
Chances are the answer is “Yes”. These types of visual and interactive elements are beautiful to look at and give users opportunities for engagement – but they require a lot of memory to run and can significantly slow down the site.
A solution is to use smart page loading technologies such as Lazy Load which makes sure that your browser will only display the content you are reading on the screen. The rest of the content won’t appear unless you scroll downward.
Lazy Load will efficiently manage your site’s memory and other important server resources, support better page download time and give your users a better experience.
Remember that most of your audience only browses or scans content, but does not read it thoroughly. So it’s possible that only a few readers will make it to the end of your content.
3. Customized Content Creation
For sure you’ve visited a website to read a blog and when you come back, you’ll find a new article delivered to you that’s about the same subject matter.
To understand your audience, you have to keep tabs of how they behave online. Your clues to unearth who your audience is can be found by tracking their search behavior.
A website can identify a repeat visitor from the device or browser being used. From there, the website can review the search history and make recommendations about other types of content that are related to their previous searches.
It’s also important that a website makes it easy for repeat visitors to find the content they viewed before. Remember, not everyone likes generic content. It’s always a good idea to customize content based on the specific needs of your audience.
4. CRM-Integrated Contact Forms
A tried and tested way of getting information about your website visitors is with the use of contact forms. Many website visitors don’t mind filling out contact forms because it’s a quick and easy way of getting their questions and concerns communicated to you.
But you want to make the experience of filling out contact forms easy for your website visitors. Likewise, you want to get the most value out of these contact forms by integrating them with your CRM or Customer Relationship Management database.
By doing so, the information provided by your visitors will be stored directly in the CRM database and it will be easier for your website to identify your customers whenever they visit your website.
Also, integrating contact forms with the CRM can help you keep track of your site visitors’ behavior and come up with a more accurate profile of your audience.
5. Expanded Chatbot Functions
Chatbots continue to become popular customer service tools for businesses because they can attend to your customer’s concerns as quickly as possible. One way to understand the value of having chatbots on your website is that no one has to wait to get attended to by customer service agents anymore.
And no one likes to wait!
Yes, chatbots have their limitations and at times, it can become a frustrating experience for your customers especially if their concerns aren’t part of the default questions.
Slight adjustments in the programming of the chatbot can circumvent these inconveniences.
For example, if the concern isn’t in the list of default questions, add a feature that allows the customer to write down a short description of his inquiry. Include fields where he can provide contact information such as email address or mobile number.
By 2023, look for more advanced chatbots with features that provide a better and more personalized experience for your customers.
6. Increased Compliance with Web Accessibility Laws
Increasing demand for Internet-based services also includes those who are affected by disabilities and other forms of physical limitations.
Governments all over the world have recognized these demands and have enacted web accessibility laws that require businesses to have their websites accessible to People With Disabilities (PWDs).
Failure to comply with these laws can result in stiff financial penalties or possible business closure if the deficiencies aren’t rectified in time. In contrast, businesses that have websites that comply with accessibility laws can help expand their customer base, and improve their brand, and business reputation.
Simple design additions such as close captioning for videos, audio options available, and an interface that can be easily navigated by tapping certain keys on the keyboard can improve the accessibility of your website.
7. Enhanced Interactive Design
Websites have come a long way from just being static platforms on the Internet. Over the last few decades, websites have become more dynamic and presented features that encouraged greater interactions with users.
Restaurants can have websites that take the online customer through a tour of the premises or the ordering process with the use of a mouse or by clicking a few buttons.
Hotels and real estate property companies can guide users through a virtual walk of the premises or give them a 360-degree view of each room.
Other than chatbots, some websites have incorporated voice-activated interfaces where users no longer have to type a search query but instead verbalize the command.
Interactions using 3D technology have also been prevalent. A website can have a 3D graphic that can change images or colors whenever a mouse hovers above it.
8. Greater Use of Animation
The use of animation in web design is a wonderful way of making the experience of navigating your website more fun and dynamic. A good example is animating the cursor.
Instead of the traditional arrow, a website for a gardening supplies business can use an animated shovel as its cursor.
With the growing popularity of video games, micro-animations can make your website entertaining but also more functional.
For example, you can animate a character who functions as a guide and helps visitors navigate your website. Micro-animation will be particularly valuable for e-commerce websites to make the shopping experience easier and more convenient.
9. Thumb-Responsive Design
Earlier we discussed mobile-responsive design whereby your website can readily adapt to mobile screens of various sizes.
But what about thumb-responsive design?
Thumb-responsiveness is sometimes referred to by website designers as a thumb-friendly design. Because people usually prefer their thumb to scroll down a web page – and you’re probably doing that right now!
With a thumb-responsive design, you want to put the buttons and icons that allow the user to activate their unique functions reachable by their thumb. It might sound “petty” but trust us, it’s not.
Small adjustments such as improving thumb-responsiveness can lead to huge segments of your audience being happy and big wins for your business.
10. Black or White? Simple But Elegant Design
If you’ve noticed, popular websites such as YouTube and Facebook have offered users darker versions of their page designs. The move to darker colors isn’t for purely aesthetic reasons but to reduce eye strain.
Of course, the use of black background can give the web page a more modernized look as well as highlight its key sections.
The use of white space remains popular because it exudes simplicity without sacrificing elegance. White spaces give your web page a cleaner look, help organize the sections of the page, and make the text more readable.
Conclusion
In 2023, websites will trend toward more entertaining, engaging, and user-friendly designs because consumers will continue to patronize Internet-based services to meet their needs.
With the increasing popularity of websites and apps, businesses want their platforms to be functional, navigable, and highly responsive to their users.
If your website hasn’t undergone a redesign in the last 2 years, you should consider one right now. Give us a call or drop us an email so we can get your website back on track and trend with customers.
And if you enjoyed this article, feel free to share it with friends who are also thinking of redesigning their website for 2023.
