In today’s plugged-in world, your website is like your company’s “front door” for prospective customers. It’s easy to see why a crisp, professional design, a user-friendly interface, and behind-the-scenes technical prowess are big factors in attracting new business — and in retaining existing clients.
For that reason, it’s good to occasionally take stock of how effective your current web design is, and examine some of the hottest design trends on the Internet. Here are 10 design trends that you can expect to see in 2022, and beyond. Some are fairly new, some have been around for a while — but all of them have a proven track record of making websites stand out from the crowd.
- Dynamic Content
We’re talking about content that will adapt to specific user needs and circumstances. For instance, a dynamic website may display different information to users based on their current location, on their past browsing behavior, or on a recent purchase they made. Websites with dynamic content have high engagement and conversion rates — which means this will continue to be a hot trend for the foreseeable future.
- Voice Search Optimization
Voice search is becoming commonplace around the world. For instance, one study projects that there will be over 135 million voice assistant users in the United States by 2022.
As consumers around the globe become more and more comfortable with Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Google, and other virtual assistants, expect to see an increasing number of web designers make voice search optimization a priority. For example, many businesses will look to include long-tail keywords in their content that are based on how people speak, rather than how they type (e.g., “Where is the nearest pizza restaurant?” vs. “pizza near me”).
- Accessibility
Closely linked to voice search optimization, expect to see a trend towards enhanced accessibility across the Internet. Web designers will continue to incorporate page features that don’t rely on keyboard-based input, such as voice command, virtual reality, augmented reality, and so forth.
- White Space
When it comes to the visual aspect of web design, you’ll likely see a trend towards simplicity and minimalism in 2022 and beyond. The strategic use of white space (or “negative space”) will be one manifestation of this tendency.
By using white space judiciously, designers can keep their page layout simple, help users to focus on important pieces of content (or CTAs), and make their site more suitable for dynamic scrolling (which we’ll discuss later). Interestingly, white space doesn’t have to actually be white — it can be any color, provided it’s “empty,” without contextual meaning.
- Dark Mode
Now let’s transition from the light side to the dark. More designers than ever before are falling in love with dark color schemes for their websites. In fact, even Google Chrome is optimized for “dark mode” browsing, if so desired.
A dark mode design can offer a vibrant, refreshing alternative to more traditional color templates. It can also minimize eye strain for your users, and highlight the content and imagery that you want to emphasize on the page.
- Design for the Thumb
Over 53% of global website traffic is now generated via mobile devices. With so many users accessing the Internet via smartphone or tablet, it’s a no-brainer that designers will continue to focus on making their websites mobile-friendly — e.g., optimized for “thumb-scrolling.” A simple and intuitive layout is key in this regard.
- Dynamic Scrolling
This trend works hand in glove with #6 on our list. Dynamic scrolling (also known as single-page scrolling) means that your featured content is all contained within one page (as opposed to sites where users have to click to access another main pillar page).
Dynamic scrolling is a great way to tell a story on your website, especially if you add parallax scrolling into the mix (where the background moves at a slower pace than the foreground). It also minimizes the friction that your users may feel as they browse through your site, no matter what device they’re on. It’s great for “thumb-scrolling!”
- Interactive Content
Consumers can’t get enough of interactive content. Whether it’s a quiz, a poll, an online calculator, or any number of other tools, users are attracted to websites that feature tasteful, relevant, and valuable interactive content. Expect to see designers leverage interactive content as part of their site-building approach in 2022, and in the years to come.
- Faster Page Load Time
Internet users hate having to wait for pages to load. A couple of decades ago, it may have been perfectly acceptable for a page to take 30 seconds or longer to load. Nowadays, most users will bounce in less than 5 seconds.
One recent study found that 2.4 seconds was the “sweet spot” for page load times: when pages were able to load that quickly, the conversion rate doubled compared to sites that loaded within 4.2 seconds.
The bottom line? The faster your page loads, the better, for both the end-user and for better performance in the search engines. Expect to see designers do whatever they can to simplify site design, free up processing space, and promote lightning-fast load times.
- Local SEO
Expect the trend toward local SEO to stay strong among web designers in 2022. Local content is already critical for many businesses, and its importance will only increase as consumers use the Internet to search for all kinds of local information. Web content with SEO keywords and modifiers like “near me” or “close by” has seen an explosion over the past several years — and according to HubSpot, 46% of all Google searches are already driven by location.
In summary, you’ll almost certainly see the 10 trends listed here become more popular than ever in 2022. Web designers, marketing managers, and corporate executives will do their best to leverage these design features into greater visibility, and ultimately more business.
If you’d like to learn more about how to incorporate these design trends into your company’s website, reach out to our team of digital marketing and web design experts at Faster Solutions today to start the conversation. We’d be happy to help you optimize your web design for sustainable growth — in 2022, and beyond.
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