We're always talking about trends. Trending topics have become much more viral, with social media channels setting up specific feeds and access points for consumers to 'jump on' trends – growing the trend's virality even further.
And pretty much every topic in the world has trends - if it's got an audience, there'll be something people flock to.
Websites are no different! The ebb and flow of website development design trends usually mimic technology evolution, with new features and functionality coming to the fore. But they also massively emerge alongside changing consumer behaviours.
Take mobile, for example. Of course, we all know how significant mobile optimisation is nowadays, because virtually everyone now uses their phone to shop and connect online. But the increase inevitably meant website trends lent themselves to make sure everything displays correctly on mobile.
These are the kinds of elements of web design that evolve into standard features that are essential for providing a flawless user experience. Like clear navigation, high level security protocols and fast load times.
So below we've outlined some up and coming website trends that we think are going to be big next year, things that might just give your new website the edge over your competitor...
Animated cursors
This is a fun way to give a little extra to site visitors. This helps to personalise the user experience and offers a unique way for them to interact with the website. This subtle trend helps to delight visitors by simply altering the form of the cursor with triggered animations. This will also make a site more enjoyable to be on as users click and scroll throughout the website.
Navigation for thumbs
Nowadays, we spend a considerable amount of time on our phones and they play a big part in our buying decisions. Therefore, it's important that websites are suitable and compatible for mobile phone usage, no matter the shape or size of them. Websites should be both responsive and user friendly, as well as being easy to navigate whilst only using your thumb.
How would you usually scroll through your phone? It's by using your thumb, right? In 2023, thumb-friendly navigation will be essential, so CTAs, contact buttons and the navigation bar should be placed in easy reach on the screen for a thumb, such as the bottom or middle of the screen.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality has taken the technological industry by storm and is making its way into people's households, forming an integral part of the decision making process. This powerful tool offers a lot of value to customers, offering meaningful content and serving a strong purpose. With VR, you can take tours around hotels you plan to stay in or houses you want to buy. You can even look at how a piece of furniture may look in your own home with realistic sizing, helping to firm your decision.
Chatbots
Chatbots have become loved by many over recent years and they are only going to become more popular in 2023. As machine learning and artificial intelligence are only becoming more advanced, chatbots will do the same.
Chatbots help to deal with queries, offering a convenient and personalised user experience. With a chatbot customers can get a response almost instantly and this can help to move them along the buyer's journey, boosting sales for the business. Chatbots also help to increase interactions and are a great way to collect useful data that can be used further down the line.
Smart content loading
As we know page speed is an important factor to help your site rank higher on search page results, smart content loading is a great way to minimise the effects of resource heavy websites that can often slow down load time.
This can be done by only downloading the content on a page that is actually needed. Implementing technological approaches such as infinite scroll and lazy loading can help to outperform the competition, as well as boost the overall user experience.
Accessibility
Accessibility is more than just a trend, this is relevant in all aspects of life and websites should be no exception. In 2023, there will be more of a focus on inclusivity and ensuring that no matter what your personal needs are, they are met when you land on a website.
This will not only contribute to a good level of customer service, but will improve the entire user experience, as everyone can navigate easily throughout the site. This can be done by:
- On images, using alt tags that are functional
- Ensuring a strong contrast between backgrounds and text
- Using instructions and labels
- Providing focus indicators when using keyboard navigation
Feeling inspired by these trends?
If you're considering a new website – make sure you know how to improve it by getting a clear picture of how your current website is performing with our free website grader tool.
Simply plug in your website URL and wait a few moments before it provides you with a comprehensive breakdown of key performance areas like SEO, responsiveness and security.
You'll also get scored across each of these areas so that you're able to actively monitor any changes you make going forward. Most websites only score 60 out of 100! It also provides insights into how you can fix these components, or you can request a meeting with one of our website specialists who can go into more detail about areas for improvement.
