Agency

Web trends: BACK TO BASICS

back to blog

Design is an essential element for any business or organization that wants to stand out in the ever-changing marketplace. And… the web trends change rapidly. However, there are some elements that remain timeless and guarantee the long-term success of a website. 

In this article, we will explore the web trends, but more importantly, great timeless ones that have stood the test of time and continue to attract and engage online visitors. 

Whether you’re a small business, a large corporation or a designer, these trends are key elements you should consider improving the user experience and keep your website relevant! 

Get ready to discover these trends that will mark 2023 and even beyond!  

Let’s go 🔥

What are the hot trends for 2023?

#Nostalgia
You’ve probably noticed a resurgence of 90’s-2000’s trends that is slowly invading the fashion, design and branding world. This period is also the beginning of the internet era, where it was crucial to have minimalist and ultra-light sites given the loading speed of the time.

#Performance

A few years ago, Google announced a “speed update”, which meant that, content that loaded faster for mobile users would get better results in Google’s mobile search results. 

So, be responsive!

Google has now officially integrated this update into its page experience system. The speed performance of your website directly affects its SEO and, consequently, the user experience. We note a very clear trend towards ultra-light loading, minimalist sites, with a neat UX, thus favoring SEO.

La Niche’s advice: make sure to improve your site’s user interface for your users in terms of loading speed, mobile responsiveness, accessibility, HTTPS security, interactions, etc. 

Obviously, this broader trend applies in a variety of ways.

#People-first content for SEO

Whether you are creating a website for a business, a non-profit organization or a blog, search engine optimization (SEO) helps you improve your website’s ranking in them and, therefore, its visibility.

Many content strategists try to adjust the information and wording of the website to improve its ranking in these engines in question. But… Google is not fooled!

Manipulated content tends to do more harm than good to your website when it comes to organic SEO.

On November 21, 2022, Google released a new guide to the Google Search ranking systems. As expected, “people-first” content, which provides original, useful, informative and relevant information to users, will now be prioritized in the top search results. 

Creating relevant content has become a must in all cases!

 

#Minimalism & simplicity

Minimalism is one of the top web design trends for 2023. This means limited color palettes and a minimum of design elements needed to get your message across and assert your visual identity. 

The goal is to have pages with a balanced design, without overloading them with elements or images (affecting performance). Another trend is on the horizon.

#Typographic websites

Typography is a great visual element to express your message while optimizing your site’s performance. We’re seeing a real trend towards sites that are primarily composed of typography, with a real increase in font sizes (good for accessibility) and even sites inspired by graphic design, such as newspapers and magazines. 

Obviously, if the use of your typography becomes the most important element of your visual identity, it’s not surprising to see the emergence and rise of custom typography, which becomes the main tool of your visual identity and therefore the differentiating element of your brand.

Ok, so back to basics! But is there anything more?

#2023 is the year of user engagement

The web is an interactive place, and has been since its creation. Designers have always enjoyed creating immersive experiences, creative games, and having visitors actively participate in their website experience.

We now have the technology to allow users to participate in shaping their own web experience, not just in the metaverse, Web3 or any other digital trend of the moment.

You can build engagement into your site through responsiveness, animation and fun. You can add features to make your site an amazing story, a learning resource, a shared web development framework or just a fun place to play and be entertained. 

What’s clear is that modern websites are increasingly living places, where users are finding new ways to interact and engage through the use of chatbots, for example.

#Microinteractions

Micro-interactions require even less data from users, making them extremely useful for increasing engagement and ensuring that visitors can navigate a site without encountering errors.

A common example of micro-interaction is the use of progress indicators. They prevent users from wondering if the page is frozen or if the system recognizes their data. They can also help users remain patient when downloading files or performing other time-consuming processes. 

This also explains the trend of returning site loaders. All of this improves the user experience and that’s obviously not insignificant!

#Expériences de visualisation et inclusion personnalisables

Another trend along these lines is the rise of personalization on the web. In 2023, experiences on the web are becoming more and more tailored to the needs and preferences of users. 

Modern websites allow users to easily customize the features of their site. Accessibility is taken more into account. Features such as dark mode and sound can make a site more user-friendly for people with different needs. 

People appreciate sites that take into account their preferences, interactions and designs that they can customize to their liking. The King Kong site https://kingkong-mag.com is a good example for customization and user engagement through the use of a dark mode, which is actually a “low carbon emission” website, offering an ideal transition to another trend, eco-design.

#Eco-design

Rather emerging topic, the eco-design consists in designing websites with a lesser environmental impact, respecting the principles of sustainable development, while having a correct performance. Overall, to create a low-tech site that does not consume a lot of energy resources, we must be careful not to load heavy content, because, later, we will have to take into account the amount of renewable energy it uses. 

To follow this more eco-friendly trend, it is best to:

  • Limit the use of videos to what is necessary, as this format is very heavy.  
  • Optimize data storage to reduce their transfer; (preferably have a local server and use programming scripts)
  • Have only the most required scripts and cookies 
  • Use a light typography and create shapes with lines and others to make a representation of an object.

#Video, again?

Even if it goes slightly against performance and eco-design, short videos still appeal to users and have a significantly higher retention rate. So the use of these remains a strong 2023 trend, even if there is a shift in its use. 

Including a short video introduction in your website is therefore a plus, if and only if it does not interfere with important content or a call to action. Using a video in a graphic way, to draw the eye to an action to be performed, can be an interesting solution. 

However, the most relevant use of videos seems to be on your social networks, which usually link to your website.

Giants such as Meta or Google have understood this and have recently introduced “Make-a-video” and “Imagen Video”, new systems for generating short square videos from text based on AI technology.

#AI and the user experience

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) has found its way into almost every industry and sector, from medicine to design. Currently, AI mostly offers brands new opportunities to connect and interact with their audience. For example, with the use of an intelligent and scalable chatbot, or even through its ability to deliver a highly personalized user experience.

In summary, to be in the air of time, you will need a powerful, accessible and inclusive website with varied and relevant content. All wrapped up in a qualitative and customizable user experience, and you’ll be on your way for another decade! Or even more?

18.03.2024

Digital, a team affair: 4 essential tools for managing teamwork at its best

Digital, a team affair: 4 essential tools for managing teamwork at its best
01.02.2024

5 digital communication mistakes to avoid !

5 digital communication mistakes to avoid !
Stratégie 10.01.2024

Start your project with a single ambition: to stand out from the crowd

Start your project with a single ambition: to stand out from the crowd