1. Page speed

Page speed is one web design trend that won’t stop appearing on top web design trends lists.

So don’t ignore page speed when:

• Creating new page designs
• Launching site updates
• Building a brand-new site design

If you do, you risk losing:

• Traffic
• Conversions
• Rankings in search results
• And more

People want fast experiences, and search engines like Google are now evaluating websites based on their page speed when it comes to search engine optimization. Google uses page speed, plus Core Web Vitals, to assess how fast a page loads and how soon a page becomes available for someone to use.

If you want to improve page speed, you can take a few steps:

• Compress images
• Condense HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code
• Use a content distribution network (CDN)

You can also invest in page speed optimization services, which help you and your in-house development team regain valuable time. Instead of worrying about your website’s speed, you have a trusted agency to manage and maximize your speed for you.

2. Accessibility

Creating an accessible site isn’t just about avoiding a six-figure fine — it’s also about providing every person who visits your website the ability to use your site. You want to create a website that anyone can use because that’s the kind of business your company is.

When it comes to meeting the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design, there are multiple requirements to meet. That’s why most companies invest in ADA compliance services or tools.

If you have a WordPress website, for example, there are several plugins available.

Whether you choose to partner with a service provider or use a tool, you want to get started as soon as possible.

The longer your business waits to act on this web design trend, the longer your site remains unusable to people with disabilities.

3. Simplicity

You’ve been hearing it for years — “keep your design simple.”

But for 2022 web design, it’s crucial. Users no longer have the time (or the patience) to muddle through a complicated website with unclear navigation or slow loading pages due to large motion graphics. The future of web design is simple, and when we say simple, we mean in every way.

Check out Starbucks’ homepage — just a few colors, not a lot of frills — just a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing white chocolate mocha latte and delicious panini.

It makes me want to pop into my local store for both of these items right off the bat, so this simplistic web design is doing its job.

Oh, and the navigation? It’s super simple too — a matter of fact, it only has three options!

How can I incorporate simplicity into my website?

Try simplifying these areas of your site to provide a better user experience and to effortlessly fall into the future of web design:

• Your navigation
• Your graphics
• Your home page
• Your color scheme

4. Illustrations

Of course, a photo of your team at happy hour is a great way to give a personal touch to your website, but when we look ahead to web design trends for 2022, that lighthearted photo might not cut it. A lot of companies, instead, have started to feature illustrations on their site pages.

Not only does this give a modern look, but it also makes your site pages unique.

Users will remember your site because they don’t feature the same staged photo of your employees grinning ear to ear. When you use an illustration, you can use your brand colors, and make it as detailed as possible to give the exact feel that you desire.

A great example is the luxury tent company, Pitch.

Check out the way they use custom illustrations to create the exact atmosphere that they want for their website.

They also use their brand’s colors to make it personal, and the whole home page has an outdoor feel — perfect for a website selling tents. Imagine how boring this home page would be if they featured pictures of their tent manufacturers on the production line.

These simple, clean illustrations add a customized modern feel. When it comes to web design trends for 2022, plan to see a lot more illustrations!

How can I incorporate illustrations into my website?

First and foremost, if illustrations don’t fit your current website style, there’s no need to feel the pressure to add them. However, if you’re rebranding and want to go for a modern look, illustrations are a fantastic way to do so.

5. GIFs as graphics

Gone are the days of merely incorporating a stock photo into your content — if you do so, readers will become bored long before they can even read through your pages. A significant web design trend for 2022 is the incorporation of GIFs into your content.

Not only do they help engage users and keep them on your pages longer, but they also add a unique design element that leads to better user experience.

Below, you can see an example of GIFs within page content.

How can I incorporate GIFs into my website?

Look for content that gives instruction and use a tool like Gyazo to create stunning GIFs that engage users in your site content.

6. Animations

Similar to GIFs in your content, an emerging web design trend for 2022 is animations.

Not only are more websites adopting animations in their content in the form of GIFs, but they’re also utilizing animations on their home page, in calls to action, and more. Check out the way Adidas uses animation on their home page!

This animation loop grabs the attention of users and encourages them to stick around — even if just for a few loops.

This strategy is borderline genius since it’s easy to get stuck watching the animation over and over.

How do I incorporate animations into my website?

If you want to bring more life to your website, it’s a great idea to incorporate animations.

However, you shouldn’t overdo it — only add animations to important pages like your home page. If you want to adopt this 2022 web design trend, be sure to work with a web design company like Altflex that knows what they’re doing — an animation of this size can easily bog down your site and make it load slowly!

7. Integration of Instagram for a personal touch

Another web design trend for 2022 focuses on connecting to real customers through social media channels like Instagram. For example, American Eagle started a campaign called #AExME, which features real customers wearing their clothing.

This campaign creates a fantastic marketing strategy because it:

1. Allows potential customers to see what their clothing looks like on a physical person that isn’t a model
2. Gives them ideas about how to wear certain pieces
3. Inspires them to pair branded tops with branded bottoms, ultimately encouraging customers to buy more than just one item
4. Helps potential customers relate — they see themselves in these photos, making it easier for them to buy

This web design trend for 2022 is a great one to pay attention to since it can improve your design and your conversions.

How do I integrate social media into my website?

If you want to team up with social media channels to make your web design even better, you’ll first have to get your hands on some user-generated content! To learn more, check out the resource above!

8. Voice optimization

By 2022, voice shopping is set to become a $40 billion industry. Today, more companies optimize their websites for voice searches, and the future of web design in 2022 is no different. You must optimize your website’s content for voice search if you want to rank well in search results.

As you likely already know, great search engine rankings help you funnel more qualified traffic to your website.

If you don’t rank highly, you likely won’t see much site traffic, and your beautifully designed website will go to waste.

With more users relying on voice technology like Siri and Alexa to find what they’re looking for online, your website must use natural language processing (NLP) to appeal to every audience — including those searching by voice.

How do I integrate voice optimization into my website?

Working with a well-known voice search optimization company can help you get the most from voice integration! Simply put, though, you’ll want to use language that is similar to what real humans would say to ensure that you appeal to every audience!

9. Mobile responsiveness

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a mobile responsive website design should be at the top of your priority list for your 2022 website design. When you have a mobile responsive website design, you ensure that users surfing your site on a smartphone or tablet get the same experience as they would on a desktop.

Mobile responsiveness is a critical web design trend for 2022, especially since the release of Google’s mobile-first index this past July. Mobile-first indexing says that instead of looking at the desktop version of a website first, Google looks at the mobile version by default — making mobile responsiveness even more crucial in your 2022 web design.

How do I integrate mobile responsiveness into my website?

Making your site mobile responsive is a process, and one of the best ways to get started is to work with a responsive web design company!

10. Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is creeping its way into every area of marketing, and for good reason.

When you implement AI on your website, you’re able to use data to satisfy customer needs. For example, many websites integrate chatbots that use artificial intelligence to reply. Not only do chatbots benefit companies since it allows them to focus their energy elsewhere, but it also helps customers that have questions by providing a reply immediately.

How do I integrate artificial intelligence into my website?

One of the easiest ways to adopt artificial intelligence for your website is to opt for a chatbot. A digital marketing company like Altflex can help you get started!

10. Bold color

One of the first aspects you’ll want to evaluate in the new year is your color palette.

Colors have a big impact on how your audience views your website. Your color palette is a big part of your brand identity. People will look at your colors and associate them with your brand.

It’s a crucial part of your business, so you want to ensure that you keep them fresh.

One of the biggest trends for next year is the usage of bright colors.

Bright colors capture your audiences’ attention and gets them engaged with your page. If your color palette is old or outdated, this is a time to update it. You can opt for brighter versions of your color palette to make your website pop.

It’s a great way to help your website stand out from the competition.

This brings a unique and fresh aspect to your website. By updating the colors on your pages, you’ll make your website pop.

On another end of the spectrum, an upcoming trend is a black and white palette with bold color accents.

Black and white palettes add a unique experience to your website. It allows your audience to see your website in a new view.

You can see textures, shapes, and points of interest differently. With a black and white palette, you can input different accent colors to make different parts of your website more appealing. It’s a great way to create different points of interest on your site.

Overall, you’ll want to take a second look at your color palette and make sure it’s still attractive to your audience.

11. Strong, bold typography

Your typography is a crucial part of how your audience experiences your site.

You must have readable typography to ensure your audience can read your text. Bold typography will be a common trend for web design next year. You want to have typography that stands out, but also is easy to read.

The type of font you use sends a message to your audience.

When you use the appropriate font, you build trust with your audience and ensures they get the message from your text.

Your typography enhances your website’s design. It adds flair and character. As you comb through your site, see if you can upgrade your font choice to make it more interesting for your audience.

12. Minimalism

Many companies are under the impression that more means better. The reality of the situation, however, is that less is more. A minimalist design is the best way to present your business to your audience.

This ensures that you only present the most important information to your audience.

It’s easy to dive into detail and go in-depth with your content, but you can end up overwhelming your audience. The best thing to do is keep your design and information simple. Make all of your information clear and space it out, so it doesn’t make your site appear overcrowded.

You’ll have a site that looks cleaner and will be easier for your audience to engage with your content.

13. More videos

As videos and media platforms like YouTube rise in popularity, it’s more crucial for businesses to integrate videos into their sites. If you want to remain in competition with your competitors, integrate more videos into your site.

When you add videos to your site, you create unique engagement points.

You create diversity on your page and break up the abundance of text on your site. Videos cater well to your on-the-go audience.

They may not have time to read all the information on your site, but they can watch a quick two-minute video and get all the information they need.

With Google generating more mixed results that include listings and videos, it’s a great time to start integrating videos into your marketing plan. It gives you an opportunity to engage new leads and gain more exposure for your business.

14. Micro-interactions

Micro-interactions are surprise events that happen to users while visiting your site.

When someone takes a small action on your site and a specific response happens, it creates a micro-interaction. For example, when someone logs on to Facebook and sees a red box with a number next to their notifications, this is a micro-interaction.

It’s something that is interesting and engaging for your audience, and, in this case, gets someone to click on their notifications. There are many micro-interactions on Twitter, too.

For instance, when someone refreshes their Twitter feed, they’ll hear a popping sound.

This is also a micro-interaction.

These are small nuances that add to the user experience on your site. You can integrate micro-interactions on your site through scroll animations, chimes, and more. It’s a great way to create a more engaging and interactive experience and will help your website’s design stand out next year.

15. Mobile-friendly design

As you continue to adapt to web design trends for next year, think about your mobile audience.

Mobile browsing is becoming more prominent than desktop browsing. You’ll want to ensure that your web design is mobile-friendly. One big emphasis this coming year is making your site thumb-friendly.

When people browse on mobile, they use their thumbs to scroll, click, and navigate mobile sites.

This means you should focus on adding and placing site elements where they are easy to access with a thumb.

For instance, a hamburger menu, the icon with three lines, is typically on mobile sites. However, the issue is that this menu is often at the top left-hand side of the site. This makes it challenging for your audience to access your menu.

To adapt for mobile users, you may need to put your hamburger menu in another place, like the bottom right corner, so your audience can access your information.

It makes it quicker and more efficient for your audience to browse through your site.

Need a website designer to help make your site responsive? Altflex is here for you!

16. User experience (UX)

Your audience is at the heart of your business. To have a successful presence online, you must provide your audience with a positive user experience (UX) so they remain on your site and learn about your business.

Think about what they would want to see on your site, or what types of elements would enhance their experience. Whether it’s the navigation, typography, media, or information on your site, you always want to consider how your audience will respond.

Good UX is the difference between earning leads and losing them.

You can have an attractive website that represents your brand well, but that doesn’t matter if the UX isn’t optimized. Ensure that your UX is optimized next year to retain your audience’s interest.