Web Design - What trends will web design follow? - Marketing trends 2023

Although many have been rallying in recent years that websites are going to be a thing of the past and that social media - especially Facebook - will take their place, they are still going strong and will continue to be 'their own turf' for business owners to publish their content. And as the Brand24 case shows, having 'your own ground' in the form of a website is a very good hedge against situations where social media changes the rules of the game for individual 'players' as well as all users.

In 2023, websites will play no less of a role in marketing than in previous years.

And although many tools, e.g. Facebook, will try even harder to keep users within their own website at all costs, even to purchase products or services from it, the website should nevertheless be the basis of every brand's marketing communication. It is the hub to which all marketing channels will direct traffic.

This does not mean that websites can be the only tool used by marketers. They must be one of the mandatory pillars of marketing communication.

The predictions for 2023 in web design remain almost the same as in previous years. We will see even more care and commitment to the trends highlighted:

1. Even more valuable content.

In the past few years, the search engine Google has introduced several important algorithm updates that have put content quality at the top of the agenda, making it necessary for website owners to ensure that the content they publish is expert and substantive.

The increase in the amount of content on the web is simply mind-blowing. However, this does not mean that we have enough of it. On the contrary. We are looking for more and more valuable content. It used to be that articles or sub-pages of around 500 words were considered sufficient by the audience - today, they are just a 'starter'. Longer, juicier content attracts audiences for longer.

Nowadays, websites can no longer be merely business cards. They must become sources of specific expertise in the services offered. An internet user searching for a solution to a problem will do deep research to verify that the source is reliable.

Company websites will have to think about how to transform themselves from a mere function of providing information about contact details to becoming media services.

2. Growth in the use of video on websites - Marketing trends 2023

The expansion of the video format continues in earnest. As well as more of it being created, it will also be used more frequently not only on social media, but also on websites. This will build greater visitor engagement and make them spend more time on the website.

Although, for internet users, every second spent online is almost as if it's a pittance, with the right content, they are able to stay on their chosen website for longer. Especially if they come across the right video content - then their willingness to spend a few minutes on the site increases significantly.

96% of users watch videos to learn about a product in more detail;

79% said that the video convinced them to buy the product;

68% prefer to learn new projects by watching videos instead of reading texts;

94% of PR managers said that the video helps users understand the idea of the project;

84% of managers are convinced that they have been able to increase website traffic thanks to video.

Source: The State of Video Marketing 2019.

3. Unchanged and even stronger - Mobile first

Year on year, data consumption using mobile devices is growing. According to the Digital in 2021 report, mobile data consumption, in 2020 compared to the previous year, grew by 4.6% to an even 55.7%. Most data on mobile devices is consumed in African countries, i.e. Nigeria with 82.1% of all internet traffic, South Africa with 79.4% and Ghana with 76.6%.

This fact means that in 2023, not having a website tailored to mobile devices will already be an unforgivable sin. Now brands are not only faced with the question do they have a responsive site? But also whether it presents the content in the best possible way while being comfortable to use.

So we will see more attention to mobile versions of websites and more attention to user convenience.... and the first place for convenience is website loading time...

4 Transparency, readability, minimalism - i.e. optimising performance and loading speed

With the increase in content and the greater need to take care of user convenience, transparency and readability of websites will be a must have in 2023.

This will be expressed in the use of clear, large - and sometimes huge - fonts, with bold use of bolding to emphasise the most important content. In addition, space management around text messages will be extremely important. Lots of free space, contextual graphics and appropriately chosen colours will reinforce the most important content.

Minimalism will do very well, and in some cases may even evolve into Brutalism - that is, visual simplification to the extreme, with strong, powerful and contrasting page elements.