While web design trends have changed many times over the last a few years, it’s likely that the designs of websites in the next 10 years will look even more remarkably different than they do today. Technology has made websites sleeker and smarter, but how long will this trend last?

How will technology like artificial intelligence change the way we interact with sites? What new approaches to website design are on the horizon? Below are a few thoughts on website design trends for 2022 and beyond.

Mobile-Optimized Design

In 2020, Google announced that they would be testing a new search algorithm: Mobile-First. For those unfamiliar with SEO, search engine optimization is how you make your website appear at (or near) the top of a list when someone performs a Google search on their desktop or mobile device.

The impact of Mobile-First ranking was very dramatic across hundreds and thousands of websites in Australia. A lot of the websites we saw that are mobile optimized got a SEO ranking increase, whilst other websites that are not mobile friendly or mobile optimized got decreased in SEO rankings noticeably.

As SEO becomes more and more important for businesses in Australia, designing and building websites for mobile device became the top priority as opposed to designing and building a website for desktop device.

Complex Designs and Functions Stripped Away

Last year, Google announced that websites loading slowly will move down in rankings. What that means is when complex design elements and functions are embedded on the websites, they may start to slow down the website which will affect the site load speed.

Also, more and more users are moving towards mobile browsing, where interactive elements like flash can cause lag in page load as well.

Because of these trends, website designers are beginning to lean towards simple page designs as a way to keep up with SEO. Additionally, using a simple page design helps you simplify your content which also helps with SEO.

One Page Design Leads the Way

One page designs are everywhere these day. As a part of more simplified design aesthetic, One-page website is going to be more popular in the next a few years we think.

Also, easier-to-understand navigation will help businesses better showcase their offerings to customers and allow visitors to quickly understand everything within a few scrolls. Simplicity is key.

Custom Icons Will Be Used More Often

Thanks to responsive web design and simple look & feel, designers are rapidly moving away from using graphics in their websites and replacing them with custom icons. Because icons can be used in all resolutions—and even resized dynamically using CSS—they’re a great way to improve site performance without sacrificing on style. In fact, they often add a unique touch of personality to your website that graphics simply cannot match.

Many modern icon libraries allow you to customize and recolor every aspect of an icon, giving you more flexibility than ever before. While these icons will initially seem more costly than stock images, you’ll soon find that they offer much better value when it comes to usability and interactivity.

Accessibility will be Improved

Although it’s already a growing priority, accessibility will become an essential part of web design in 2022. There are hundreds of millions of people with disabilities and special needs who rely on websites for information every day. One easy way to ensure your site is accessible is to make sure you use simple HTML codes when coding.

Also, sites that make good use of alternative text can be translated by screen readers so that all users can enjoy them regardless of device or software. In 2021 and 2022, many companies will find success using an adaptive approach to website design—meaning their sites are designed both for humans and search engines alike.

To Sum Up the Web Design Trend

As a trend, websites will become quicker, simpler, designed and built for mobile device in 2022 and beyond. The big, fancy, bulky website design will become less and less popular in the next a few years. To find out more about SEO and WordPress website design, talk to us anytime.