Web Design Trends 2022
In the fast-paced digital world, it seems like web design trends are in a state of constant flux. The reality is that’s not going to change. Being adaptable and staying up to date with the latest developments and changes will be key to your success moving forward.
Design isn’t the only consideration when it comes to website development, and the pressure to create well-optimized websites is no longer an option. Your chances of being discovered in search engine results will significantly decrease if your website is not well optimised.
Here are some examples of how internet design trends are changing, as well as tips on how web designers can include search engine optimisation strategies into their projects.
The design will be more personal
We already see websites becoming more and more tailored to the individual. With new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Augmented Reality, we will see a great development of highly personalised web experiences for each user.
The design will be more diverse
Today’s top-notch designs are often just one way of design among many. In the future, each design will need to be adapted to a specific user segment and platform if it is going to have any chance of being successful.
The design will be more contextual
Location intelligence and context awareness will have exploded. We already see chatbots on several websites. Users need to quickly get information about their surroundings through their devices. This will be increasingly important in the future.
The design will be more global
The days when it was enough to have one website for all countries are over. Therefore digital designers must think globally from day one. Web design is no longer just about looking good.
It’s highly likely that websites will adapt their content based on the user’s physical location. The design for a local flower shop in Germany will look very different to that of a local flower shop in China.
The design will be more immersive
We are already seeing the increase in popularity of VR and AR with both consumers and business users – especially with e-commerce, marketing campaigns and education. As these technologies improve, the number of VR & AR applications is set to grow rapidly.
The design will be more continuous
In 2022, we expect to see a huge development in user-generated content – both text and video. We also expect to see an increase in voice search technologies such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa. As a result, UX designers will have a much more ‘continuous’ experience to develop.
The design will be more customisable
It is likely that web design will become highly dynamic and fluid. Content-first designs are already common in large enterprises where the website’s content needs to constantly change based on current events or seasonal sales. In 2022, we can expect to see this approach continue to spread to other industries.
The design will be more visual
Visual content is growing rapidly. Websites are already using video, infographics and photos to help explain their message. With an increased focus on UX, this trend is likely to continue in 2022 with the use of more interactive visuals.
The design will be less formal
As users become more familiar with technology they will expect it all to work flawlessly. The days when websites were optimised only for page SEO are long gone. Today’s web users demand the simplest interactions.
We’ll see a move away from complex navigation that forces people into following exact and multiple steps to achieve a specific result. There will be a focus on much simpler user interfaces that allow users to quickly perform tasks. For example simple checkouts in e-commerce and an immediate response to live questions and answers.
The design will be less mobile-centric
Web designers will need to start thinking more about creating sites that work well on all device types. Mobile-friendly responsive web design is no longer enough; the new standard for UX will be cross-device responsiveness – designing a website that work on desktops, all sizes of tablets and mobiles.
How Do You Integrate Web Design Trends With Your SEO Strategy?
A big challenge of the future is how to continually optimise your website for search engine optimisation SEO, which is one of the most important factors when it comes to ranking high on search engines like Google.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, which means using specific techniques so that your site ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERP). There are many elements you must consider before optimising any site, but there are some general guidelines you can follow:
Crawlability
You need to make sure that Google can crawl your website. You can check this by inputting your web address into the Google index checker tool. Ensure your robots.txt file is set up correctly and ensure you have a recent sitemap.
Site security
You must have an SSL certificate, which is a way for users to confirm your website is safe and secure for them to enter their login details. Although Google has indicated this is no longer one of the ranking factors, it does deter users from interacting with your site.
Content freshness
In order to rank well, you need to make sure your content is both relevant and fresh. While a website does not need to have a blog, it can provide a stream of relevant, unique information that Google will appreciate. For example, an interior designer could post images and content on their site of homes they have designed or remodelled.
You need to have unique, well-written content. Google analyses the words on your site and will penalise you if there is no uniqueness or it has a lot of similarities with other sites.
Relevant content
An important factor for Google is the relevance of your page’s content to what someone searches for. Creating content the satisfies user intent is critical. Simply stuffing keywords in your copy or meta description will not be enough. Users will quickly navigate away to another site if they don’t find what they are looking for.
Links and backlinks
You need high-quality backlinks. Backlinks are links that point to your website from other sites on the web. The more relevant, high-quality backlinks you can get, the better it is for your site’s rankings.
When thinking about link building consider a good mix of internal links and outgoing links along with your focus on inbound links.
Responsiveness across all devices
Mobile devices like iPhones and iPads are now more popular than personal computers (PCs). So Google is optimising its search engine results to provide the best and relevant results for smartphones and tablets.
Keyword research and usage
You need to include target long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are targeted, specific phrases that users often type, or speak when users enter search queries. By using these search terms in your content, your heading and title tags, you can help improve your site’s rankings in search engines. Below is an example of a long-tail keyword.
e.g. “best aircon repair near me” vs “aircon repair”
Core web vitals
Essentially how Google assesses the overall User Experience of your page. The three key page speed and user interaction metrics in the Core Web Vitals benchmark are:
Largest contentful paint, LCP
First input delay, FID and
Cumulative layout shift, CLS
When planning out your website design it is important to consider how these ranking factors will play into your overall performance. Read more about Core Web Vitals here.
Google EAT
To improve the user experience of your site, Google has come up with its own resource which you can access
E-A-T is an acronym for Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. The basic idea is that high EAT websites are more relevant than low EAT websites for specific queries.
Google looks at the quality of the content on your site and the trustworthiness of your business/website. This guide is aimed at webmasters and outlines what Google expects from websites, how it detects EAT, and recommendations for improving EAT. Read more about Google EAT here.
Site speed
Web page size matters; smaller pages load faster. Use images and videos that are as optimised as possible without degrading the quality of images. * (and don’t forget your alt text). Check out your site speed here.
Minify Javascript and CSS files. Avoid using Flash elements.
Readability
A readability score is a calculated index that can indicate how easy it will be for someone to read a text.
To improve readability, use simple language throughout your content. Eliminate redundant words and keep sentences short. Break up long text into paragraphs.
Use heading and subheadings to divide sections within a page and use bulleted lists when possible. Additionally use positive language that is clear and easy to understand.
Maintain a reasonable word count. Don’t be unnecessarily wordy when trying to communicate your information.
Read: How To Write a Killer Blog Post.
Conclusion
More than ever web design and search engine optimisation need to be considered as one. A poorly optimised site will affect your search engine rankings while a poorly designed website will affect usability and customer engagement.
When designing and creating a website, you should consider search engine optimisation and user experience at all stages of the project. It’s essential to provide your consumers with useful, interesting, and engaging content, but it also requires attention in regards to its presentation and delivery.
If you’re confused about how to achieve a well-optimised and designed website Hardcraft Digital has a full-scale service offering to take care of all your internet marketing requirements. Contact Hardcraft Digital for an easy and commitment-free consultation.
