2023 Marketing Trends Part 3: Web Design, Development, and Functionality

Parts one and two of this series covered trends in PR, reputation management, and social media. In this final post for our marketing trends series, members from S&A’s digital team share their insights for 2023. Digital strategy analyst, David Morrison, and webmaster, Matt Rice, have extensive expertise in web development, design, and optimization. Here are their top predictions for the trends we can expect to see in the digital space this year:

• Greater accessibility – Improved digital accessibility features for people with disabilities will be extremely important for web designers to integrate moving forward, especially as more tools become available to do so. For example, you can add captions and transcripts to any videos on your site, enable keyboard navigation for those unable to use a mouse, and utilize plugins such as Formidable Forms to ensure forms are easy for users to navigate and fill out.
• Heightened online security – Increased digital security and identity management, such as utilizing two-factor authentication and single sign-on (SSO), should be top priorities when designing your website. Users are increasingly demanding heightened security measures on websites, especially when it comes to personal data.
• Chatbot AI – Chatbot integration will continue to become more and more common as users are continuing to expect real-time customer service. According to statistics from Userlike, 68% of users appreciate the convenience and speed that come with chatbot response times. Providing this tool can greatly improve your organization’s customer service abilities while reducing customer service costs by as much as 30%.
• Quicker page load times – Increased emphasis on reducing page load times will be critical. Having the fastest website possible, especially on mobile devices, is becoming one of users’ top expectations. According to HubSpot, ensuring and maintaining fast page load times is integral to increasing conversion rates, and in turn, revenue.
• Video integration – Interactive video on websites will be seen more frequently since video content across any digital platform is becoming increasingly prevalent. Similar to the trend seen in social media where -form video content is exponentially increasing in popularity, video content on webpages will become more widely used to boost site engagement.
• Animated features & geometric shapes – Increased use of animation within websites, such as utilizing animated cursors and geometric shapes, will become effective tools to make web content much more engaging and fun. HubSpot claims that not only do these shapes add flair to webpages, but they can direct the user’s attention to calls to action and other site features you want to emphasize.
• Dark mode – Having a customizable option for users to select between the normal color scheme for a site or a darker-colored theme is becoming an expected feature. According to Medium, this option allows users to select the more “comfortable” way to consume your site’s content, it increases accessibility for those sensitive to bright lights and high contrast, and even saves battery on user’s devices.

We’d love to hear your comments and questions about web design and digital trends for 2023, and hope you have enjoyed this three-part series. Email us at sayhey@sacommunications.com to share your thoughts.