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What makes a good website in 2023? While there are myriad strategies, elements, and methods involved… it really all comes down to providing users with an exceptional experience. And one that converts and keeps them coming back.

From lighting fast load speeds to an intuitive user design to smart features that reflect positively on your brand, integrating website design trends into your practices is imperative. 

Top 8 Website Design Trends 2023

Without further ado, let’s dive into some top website design trends for 2023:

1. Parallax Scrolling

An updated version of dynamic scrolling (i.e. users could scroll infinitely, essentially navigating a host of content without leaving the page), parallax scrolling incorporates images, video, and texture imagery to give pages a sense of depth. The background moves at a slower rate than the foreground as a visitor scrolls. This gives a 3D feel to the page. A great way to engage users and keep them onsite longer, parallax scrolling also helps create unique and compelling websites. 

2. Blazing Fast Speed

This is not a new trend; speed has always been paramount. When a page goes from one to two seconds to load, bounce rates increase by 32%. When load times increase from one to five seconds, 90% of people navigate away. Our need for instant gratification is strong! Users expect lightning fast load times. If you are dealing with some bloat, 2023 is the perfect time to get your website into fighting condition. 

3. Lazy Loading and Infinite Scroll

We know… You’ve got a lot to say and are eager to share great content with your audience. But a resource-heavy site can be a slow site. We’ll see design shift to content loading methods that are faster and smarter. Lazy loading, for example, means that a browser (e.g. Safari, Chrome, etc.) will download only the content that is seen on screen. It doesn’t waste server resources or time to load offscreen content that may not be seen.

This works well because many visitors do not reach the bottom of the page. If you load the content as they begin scrolling, they are satisfied with great speed.

4. Geolocation and More Customized Content 

What makes a good website in 2023? The fact that it’s really not just one website. Think of a time when you visited a site and then returned a day or so later. The content is different. The first time, you see the original content. Welcome. Subsequent visits use your browsing history and geolocation to display dynamic content. This can greatly boost conversion. 

For example, say you go to your bank’s website for the first time. You set up an account, mark your browser as “trusted,” and then when you return, the institution knows you are a customer. They’ll place targeted offerings (e.g. home loans, auto loans, credit cards) based on your status.

Restaurants and directory sites can do similar by learning your favorite foods and putting these results higher.

5. Progressive Lead Nurturing 

Lead generation forms are essential in any marketing endeavor – at the same time, inundating visitors with requests for information and asking endless questions is a surefire way to turn them away. Progress contact forms appear just at the right place in the customer journey. For example, upon a first conversion point, you may request name, company, and email address. At a subsequent conversion point, you dig a little deeper with phone, title, company size, etc. Your CRM is invaluable here; it can store information on leads and display the correct forms at the right times. 

6. Intelligent Chatbots 

People want to engage with brands on their terms. If they have a question at 2:00 am, they want it answered at 2:01 am – or sooner. Intelligent chatbots that utilize machine learning and natural language speaking technologies are going to play a big role in serving customers. This will become indispensable in answering routine queries and helping customers find what they need. They are more effective than ever (and learning to get even better).

7. Voice Activated Search

Hey Google, what’s the weather for tomorrow? Hey Suri, best Indian restaurants near me? The way we search is changing. More of us are turning to voice search, particularly on the go. Web design that accommodates and embraces voice search will be even more crucial in 2023 – and going forward. More websites will integrate voice search. Will yours be one of them? 

8. Interactive Website Elements

Assessments, quizzes, polls, surveys, contests, calculators, infographics… We will continue to see an explosion in interactive elements. These provide great value to visitors, keep them engaged, and allow you to learn more about them. These features are important in zero party data gathering (i.e. the consumer voluntarily and deliberately shares information). 

These eight design trends are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what makes a good website in 2023. Learn how to elevate your digital strategy and win the business you need to make this your best year yet. Contact THAT Agency for more information.