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A great website is one of the most invaluable tools for growing your business, standing out from the competition, appealing to your target audience, and serving up an excellent experience. What do you need to know for the new year? 

10 Top Web and Graphic Design Tips 2023

What’s on tap for web design in 2023? 

1. Page Speed

No, it’s not new. It’s not shiny. It’s not flashy or sexy. But page speed will always be at the top of the list when it comes to website design. No other element of your site will have a chance to compel and convert prospects and leads if they get too frustrated waiting for it to load. Every fraction of a second longer than it takes, the more people (and profitability) you lose. Page speed directly impacts traffic, search engine rank, and conversions. 

Whatever you can do to ensure your site is a lean, mean converting machine – from condensing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code to utilizing a content distribution network (CDN) is well worth the investment in time and resources.

2. Accessibility

Accessibility is a huge issue and will only grow in importance going forward. Failing to provide everyone with the ability to use your website can result in a whopping six-figure fine, but more than that, you want to create an equitable experience for those with disabilities. Steps include everything from providing captions for videos to allowing text resizing to making navigation consistent. You must comply with ADA Standards for Accessible Design if:

• You are a state or local government agency
• You are a private employer with 15 or more employees
• Your organization operates to benefit the public

Even if you are not legally obligated to do so, there is an ethical element to building and maintaining an accessible website. It can undoubtedly be challenging, but working with the right tools and/or partners can be invaluable. 

3. Voice Optimization

Make the leap and ensure that your website is optimized for voice searches. This is key to ranking well in the search engine results pages, increasing traffic, and providing a seamless user experience. Using natural language processing (NLP), you can reach every audience. 

4. Mobile Responsiveness

More and more of us turn to our smartphones and mobile devices to do everything from checking our bank account balance and finding a nearby coffee shop to search for products and find services. It is paramount that the experience on a mobile device is as easy, intuitive, and helpful as it is on a computer. Google released its mobile-first index in 2019, which means the world’s largest search engine looks at the mobile version of a site first rather than going with the desktop version by default. You need to be responsive. 

5. AI

Integrating AI empowers your brand to meet customer needs and expectations while providing a cohesive – and compelling – experience. One easy, and important, way to do this is to integrate chatbots. These are smarter than ever, thanks to artificial intelligence. You can automate many routine questions and inquiries, saving your staff for value-add work. It also satisfies the customers’ need for an immediate response – even after hours. 

6. Bold Design

Among the top graphic design tips for 2023 is utilizing bold colors. The palette your brand uses helps solidify your brand identity and influence how people view your website and your business. We’ll see more bold colors in the new year, designed to grab the audience’s attention and engage them with your content. If you already have a recognized palette, consider using brighter versions of the same colors. 

Interestingly, black and white are making a bold statement in 2023 as well. This color scheme makes it possible to see shapes, textures, and other points of interest in a different way, and accent colors can provide the right finishing touches for an appealing, polished site. 

7. Minimalist Design

In many cases, less is more! We will see more brands using a minimalist approach to their design. By keeping your site clean and simple, you can highlight the information your audience needs to know and ensure they can engage with it easily. Get rid of the extraneous detail and clutter that can make your site overwhelming for visitors. 

8. Videos

Keep producing those videos, people!  The public cannot get enough, and we devour nearly seven hours of video each week. This is incredible. To compete in this environment and make sure your target audience has their eyes on you, create interesting videos. The possibilities are endless, from tutorials and how-tos to OTD-type videos and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks. 

9. Dark Mode

This is a big trend; dark mode can help people read and view your site more comfortably in low lighting. Staring at a bright white screen at night is not fun! It can also help extend battery life and give your site a fresh look and feel. 

10. White Space

From dark to light! Using white space strategically is not a new trend, but we’ll see it even more in the coming year. This enables you to create an uncluttered look that does not distract audiences.

These ten tips are just the… well…tip of the iceberg. To launch a site that will wow your audience, contact THAT Agency today. Let’s start the new year off on the right foot!