2022 Web Trends

What's the online world got in store for 2022? We got out our crystal ball and took a look at what might be heading our way.

Here’s our 6 top picks for web trends to watch and think about going into 2022:

1) A sense of place

Gone are the days of anonymous interfaces - visitors to your website want to know how you are and where you are. They want a window into your world. You will see more photo-centric sites, using photographs, images and videos of the local people, town or natural beauty spots. These visual prompts help bring visitors into your world and form a real-world connection no matter where you are. For a lot of people who now predominantly work online, the web can be a faceless and detached place, but with strong local imagery you can give visitors to your site a real sense of place.   

2) Page speed

So you’ve designed a visually appealing website, but is it fast? Thanks to the latest Google algorithm update, page speed optimisation in 2022 will be more important than ever. With more and more people accessing the internet on their mobile devices and whilst on the go, patience is low and expectations are high, with 53% of users abandoning a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load. Fear not, we have a few tricks up our sleeve to help speed things up. 

3) Emphasis on accessibility

This point is more of a standard the industry should be trending towards in 2022. There’s a lot to say here, so for now we’ll briefly summarise.For public sector bodies, The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 need to be followed. However, it is worth noting the principles of the Act for all websites. 

It’s prudent to have a website that can be used by as many people as possible, so think about those who may be visually, cognitively or hearing impaired. Some points here include making structure and content as clear and simple as possible so that screen-reader software used to ‘read out’ content does so correctly and effectively. 

Poor colour contrast for instance, makes text difficult to read for those visually impaired who may be using a screen magnifier.

4) Shake up of cookie law (not before time) 

Something else to look out for in 2022 is the UK government’s planned ‘shake up’ to get rid of the endless cookie pop-ups that request permission to store user’s data and personal information when visiting a website. Widely used for compliance to GDPR, this is an EU data law, and post-Brexit reforms to UK data protection policies are planned to prioritise data adequacy partnerships and adopt a more common sense approach. With the potential impending change to cookie rules, it could mean the end for those annoying cookie banners. 

5) Use of extranets for extended teams

With the rise of remote workers likely to continue post-pandemic, we predict a rising trend in the use of extranets going into next year too. These controlled private platforms provide access to certain needed services and resources, but only to authorised persons who oftentimes work for multiple organisations. In this way, they facilitate collaboration between remote workers, extended teams and partner organisations needing to share data on a joint project for example.

6) Hybrid events

Many companies had to adapt working practices or pivot completely when the pandemic hit. A lot of in-person events became virtual, be it conferences, awards ceremonies, training or team events, and organisations had to get creative and innovate. We set up our Virtual Venue with our partners at Touch Design to provide clients with an efficient and effective online meeting space, fostering productivity and collaboration. The benefits included reduced event costs, such as travel, accommodation, and catering. 

So now that in-person events have resumed, much like the growing trend of hybrid working, we predict in 2022 we will see a hybrid of both remote and in-person events where the benefits of each are utilised by all.

That’s a lot to digest, but hopefully it’s given you food for thought as well as some ideas to help you stand out from the crowd and get ahead.

To find out how we can help you with your website contact us by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or give us a ring on 0115 914 5839.