A Dive Into the Ocean of Web Design Statistics in 2022

Did you know that the original name of Amazon was Cadabra, Inc.?

Well, Jeff Bezos had to change it, because a lawyer once heard it as, well, “cadaver”…

Yup!

No one wants dead bodies around their company. Zombies don’t count. Everyone loves zombies! (Hell, even Taylor Swift became one for a while!)

Naming your website, the online face of your business, is hard, like naming your progeny.

But how do you decide what it’s going to look like? Your website, not your kids.

Now, that’s where the magic happens.

Web design statistics are clear about the value of web design. In case you want your site to be successful, that is.

Let’s see what the latest web development statistics have to say.

Revealing Web Design Statistics (Editor’s choice):

• There were 23 million web developers in the US in 2018.
• The losses incurred by slowly-loading websites amount to $2.6 billion each year.
• Considering that users take merely 0.05 seconds to form an opinion of a website…
• … the 94% of design-related first impressions on a website don’t come as a massive surprise.
• The percent of users who will continue shopping because of great UX also stands high at 90%.
• Just about half or 50% of the global ecommerce revenue comes from mobile sources.

To put things into their proper context, let’s take a closer look at some general statistics about the state of the global Web in 2022 as well:

• Active websites – 1,992 million
• Global population – 7.89 billion
• Unique internet users – 5,183 billion
• Active social media users – 4.2billion
• Google searches per day – 3.5 billion
• Bytes of data per day in 2018 – 2.5 quintillion

You see, the Web is fast and full of terrific and terrible sites alike. (Zombies as well.) The difference between seamless user experience and a growing fanbase and negative user reviews, Google penalties, and a one-way ticket to the internet limbo almost always can be tracked down to the quality of your web design.

Key Facts about Web Design

Today, we here, at Hosting Tribunal, will shed some light on the key elements of a website and try and answer the question:

Why are statistics about web design so important?

Let’s have a look at the stepping stones that will help us cross the river. One at a time:

• Web design
• User experience
• Responsive design
• Loading speed
• Content
• Usage of images and color palette

Those are the key components. Mixing them all together is the recipe of a successful website.

Every website needs an up-to-date design. A 3-year-old design won’t impress anyone…

Think about Coca-Cola for a moment – their product hasn’t changed in 133 years. And yet – they are on top of their game. As you might expect, their website is among those with the best UX.

Nowadays we totally judge the book by the cover. Great design is what wins the appreciation of users.

Here are some website design stats from 2022 that will convince you further:

1. Two out of three people prefer to browse through a beautifully designed website.

(Source: Blog red)

If you seek inspiration, one thing is for sure – you won’t find it on a poorly designed website. The web is all about diversity, personalization, and finding every possible way to attract the users’ attention.

2. 75% of people form their opinion of a website based on its aesthetics.

(Source: Digital Apeel)

Yup! It’s that important, and it's no wonder web design tools are so big.

3. 81% of customers search online before they make a purchase in a physical store.

(Source: Impact)

It has become common sense to do this, at this point. Users want the best quality AND the best prices.

4. The average time between a product search and an online purchase is 20 days, 26 for Amazon.

(Source: Word Stream)

E-commerce is a powerful force these days. Shopping online has become so popular that:

5. In 2020, a whopping 61% of Gen Z customers say they have ordered groceries online.

(Source: Chain Store Age)

This is a massive jump from just 29% a couple of years ago. Of course, the global pandemic played its part in the increase, but Zoomers are definitely getting out onto the internet.

Retail companies need amazing, up-to-date websites, an amazing user experience. We can’t stress the importance of good design for those companies enough.

Speaking of Gen Z:

6. Only 9.6% of Gen Z shoppers say they purchase products in physical stores.

(Source: Bigcommerce)

For reference, that percentage for millennials is 31.4%. Yes, the era of physical stores is at its twilight. And what a time to get into ecoomerce!

7. 35% of all product searches on Google end up in a bank transaction within 5 days.

(Source: Word Stream)

Speaking of paying online:

8. 40% of transactions are done via a mobile device.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Digital wallets are rising in popularity. And why wouldn’t they? They are awesome.

9. By 2022, e-retail spending in the US is expected to reach $638 billion.

(Source: Statista)

Online shopping is a thriving market. No business can afford a poor website these days. Still not sure? How about this:

10. 83% of US-based consumers have purchased something on Amazon in the last 6 months.

(Source: Bigcommerce)

That amounts to almost every American family.

Let’s not forget Amazon is one of the websites that are world-famous for their amazing user experience. Browsing on Amazon is never boring!

According to website design statistics:

11. 73% of companies invest in design to differentiate their brand from the competition.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Unique design is what every company needs. Literally. Clients universally appreciate it.

Think about Amazon again. One thing is for sure – their designers are super busy people.

Now, there’s a cliche that first impressions are important. This goes for websites as well. Let’s have a look at what attracts us during the first glance at any website:

Statistics about The Importance of First Impressions

In terms of first impressions, design beats usability.

Yes, looks matter! This has been true since the beginning of Time. When you see a beautiful girl on the screen, no one complains. (Well, some women might, but let’s not look under that rock just now.)

Now, according to website first impression statistics:

12. 94% of all first impressions on a website are design-related.

(Source: Design Resources)

Amazing design is all around us. It’s inevitable! If we take a look at the design and layout of the Fortune 500 companies, we will find out for a fact that they are all gorgeous.

Think Amazon, Apple, AT&T, General Motors…

13. Consumers that have about 15 minutes or less to spend online, would rather hang out on beautifully designed websites, instead of plain and simple ones.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Again – good design always wins the user’s time. Images and animations have contributed greatly to this effect.

14. 38% of people will stop visiting a website if its design is sloppy and unattractive.

(Source: SAG ipl)

In the world of today, it is an advantage to ensure an amazing user experience for every visitor of the website. And it will pay up! But more on that – later.

15. When visiting a website, users decide in 10 seconds or less whether they trust your company, based on the design of your website.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Users evaluate the potential of a company by the quality and features of its website. It’s natural.

16. 47% of users expect websites to load in less than 2 seconds.

(Source: Blue Corona)

As we’ll see in a moment, speed is essential. Whether it sells cars or buttons, if the website doesn’t load fast enough, it is out of the race.

17. Almost half of all users say website design is the number one factor that shapes their opinion on the credibility of the business.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Any investment in better design will boost your company’s credibility and ability to attract clients. In other words – poor design is among the best client-repellents.

18. Users take about 0.05 seconds to form their opinion about a website (after it loads).

(Source: SWEOR)

Yes, that’s pretty fast… Let’s check some speed-related numbers for a moment, just to get some perspective:

The cheetah is the 12th fastest animal on Earth. In 2012 an 11-year old cheetah broke the existing record and set a new one – 100 meters for 5.95 seconds. For reference, Usain Bolt’s 2009 record for 100 meters is 9.58 seconds. This remains the world record today.

Now, how do 0.05 seconds seem to you now? If you think about it, that’s faster than a blink of an eye. And yes, guys, 0.05 seconds is the time a user needs to establish whether he will hang around a website, or skip it. Ouch!

Here comes another one:

19. Users scan the content of a website and in 2.6 seconds they create their first impression on the most interesting section of the layout.

(Source: SWEOR)

Our brain does it for us – quickly and mercilessly. (Not unlike a cheetah!) There are lots of factors that will make your brain approve of a design. Consciously or not.

Let’s have a look:

UX and Website Design Stats

Initially, the user spends a couple of seconds to decide whether they are going to stay on the website for a little while. Should they decide to stay, another piece of the puzzle comes into play – user experience.

Here we go:

20. 70% of users have abandoned their shopping carts because of poor user experience.

(Source: Aquent)

The global shopping cart abandonment rate is as high as 75.52%. Now imagine that the reason behind the almost insignificant 5.52% of abandoned shopping carts is other than user experience.

Of course, there’s the positive side of the matter:

21. 90% of smartphone users say they’d continue to shop at a particular site if their user experience is good.

(Source: Topal)

Translation – excellent UX is addictive. So true!

22. UX investment can have a 100% ROI.

(Source: Youpicom)

The thing is – the impact of UX on business is undeniable.

23. 88% of users will never return to a website after a poor user experience.

(Source: SWEOR)

Does that make the other 12% masochists?

24. A website’s bounce rate is directly connected to the loading speed. The slower the loading time – the higher the bounce rate.

(Source: Web Alive)

Who has time to wait for a website to load? We want amazing content and a great UX, now!

The better UX a website offers – the lower the bounce rate.

Now, here comes a big one:

25. In 2020, there was a total of 26.2 million web developers in the world.

(Source: C# Corner)

By 2023 that number is forecast to reach 27.7 million. Now, in 2020, there are around 537 million active websites and only 26.2 million web developers… well, you do the math.

In 2019 the country with the largest web developer population was the USA. By 2023, India will conquer the top position and leave the US trailing behind.

Web development statistics do provide an interesting perspective on how this industry will unfold in the coming years.

Next:

Essential Homepage Facts

Users are mostly influenced by the following factors: design quality, UX, current content, and how it relates to everything else they’ve read.

The homepage is where all those components come together. It’s like a company’s ID card.

The next few stats will give us invaluable insights on what works in homepage design:

26. 64% of users will want to see the company’s contact information on the homepage.

(Source: Blog red)

Yes, people want to see some specifics if they are to trust you as a company. It’s natural.

You don’t become someone’s friend unless he answers a couple of important questions first

Do you play board games?

German or Czech lager?

Why exactly do you hate the new season of Game of Thrones?

Apache or Nginx?

27. 52% of visitors want to see information about the company’s business on the website.

(Source: Web Alive)

The more information they have on you, the more they might be willing to trust you.

Consequently:

28. 44% of users will stop engaging with a website that doesn’t provide the company’s contact information.

(Source: Blue Corona)

In a nutshell, the more information the company shares with its clients on its website, the more convinced the clients are about the good intentions and respectability of the company.

29. 85% of users consider reviews as trustworthy as personal recommendations.

(Source: Web Alive)

Product reviews and user opinions have the power to persuade.

30. 36% of customers click on logos to reach the homepage.

(Source: Web Alive)

Many people click on the logo, expecting to go back to the homepage. UX designers are trained to anticipate that. Giving your clients what they expect is another way to further your trust with them.

31. 70% of small businesses don’t have a call-to-action button.

(Source: SWEOR)

Calls to action guide users effortlessly toward the end goal. They remove friction and confusion from the user experience – and your visitors appreciate that.

Now, how about we switch to mobile? Literally:

Mobile-friendly Design Statistics

Today, mobile design is an absolute necessity for every website!

And it is something that no web developer and designer can afford to ignore.

Let’s have a look at the latest mobile-friendly design statistics:

32. The average time users spend on their smartphones per day in 2021, is almost 7 hours.

(Source: Business Today)

Nowadays, people browse all the time. Mobile device adoption skyrocketed a couple of years ago, and the global crisis didn't help. Most users went from around four hours per day spend on mobile to, most times, up to seven hours.

33. 16% of internet users in the US use their smartphones exclusively to go online.

(Source: eMarketer)

By 2022, the US mobile audience is estimated to be 19% of all citizens. Desktop usage is slowly sinking.

34. If a website is not mobile-friendly, 40% of users will not engage.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Would you?

Users are growing more and more accustomed to the comforts of mobile-friendly designs. Even standard website building software now all push responsive design as their top feature. This is why you can expect that percentage to rise even higher.

35. 68% of companies have integrated mobile marketing into their marketing strategy.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Everything that’s mobile is on the rise. Mobile marketing, mobile gaming, mobile wallets… you name it.

(If someone comes up with mobile chickens laying mobile eggs… well, we can worry when that happens.)

36. Mobile ads account for 63% of global digital marketing revenue.

(Source: Iab)

There are so many types of mobile ads. How many can you name? Let’s see: banner ads, native ads, interstitial ads, video ads, rewarded video ads, rich media ads…

Each of those has found a new, creative way to entice users toward spending money on something they might need.

37. 48% of users get frustrated if a website is not mobile-responsive.

(Source: Impact)

Mobile-friendly sites keep the user experience frustration-free. Most users simply refuse to engage with websites with poor responsive design.

38. Half of the global e-commerce revenue comes from mobile.

(Source: Infront Webworks)

The evidence – Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2018. Both broke the existing record for e-commerce sales.

33.5% of purchases and most of the Google product searches came from mobile.

39. 54.8% of the global web traffic is mobile in 2021.

(Source: Statista)

Mobile is the present AND the future, guys.

40. Google introduced worldwide mobile-first indexing in 2018.

(Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog)

From this point on, Google searches started to favor mobile-friendly websites. Even when the searches came from desktops and laptops.

41. 91% of small businesses haven’t optimized for mobile yet.

(Source: Blog red)

The sooner – the better. If a website is mobile responsive, it’s already one step ahead.

And almost as if we had saved the best for the last:

42. By 2023, the global number of mobile devices is forecast to reach 16.8 billion.

(Source: Statista)

For 2020 we are at 14.2 billion. So responsive design will continue to be a thing for the foreseeable future. Let’s dive into some details and figure out why.

Responsive Web Design Statistics

Mobile devices are on the rise.

Mobile traffic increases every year, and websites without a responsive design are rapidly losing their share of the audience.

According to responsive website design statistics:

43. Almost 90% of adults think the mobile version of a website should be equally good or even better than the desktop one.

(Source: Design Resources)

The average loading time per page is still between 8.66 seconds. The recommended time is 3 seconds.

44. 2 out of 3 minutes online are spent on a mobile device.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Fun fact: in 2019 we witnessed the official dethronement of TV time. For the first time in history, people are spending more time on their mobile devices than in front of the TV set.

45. Mobile users are 5 times more likely to quit engaging with a website, which is not mobile-friendly.

(Source: Impact)

According to web design facts and stats:

46. 60% of users will distrust a company with a non-responsive website.

(Source: Magnet4blogging)

Oh, well. Those companies had it coming for not following the latest trends.

47. 62% of companies that invested in responsive design saw an increase in sales.

(Source: Digital Apeel)

OK, we saw what mobile-friendly and responsive designs are capable of.

How about content and images?

Does Content Impact Users?

Around 10 million blog posts get published every day.

But how do we choose what articles deserve our full attention and which we can skim through?

Now:

48. 55% of readers spend less than 15 seconds on a page.

(Source: Time)

Content and traffic are essential. A website needs a great design to win the attention of the audience.

49. If the content is too long – 30% of users will switch devices, and 38% will stop visiting the website.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Readers will give up on content for various reasons. Sometimes the images won’t load fast enough, or they don’t load at all. We’ve all been there…

50. 38% of users will stop visiting a website if the content is unappealing.

(Source: Blue Corona)

Beautiful design strikes again!

51. Peer-created content and reviews are more likely to be trusted.

(Source: Learning Hub)

Users are prone to trust people their age. No matter the age group.

There are many factors that influence users.

How about colors?

Facts about the Psychology of Colors

The color palette is extremely important for every website.

The general rule of the more – the merrier doesn’t apply here.

Every year designers come up with color schemes and themes that are supposed to enchant and lure the visitor further into the labyrinth of the website. (Check out the color palette of 2019. It’s awesome!)

Let’s see some stats that will make the picture more clear:

52. The search engine of Microsoft, Bing, made an extra $80 million when they changed the hue of blue.

(Source: CNet)

(In all fairness, they say it’s the hue of blue that’s almost identical to the one used by Google…)

If you are feeling blue today, that’s a good thing.

In the world of web design – the blue-er, the better.

Just consult a skilled designer first. You need the right kind of blue…

53. According to 57% of users, blue is the color of success.

(Source: Brandongaille)

Blue is cool and relaxing (sky, water, summer, Blue Lagoon cocktail…) It is obviously a color that people trust and cherish.

Fun fact: most people say their favorite color is blue.

And consequently, blue is the color of some of the most popular and most visited websites. (Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Drupal, VKontakte – all blue…)

54. Green and orange call-to-action buttons work best.

(Source: Wordstream)

If you change the colors of your call-to-action buttons will lead to increased conversion.

Just remember all those Download or Get Started buttons…

55. 85% of shoppers say they have made their decision based on the color of the item.

(Source: Neil Patel)

That’s not surprising at all actually. Imagine your favorite social network as a combination of baby pink, red-orange, and light green… ouch!

Colors have the power to sell. So do images. Let’s have a look:

Images in Web Design

Think of the ancient cave paintings. Elephants, swimming warriors, some adult content here and there… oh well.

The power of visual content is enormous.

We all love images, and the more – the better!

56. 32% of marketers think images are the most important content.

(Source: Hubspot)

Yes, users need more visualization on the product pages.

As you probably know:

57. People remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read, and 80% of what they see.

(Source: Wyzowl)

However:

58. If a piece of information is paired with a relevant image, there is 65% chance that the user will remember it afterward.

(Source: Hubspot)

Images are the most engaging content. They are straightforward and convey information immediately.

59. Images are 60,000 times faster to process than written text.

(Source: Wyzowl)

Visual content helps users grasp the information the website is offering.

Importance of Load Time

Speed is a major factor in user retention! Let’s see how much exactly:

60. Google has listed website speed as one of the key factors that algorithms use to rank pages.

(Source: MOZ)

Users enjoy faster websites. As simple as that!

61. Slow-loading websites cost their owners $2.6 billion in losses each year.

(Source: Design Resources)

Again Coca-Cola comes to mind – unchanging product, amazing advertising campaign, and a website that gives you an awesome UX. (And we can easily confirm their website loads fast enough.)

Content and images that load quickly = good user experience = happy customers.

Easy peasy!

62. 39% of users will stop engaging with the website if it takes too long to load.

(Source: Blue Corona)

No time to wait!

63. 53% of mobile users will leave a website if it loads in more than 3 seconds.

(Source: Web Alive)

If you optimize your website speed you will automatically reduce your bounce rate.

64. The bounce rate of a website will increase by 32% if it takes between 1 and 3 seconds to load.

(Source: Web Alive)

Think about the average website loading speed – 8.66 seconds. A website that can beat that time will have the edge.

65. If the loading time of a website increases from 8 to 2 seconds, the conversion rate will jump up by 74%.

(Source: Learning Hub)

There are plenty of ways to make your website load faster. Awareness is everything, guys.

Now, here comes a big one:

The Impact of Design on SEO

SEO is a superpower in website development statistics. Let’s have a look:

66. In 2019, Google was the undeniable leader of the global search engine market.

(Source: Statista)

Yup! Google is the one engine to rule them all. (The search engines, I mean, not Middle Earth!)

67. 95% of web searches go through Google.

(Source: Backlinko)

Doing SEO nowadays means playing by Google’s rules. And Google deeply appreciates mobile-friendly design.

68. 93% of online experiences start with a search engine.

(Source: Forbes)

And, as we already mentioned, said the engine is most likely to be Google.

69. 75% of users never click past Google’s first page of search results.

(Source: Forbes)

In short – if you want users to even see your website’s link (let alone click on it), it should appear on the 1st page of Google.

70. 3 out of 4 smartphone owners turn to their phones for an everyday Google search.

(Source: Blue Corona)

You are standing in the middle of the street with friends at 1 o’clock in the morning. Out of the blue, someone asks “Hey, do you know how many novels has Stephen King written so far?” (You know, one of those routine questions people ask at 1 in the morning…)

And 10 people pick up their phones and ask Google. (The answer is 58, btw… the King is unstoppable!)

20 years ago people were skimming through encyclopedias. Nowadays we just search on our phones… It’s simple, and it’s super easy!

Web Design Trends in 2022

There is a lot going on in web design. Let’s see:

Voice-first Design

Imagine you are driving home and suddenly you get a craving for sushi.

Both hands on the wheel, guys!

Just ask your phone – it will tell you where you can find the best sushi restaurants near you, where to park, and which table offers the best view…

Easy, and safe!

Let’s see now:

71. In 2017, more than 60% of all businesses had put an AI to work.

(Source: Entrepreneur)

Businesses all over the globe adopt AI assistants.

72. It was predicted that more than 50% of all web searches would be voice-based in 2020.

(Source: Search Engine Land)

Although this isn't yet the case, voice-recognition is the future. And not only in the car. In the office as well.

Think about Alexa – this baby can help you improve the SEO of your company. Yup!

Local Searches – an Established Trend

Ask your phone:

“Where can I buy gelato near me”, and there you go – 6 places, photos, and recommendations.

According to 2022 web design statistics:

73. 46% of all Google web searches are asking for local information.

(Source: SEO Expert)

Almost half of all searches sound like the gelato search. People use their devices to answer questions for them all the time.

Everyone has a personal assistant nowadays – through the smartphone in their pocket.

74. More than half of all “near me” searches end in visiting an online store.

(Source: SEO Expert)

Local SEO will get customers into your store or restaurant – if you do it right. Having a physical location can be a competitive advantage once again!

Well, guys, the future of web design lies in vocal-recognition and local searches, and that’s that!

Conclusion

Now you know why web design statistics are such a big deal in 2022.

When Hulk meets Venom you get… well, you get a monster. It should be intelligent, not to mention strong and with a sexy voice…

The point is that the 2022 web design statistics are amazing. Like Spiderman!

See you around, guys!