Fact: The number of people employed in the web design services industry in the US has declined by an average of 4.8% over the past five years.
That’s not because web design is less important. On the contrary—175 websites are created every minute—with more individuals using website creation platforms to build a website without having to rely on professional designers.
However, do a quick search of web design statistics, and you'll come across a different picture of this industry: one that is on the up-and-up, full of impressive conversion numbers and ample job opportunities. The reason between these two worlds? Most of the impressive statistics available about web design are either outdated or unverifiable.
For example, many reputable sources love to boast that 94% of people say bad aesthetic design is the reason they mistrust a website. However, they don’t cite that this statistic is derived from academic research published in 2004—a very different context from how we interact with the web in 2023, when user experience is at the top of visitors' priorities.
Whether for conveying the power of web design, understanding the competitive landscape, or choosing what design to invest in next, this article’s mission is to extract the most relevant and verifiable statistics that reveal more about the world of website design in 2023. The roundup below will help you understand not only how to design a website and website design best practices, but how to make a website suited for today’s audience.
Plus, I’ll list helpful resources you can revisit to stay abreast of industry changes:
Ready to put your website design skills to action? Start designing your site now.
20+ web design statistics
01. There are 1.1 billion+ websites online today. Source: Netcraft Web Server Survey (March 2022)
02. 75% of consumers will judge a brand's credibility based on their website design. Source: Stanford Web Credibility Research (June 2002)
03. It takes .05 seconds for visitors to form an opinion about a website. Source: Behaviour & Information Technology (March 2011)
04. When asked what visual elements they value on a company website, 40% of consumers said images, 39% said website color scheme, and 21% said video. Source: Top Design Firms (July 2021)
05. Two-fifths of consumers (40%) appreciate photography and images on a company’s website. Source: Top Design Firms (April 2021)
06. 59% of visitors prefer browsing beautiful websites rather than basic ones. Source: Adobe (June 2016).
Pro tip: Just as important as making sure everything on your site works smoothly, the best websites guide visitors with a beautiful and well-balanced design.
06. 38.5% of web designers believe that outdated design is a top reason why visitors leave a website. Source: Good Firms (July 2019)
07. 31% of consumers believe an engaging user experience should be a priority on a website. Source: Top Design Firms (April 2021)
08. Users spend an average of 5.94 seconds looking at a website’s main image. Source: Missouri University of Science and Technology (2010)
09. 84% of professional designers think a crowded web design is the most common mistake brands make. Source: Good Firms (July 2019)
11. 57.44% of all internet traffic comes through mobile phones. Source: Statcounter (February 2022).
Pro tip: Make sure you adjust your website for mobile to stay relevant.
12. 28% of small businesses don’t have a website. Source: Top Design Firms (February 2021)
13. 63% of smartphone users are more likely to purchase from companies whose mobile sites give recommendations on products they may be interested in. Source: Think With Google (January 2019)
14. 88% of the time people spend on smartphones is within mobile apps. Source: eMarketer (July 2020)
15. 6,000,000 people shop online every minute. Source: Domo (July 2021)
16. 69% of shoppers choose to shop on mobile devices versus 30% who prefer browsing from their desktop. Source: Kibo Commerce (March 2022)
17. Online sales accounted for 14.1% of all retail sales worldwide in 2019. This figure is expected to reach 22% in 2023. Source: Statista (August 2021)
18. 77% of internet users aged 16 to 64 buy something online each month. Source: Hootsuite (2021)
19. 30% of smartphone users are more likely to use a company or brand’s mobile site when browsing or shopping on a smartphone when making a one-time purchase. Source: Think With Google (2017)
Pro tip: The majority of mobile screen time is used for apps, since they generally facilitate a controlled and smooth user experience. For service websites and online stores, tools like Wix’s app builder can help build a mobile app for your regular customer base.
20. The probability of a visitor leaving your site increases 32% as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds. Source: Think With Google (2017)
21. 42% of people will leave a website because of poor functionality. Source: Top Design Firms (April 2021)
22. The first 5 seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversion rates. Source: Portent (August 2019)
Looking to start a web design business? Read our guide.
Top resources for finding web design stats
From data surveys to user research, I’ve found the following resources to have the best and most updated original reports on modern website design and the web design industry. If you’d like to continue researching on your own, look here: