In many cases, a customer’s first impression of a business is determined by a visit to its website. It’s essential for a company in any industry—whether B2C or B2B—to keep a close eye on changing technologies and user expectations so that its “digital front door” opens on an experience that’s seamless, intuitive and prepared to address the varying needs, expectations and questions of potential new customers.
A website design that centers users creates a win-win situation: Visitors are able to find information and carry out transactions quickly and easily, and businesses benefit from enhanced service efficiency, increased customer retention and meaningful insights from data. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council detail user-centric features businesses should focus on as they ready their websites for the future digital marketplace.
1. AI-Driven Search And Discovery Optimization
Within the next five years, websites must be optimized for AI-driven search and discovery. Content structured for AI bots like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude will become critical to ensure visibility in conversational search results. We see this shift firsthand across our more than 1 million sites, with chatbot-driven referrals growing rapidly—still behind Google, but signaling a pivotal shift in SEO. – Itai Sadan, Duda Inc.
2. AI-Powered Personalization
An essential feature for every well-designed business website in the next five years will be AI-driven personalization. Tailored content, recommendations and experiences based on user behavior and preferences will enhance engagement and conversion rates. – Vishwanadham Mandala, Cummins Inc.
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3. An AI Chatbot
One essential feature every well-designed business website will be expected to have within the next five years is an AI-powered chatbot. This will enable businesses to provide 24/7 customer support, answer common questions and even generate leads. AI-powered chatbots can also help businesses personalize the customer experience and gather valuable data about customer needs and preferences. – Samarth Shah, Google
4. Real-Time, User-Based Interfaces
There will be nothing static about websites anymore—not even layouts. Based on the best possible information available about a user, generative AI will be used to generate the entire website in real time, including not only the content, but also the layout, style and more. For example, the technology will identify you as a member of Gen-Z, with preferences for certain visual aesthetics and content tone, and the page will be built to cater to those preferences in real time. – Arun Mohan, Credit Karma
5. Advanced Cybersecurity Features
Within the next five years, every well-designed business website will need advanced cybersecurity features like real-time threat detection and automated data encryption. As cyberthreats grow, users will expect secure transactions and data protection. Ensuring privacy and building trust will be essential for businesses to stay competitive and protect sensitive information. – Gaurav Bansal, Uber Technologies, Inc.
6. An AI Copilot
I expect every website to allow users to access an AI copilot. Users have become accustomed to performing quick searches and getting all the information they need in a single query, and I believe they will expect the same experience when browsing websites. – Keren Katz, Apex Security AI
7. Intuitive Navigation Guidance
Business websites will be expected to intuitively understand user actions. For example, based on a user’s clicks or the pages they’re navigating to, technology will assess what the user is trying to do, display the relevant prompts or tips, and proactively flag a support workflow if the user appears to be struggling. Hopefully, the days of spending hours on customer support calls will soon be behind us. – Madhuri Sesha Sarma, Carta Inc.
8. Conversational AI
Conversational AI is changing the way visitors engage with websites. Visitors do not have time to read thousands of words on a page; they will instead prefer to engage with AI chat to find the desired information more quickly. Any business that lacks a conversational AI tool on its website will be doing a disservice to its audience. – Gaurav Basra, SSC.AI
9. Advanced Accessibility Features
Every well-designed business website will have advanced accessibility features with seamless mobile optimization. This includes tools like voice navigation, customizable text sizes, color contrast adjustments and screen reader compatibility. Ensuring a website is usable for people with a wide range of abilities and across devices is crucial. – Joydeb Mandal, Accenture
10. An AI Avatar Interface
Within the next five years, every well-designed business website will include an agentic AI avatar interface with the intelligence to handle the entire lead-to-sales process. No longer will visitors be limited to a keyword-facilitated Q&A session. The future will be intelligent agents that listen, present solutions and take orders. – Mark Francis, Electronic Caregiver
11. A Data-Sharing Feature
With the focus on AI-based personalization to drive higher customer traffic comes a trade-off: User privacy takes a hit. It will be mandatory for business websites to support a feature for sharing captured data, with an option for users to audit and delete their data. This will ensure businesses are compliant with privacy policies such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. – Ranjitkumar Sivakumar, Amazon
12. A Machine-Readable Layer
The Web is shifting from human-centric to machine-centric discoverability, driven by AI agents. Traditional SEO focused on keywords, but AI agents, like shopping assistants and research bots, need semantic understanding. The key now is structured data—a machine-readable layer that allows AI to interpret meaning, efficiently extract information and facilitate seamless interactions. – Andrea Prazakova, BrainGym
13. An API Interface
API interfaces on websites will be necessary for businesses that want their sites to be integrated into the assistants, chatbots and/or other AI-enabled tools that are becoming common. Businesses want to drive traffic to their websites, but users just want easy access to products and services. The companies that are willing to make the sale easier and faster will win. – Luke Wallace, Bottle Rocket
14. Dynamic, Interactive Content
Dynamic, interactive content driven by advanced personalization through AI and behavioral learning, along with automatic localization based on geolocation, will be essential features for well-designed business websites. By adopting this trend, businesses can offer their users a more engaging, relevant and satisfying experience, ultimately driving growth and success in the digital age. – Vaibhav Dani, Map Communications
15. A Blend Of The Metaverse With Real-Time Personalization
The Web will evolve into AI-driven, immersive digital twins that blend metaverse environments with real-time personalization. Websites will enable customers to interact in 3D virtual spaces, simulate the use of products and services, and engage through voice or gestures. Integrated into decentralized ecosystems, these sites will create hyper-personalized, seamless experiences that bridge the digital-physical divide. – Jo Debecker, Wipro
16. Dynamic Demos
Within five years, all well-designed business websites will feature dynamic demos that are personalized according to the use case of each customer. Through AI and data gathered on the user, these demos will adapt in real time to spotlight the most relevant solution points, enhancing the customer experience, engagement and satisfaction, all while boosting conversion rates. – Tarun Eldho Alias, Neem Inc.
17. Original, Standout Content
Within the next five years, every well-designed business website will need original, standout content to rise above the noise of AI-generated material. While GenAI will drive hyper-personalization, its content trends toward the average. Sites that create truly original, engaging content will capture attention, with smart data guiding what gets shown to each user. – Paul Peloquin, Thumbscore
18. Integrated AR
Augmented reality will be an essential feature users expect on well-designed business websites. AR will enable customers to virtually try products or explore features, creating a more engaging and interactive experience. This helps increase customer satisfaction and enhances their purchasing decisions. – Ravi Laudya, SAP Concur
19. Embedded Tokenization Frameworks
Within the next five years, every well-designed business website will be expected to feature embedded tokenization frameworks, enabling fractional ownership, dynamic stakeholder engagement and automated smart contracts. Businesses will tokenize assets, products and even brand loyalty, allowing users to seamlessly invest, trade and earn in a decentralized economy—turning customers into stakers. – Charles Morey, MobilEyes Inc.
20. Humanlike AI Support Features
Waiting hours for support will be obsolete. In the next five years, AI-human collaboration—seamless in both voice and chat—will be the norm. AI may even mimic a specific rep’s voice, making transitions to humans undetectable. Customers won’t know when AI hands off to a human—they’ll just experience fast, smooth service. This fusion will redefine customer support, eliminating wait times entirely. – Mohan Kumar, AtoB
