With 5.07 billion active internet users scattered across 200 million active websites, it can be difficult to obtain meaningful traffic without optimizing your website properly. For this reason, web development is gaining more importance with each passing day.
Certain trends are worth your attention in 2023; these trends can give your website a unique façade and attract more consumers. Recognizing these trends is crucial to maintain a competitive advantage in the market. Implementing the latest website development trends will help you boost your site’s visibility, appear first on SERPs, and expand your business online. So watch out for the following trends:
1) WordPress development
While celebrating its 20th anniversary, WordPress is still used by over 40% of websites as their chosen CMS (content management system), and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. But some business owners are still unsure how to translate the popularity of WordPress into online success. If you don’t know how to use the world’s most powerful CMS to create a user-friendly website, contact professionals to handle this job for you. You can get help from experts at Thrive Engine to successfully design your site on WordPress and manage it effectively.
2) Voice search technology
As smart devices become mainstream in American households, marketers must optimize their sites to appear in voice searches. Voice-based keywords are different from traditional keywords as they are more conversational. Unless your content matches these conversational keywords, it’ll be hard to attract customers looking for relevant services via voice search. For this reason, website developers are now optimizing every app and web page for voice search, as it’s becoming one of the most crucial ways of staying competitive in the industry.
3) AI-based chatbots
Automation has infiltrated every aspect of the business industry, and AI chatbots will become more mainstream in the future. With technological advancements, these chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated and capable of imitating human-like dialogues in a more believable manner. However, creating these AI bots requires fluency in machine learning and language processing technologies. It means that web devs with expertise in machine learning languages will find themselves highly sought-after in the future.
4) LC and NC tools
Many students with no prior coding experience wish to enter the web dev industry. Fortunately, LC (low-code) and NC (no-code) tools allow people with minimum and non-existence coding know-how to develop software applications. Several NC platforms, such as Airtable, Quickbase, and Appy Pie, are revolutionizing the web dev industry. Hence LC and NC tools can be considered the “next big thing” in website development. With these tools, companies can design their sites faster than before.
5) Single-page applications (SPAs)
Surveys show that almost 60% of online traffic comes from smartphones. As consumers continue to shift away from desktops, mobile-first development will continue to take precedence over its older forms. Modern-day mobile and internet users look for two things, i.e., simplicity and speed. And that’s exactly what SAPs provide: a solo long webpage that is user-friendly and easy to navigate. The webpage has many logical sections, and while the user will keep scrolling down continuously, clicking on these sections will take them to the info they’re looking for. Many websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, are currently using the SPA technology.
6) Responsive design
A website’s design contributes heavily to user experience, which is why it’s important to make the webpage’s layout easy to navigate. For instance, a study shows that 60% of consumers abandon a purchase because of poor user experience. For this reason, recent web dev trends include responsive design, i.e., creating a webpage that adapts to the resolution of the user’s device on its own. Web developers ensure that grid layouts scale automatically depending on the gadget the user’s using. Therefore, the responsive design technique maintains a user-friendly website across all platforms and electronic devices.
7) Dark mode standardization
Almost every app now offers “dark mode” and “light mode” options. Customers prefer dark mode as it helps them read content in low light without straining their eyes. As dark mode in apps becomes more popular, this trend will also likely become more common in web design. Since using dark mode leads to less energy consumption, it can extend the lifespan of a gadget’s battery. The practical benefit of offering dark mode has made it popular among web devs.
8) Serverless architecture
Hosting your website on company-owned servers can be expensive and difficult to maintain. Many businesses are now investing in serverless architectures in which third parties manage the servers a company needs to run its website. Without the responsibility of server management, a company can focus on developing the front end and not worry about the back end. With more focus on UX, it also means you’re hosting your site the green way.
9) Static web gen
Several platforms, such as Jekyll, automate the task of creating HTML pages by generating websites from raw data and plain text. They are called static website generators and have these benefits:
- Scalable
- Easy to maintain
- Amazing SEO benefits
- Faster-loading websites
- Better cybersecurity measures
10) Progressive web apps
One of the latest marvels in website development involves combining the components of web apps and mobile apps. Known as progressive web apps (PWAs), these applications can serve as both apps and desktop applications. Just think of them as websites made using web tech but feel like apps. So, PWAs are apps you can access via web browsers. That’s how these web apps are providing seamless user experiences to different users across various gadgets without needing a separate app store.
Conclusion
Understanding the latest web development trends is important for your SEO strategy as they can help bolster the visibility of your website. As a business owner, you must watch for trends such as SPAs, IoT, dark mode, serverless architecture, and advanced website applications. Learn about AI-based chatbots and voice search technology to expand your reach. But, most importantly, focus on WordPress development. Speak to professionals to design and maintain an SEO-friendly website for steady online expansion.
