Each year, new technologies and trends shape the business environment that web developers find themselves in. Keeping up with these trends may be challenging for business owners and marketers. But that’s why you are here. You refuse to be discouraged and probably understand the importance of having an excellently-performing website for your business.
Here are the web development trends for business growth.
1. Responsive web design
Responsive website design has become a ‘must-have’ instead of a ‘nice-to-have.’ A few years ago (2015), 35 percent of web traffic was served to mobile devices such as tablets and iPads, and smartphones. This number increased to 40% in 2016 and 50.3% in 2017. That means mobile device traffic increased by 7% in just one year.
Responsive website design is headed for the future. Besides, Google declared a mobile-first search in 2019. That means Google is rewarding sites based on how well they display on smartphones and other mobile devices before considering how they appear on laptops and desktops.
2. AI-powered chatbots
Customer support and services are key to business growth. No matter how well-performing your services or products are, if client support sucks, negative reviews will spread like wildfire. Sure, different businesses work in varying time zones, but this shouldn’t be an excuse for poor or unavailable customer support.
For this reason, AI-powered chatbots have found their place among client support departments. These chatbots can perform a broad range of tasks such as solving FAQs, answering customer queries, and more. In a few years, it’s believed that AI-powered chatbots will successfully fulfill users’ demands and note their purchasing behavior.
3. Progressive web apps
Progressive web apps are gaining traction and are here to stay. PWAs became a notable web development trend as they provide high-quality web browsing experiences. These apps can be accessed from all browsers regardless of the device you’re using.
In 2019, approximately 65 percent of online shopping happened from websites accessed using mobile devices. Since 75 percent of mobile device users expect instant access to online information from their devices, PWAs are likely to remain relevant many years in the future. Currently, many eCommerce giants like Flipkart and Alibaba have switched their sites into PWAs.
4. The rise of push notifications
Well, push notifications started out as a more reliable way for CTA from a web viewer. Currently, push notifications are useful in improving user experience and probably taking a business’s marketing efforts to a higher level. They are widely used to offer highly personalized information for the target audience. Push notifications have become popular because users are no longer required to register or even enter an email.
News websites and leading tech giants have already implemented push notification. Small and medium-sized businesses will also begin to integrate this tech on their websites in the coming years. So, if you have been planning to integrate push notifications, this is the right time to do so.
5. Voice search optimization
Google, Apple, and other tech giants introduced voice search over ten years ago. Many people and businesses have accepted it and now rely on Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Amazon Alexa to perform voice searches on the web.
A recent survey revealed that 62% of internet users in the U.S are already using voice technology. Considering this, an increased number of small, medium, and giant companies are focusing on integrating voice search in web development projects.
6. Cybersecurity
With every passing year, businesses are focusing on automating their content marketing activities, operations, and other relevant tasks. Due to today’s technological advancements, marketers and business owners are facing risks such as information theft, business website hacking, and other cyber threats.
To tackle this, both business and not-for-profit organizations are paying attention to cybersecurity. They are taking the right measures to keep their business and clients’ data safe from all forms of unauthorized and malicious access.
7. Internet of things
According to a recent Statista report, in recent years, the demand for the internet of things devices has been increasing. By the end of 2025, there will be billions of interconnected devices. The upsurge of the internet of things devices has a considerable impact on mobile and web app development, as end-users need an interface where they can perform a broad range of tasks.
IoT devices are majorly launched to focus less on repetitive tasks and invest time on multiple tasks. As vantiq blog points out, this is the chance for businesses to improve their operations by using something similar to event-driven architecture that will help with building the internet of things. You can also launch various web development projects using IoT tech to offer an outstanding user experience.
Summary
Developing a professional website and establishing an online presence is essential for sustainable business growth. Though you may be concerned about your business social media profiles, your marketing efforts are likely to go down the drain if your site isn’t appealing to your target audience.