Web Development: 2018 and Beyond

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September 3, 2018

For the last several years, mobile app development has been at the forefront of most developers’ minds. After all, with more than half of all internet traffic being on mobile today, it makes sense that this would be an area of focus. However, even with our mobile-driven world. Web development is still an important aspect of your company strategy in 2018.

In this article, we are going to review exactly why you should still consider web development and redesign in 2018 for your business. Along the way we will take a look at some emerging trends in the web development space and what they mean for the future of the web in general. Although the future is yet to be seen, one of the best ways to prepare for it is to plan ahead, something that we will show you how to do within.

The Importance of web development

While it may seem like web development is a thing of the past and no longer plays a vital role in business development, the exact opposite is closer to the truth. With the digital world we now find ourselves in, a website is often the first place that customers go to learn about you, your company, and your services.

This first impression is made by the design of your site, and if it doesn’t blow them away, they will look somewhere else. This, along with the following reasons, is why web development is still vital to your company’s success. Other reasons include:

Convenience: Your customers want to have all the information they need about your company at their fingertips and your website is the best place to house this data.
Worldwide marketing: Along with becoming a more digital world, we have also become a more globalized world. International customers will always discovers your website first, which is why it is so important.
Credible source: In this day and age, a company without a credible web source like a website is not taken seriously as a business, even more so if your site has poor design.

With each of these reasons in mind for why you should focus on web development, let’s look at the latest trends in the space.

Trends in web development

Each of these trends has a different purpose when it comes to reaching specific audiences. While not all of these trends will apply specifically to you and your website, the thought behind them certainly can. As we review each of these trends, keep in mind the different aspects of each that can apply to you and your situation.

Real-time web applications

You know how when you are talking with someone on a messenger app or website and those three little dots appear to indicate they are typing? That is an example of a real-time web application in action. An emerging trend in web development, these real-time apps keep the connection with the server and client open to help increase engagement and user experience.

This kind of a speed and responsiveness in web applications is now expected by users. Pages that require a lot of clicking around and refreshing to navigate can be tiresome and lead users to get bored and move on somewhere else. By meeting them where they are and making the entire process feel seamless, you will make a much better impression on your customers. Make sure you have the right applications in place to avoid losing customers due to something that is a relatively easy fix.

Single-page websites

Speaking of keeping things simple, another recent trend in web development is single-page websites. While it used to be that developers would have massive and complex websites with troves of information, web development has evolved so that all vital information can be put in one page. These pages often scroll up and down to include more details, making it even easier for mobile users to navigate the site.

This comes back to what we were saying earlier about the website redesign process and user experience. Most businesses don’t need a vast amount of information on their site. Instead, they should focus on creating a tailored experience for their customers that meets their needs. Single-page websites are simply a response to this call for less complexity and more user-focused information.

Additionally, single-page sites are better for increasing conversion rates as customers don’t have to look far to find what they need in order to make a purchase.

Chatbots and AI

In a similar vein as real-time web applications, Chatbots and AI have become a popular tool for businesses trying to automate more and more functions of their website. Not only can these tools answer questions for customers in live time, but they can provide resources that customers might not have access to otherwise. This kind of on-demand business model can help customers find what they need 24 hours a day.

These different AI bots are becoming so popular that some have even dubbed 2018 the “year of the Chatbot.” For anyone who is looking to improve engagement and performance on their site, this is the time to look into Chatbots for this purpose.

Mobile-first design

While we have talked a lot about how important a web presence is in comparison to mobile, the last area we will look at is ironically mobile-first design. The fact of the matter is that most of your customers are going online on their phones and you need to focus your web development on meeting them there. This kind of design helps you create a better website both on mobile devices and off.

However, this does mean that web developers and designers will have to take a different approach when creating a website. The user interface is an essential part of a website and unless you make your website mobile-friendly, your customers will quickly grow frustrated. Design with mobile in mind and the rest will fall into place.