Every time a new technology hits the market, the web changes, and demand for tech specialists rapidly increases.
Web developers across the globe look for ways to introduce the technology in their websites and make it stand out from 1.88 billion others.
The best web developers keep a watchful eye on the trends and techniques changing the World Wide Web. So, if you want to join them and add an extra bit of dynamism, speed, and interactivity to your site, follow these seven website development trends.
Website development trends in 2022
Customers have come a long way in interacting with websites—from trying makeup on uploaded photos to applying it in real-time. These website development trends will make it easy for you to follow the paths of the most successful brands.
Trend #1: AI-powered chatbots
Chatbots will account for up to $142 billion of consumer retail spending by 2024.
Businesses will be saving billions of dollars with chatbots because of the bots:
- resemble humans,
- simplify, speed-up, and automate communication,
- give in-depth consumer insights,
- improve customer service,
- drive customer experience, and
- convert more customers.
Prominent leaders like LinkedIn, eBay, Starbucks, etc., are already reaping these benefits. Take a look.
- LinkedIn bots are conversation starters, allowing users to “break the ice.”
- eBay’s ShopBot, as the name suggests, is handy in recommending the best offers to customers from millions of listings on eBay.
- Starbucks has rolled My Starbucks Barista for customers to place their orders via typing or speaking the item name, to which the bot responds with follow-up questions and confirms the order.
Trend #2: Progressive web apps (PWAs)
PWAs aren’t new—they made it to the checklist due to the pool of opportunities they bring to the table. For example, after implementing PWAs:
- Twitter experienced an increase in Tweets,
- Alibaba leveraged an increase in Conversions,
- Flipkart captured an increased Re-engagement rate, and
- Forbes experienced a 43% increase in user sessions.
Trend #3: Voice search optimization
Back in 2011, voice search used to be a novelty when Google launched it. Fast forward to today, it is mainstream for search marketing. 75% of voice search results make it to the top 3 on the SERPs for a particular query.
It’s high time you optimized your website for voice search because:
- a significant population browses by voice,
- people use voice assistants for general queries, weather, and news,
- a voice search result loads in 4.6 seconds, and
- mobile users are more inclined towards voice searches.
Trend #4: Serverless architecture
Serverless technologies are a stress-free way to manage your websites because they:
- reduce the load on websites,
- prevent data loss,
- decrease development costs, and
- eliminate the provision, management, and up-gradation of servers.
Industry giants like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google[1] are already leading with serverless architecture. They have even started providing the same. Besides, the global serverless architecture market will reach $19.84 billion by 2025.
Trend #5: Single-page applications (SPAs)
Single-page websites are dynamic pages that speed up and simplify the user experience. They update required content on the same page instead of refreshing the page for every link a user clicks on.
From a developer’s perspective, SPAs are simple to develop and pocket-friendly. Besides, they capture very little space on the servers. Hence SPAs are profitable for both website visitors and web developers.
Take a look at how different websites leverage SPAs to provide efficiency and a better user experience.
Site #1: Gmail
On a single page of Gmail, like the one in the image above, you can:
- write, send, check, and delete emails,
- chat with your contacts,
- label your emails into different categories, and
- e-meet with people, along with several other tasks.
Site #2: Facebook
On Facebook, you can chat with your friends, accept new friend requests, and interact with posts from your friends and groups—everything on a single page.
Site #3: Twitter
Twitter leverages SPA to facilitate a seamless interaction on its website. The users can tweet, retweet, like and comment on tweets, and perform other similar functions without reloading the page.
Further, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Drive, Facebook, and Twitter continue to
Trend #6: Dark Mode
Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Google, and Apple, among other brands, have implemented dark themes for a reason. 81.9% of people apply dark mode on their phones, and 2,435 live websites have already allowed people to use dark mode.
While the dark mode is just an appearance for some users, it has significant benefits for others. Dark mode:
- is eye-friendly,
- makes users comfortable,
- consumes less battery, and
- works wonders during online streaming.
Trend #7: Cybersecurity
The vulnerability of websites to attacks will be a significant concern in 2022. That said, safeguarding your web assets should be your priority. Even consumers demand a secure space before sharing their personal information on websites.
Industries like healthcare, retail, and banking are more prone to cyberattacks, and hence, should adopt extra measures to ensure the safety and security of their information.
Trend #8: Blockchain
There are almost 80.67 million blockchain users as of January 9, 2022. You can expect the market to grow to $394.60 billion by 2028.
These numbers state that blockchain web developments may end up as the biggest fads of the year. Blockchain opens up the possibilities of decentralized websites and apps, which makes it a hot favorite among many organizations.
You must have heard of hack-proof voting systems, unbreachable bank accounts, and many more blockchain applications. These are just a few use cases. Blockchain can be implemented on any domain, marking itself as the greatest innovation since the internet.
Why is blockchain a trending choice among web developers? Well, blockchain
- secures transactions,
- gives cost-effective cloud storage,
- decentralizes servers,
- hosts a safe and transparent environment for users,
- has easy data accessibility,
- is responsible for data accountability, and
- eliminates the need for payment gateways and their fees.
The final call
There’s more to add to the list we shared with you. Web development trends continue to evolve as online users get more demanding and tech-savvy. What you can do is—keep an eye on every new technology that enters the market and adapt to innovation.
