Some web development trends come while others are always in demand. See which are which with this list of the top trends this year.
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of keeping up with recent web development trends. It only takes 50 milliseconds for a user to form an impression of your website. You don’t want that impression to be a negative one.
57% of users report being unwilling to recommend a business that doesn’t load properly for mobile, for instance. Having an outdated website can destroy your company’s credibility you’ve worked so hard to build. You’re also losing out on the powerful word-of-mouth recommendations you could be bringing in.
We’re here to help you make sure that doesn’t happen. These are some of the most important web development trends of 2019 for you to keep track of. They’ll help your website look sharp, timely, and of-the-moment.
The Most Important Web Development Trends of 2019
The Internet fuels the global economy. It is estimated that there will be nearly 2 trillion ecommerce customers in 2019.
With that much money on the table, it stands to reason that there are a lot of different web development trends to speak of. You could probably fill an encyclopedia with the latest web development trends of any given year.
Here are some of the most important development trends you need to know about, however, to make your website look and perform its absolute best.
AI and Bots
We’ve all heard the axiom “automate everything.” With so many tasks to keep up with on any given day, it stands to reason that automating certain everyday tasks is going to be important.
Consider predictive analytics, for instance, like what Netflix or Amazon use for creating user recommendations. That’s based on AI. Both make use of machine learning to predict what users will want and give it to them.
AI is an important aspect of personalization. With customers expecting more of a customized experience, machine learning and personalized recommendations and communications are only going to become more prevalent with each passing year.
Or consider a chatbot on a website. That’s also based on AI. Bots are more in-line with our traditional vision of Artificial Intelligence as benevolent technological aids.
Considering the rise of virtual assistants such as Siri and Alexa, it’s a sign that people are growing comfortable interacting with machines. It’s also raised people’s expectations in terms of company performance.
The time is right to implement a chatbot for certain duties on your website. You could have a bot collect user questions, for instance, or schedule appointments. Or you could even use a chatbot for product recommendations if you’re in retail.
Either way, it’s time to start harvesting the power of AI.
JavaScript
JavaScript’s been the most popular web development language for the last six years. It doesn’t show any sign of slowing, either, according to 2018’s Stack Overflow Report.
JavaScript works for virtually everyone. That’s why it’s so prevalent around the web. Over 95% of websites utilize some form of JavaScript.
People are familiar with JavaScript. They respond favorably to its familiarity.
With so many people using JavaScript, it makes sense that it’s so widely used by developers as well. That’s not the only reason for its popularity, though.
JavaScript’s also one of the most powerful, functional, and stable programming languages on Earth. It’s been virtually omnipresent since the launch of Node.js in 2009. That’s 10 years of updates and published libraries.
You can’t ignore the power of a vibrant developer community like that. Any question you might have will be easily answered, quickly and painlessly.
Mobile-Friendly Design
We already touched on how users have become acclimated to websites that perform well on mobile devices. If you haven’t already integrated a mobile-responsive design into your website, it’s high time you do so.
Mobile development often features touch control and are optimized for maximum resolution on small screens. They also load quickly, which will positively impact your SEO ranking.
Mobile performance has been increasingly important to Google in recent years. They released their first mobile-optimized search engine in 2016 in a bid to give mobile users the best search results.
It is estimated that there will be over 5 billion mobile device users by the end of 2019. That’s almost two-thirds of the entire Earth’s population. You simply cannot afford to overlook this market.
Progressive Web Apps
Progressive web apps, or PWAs, have been popular for a few years. Their popularity continues to grow in 2019.
A PWA loads like a regular web page but they perform with a high level of functionality. They’re built using progressive enhancement, which is a web development approach that gives preference to core website content first.
They also load instantaneously, regardless of what browser the user prefers or the current state of the network. They’re also inherently reliable, as they don’t require a cache.
Finally, PWAs are even able to publish push notifications, just like an app would.
Single-Page Applications
Single-Page Applications also work well across virtually any device as they’re based upon JavaScript. They boost web performance as they don’t need to send HTML requests for every interaction.
Single-Page Applications are popular as they’re quite useful for building responsive websites. The most recent single-page applications are built around Angular and React. This makes it a good solution for developing hybrid apps, as well.
These are just a few of the many, many web development trends that are reshaping the Internet in 2019. Reworking your website following these trends will help your website look up-to-date and stylish. It’ll also perform like a dream, which will make your users happy.
Finally, following these web development trends will get you thinking like a developer. You’ll likely think of even more updates you’d like to undertake.
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