10 Web Development Trends That Are Dominating 2018

web development trends

Studies have shown that the design of your website can be a major factor in getting someone’s business or turning them away. 94% of people have indicated that a site’s design is what turned them away. So web design is very important.

But the times are always changing, and it can be hard to keep up with latest trends.

We’ve put together this list of 10 web development trends that your team should be looking out for in 2018.

Photos

When developing your website, excellent photos are a must-have. Increasing the number of quality photos on your website will increase your engagement.

Many web developers have realized this, which is why this is the first of our web development trends. This year you will undoubtedly see an increase of photo usage on websites overall.

This trend is the easiest to keep up with and following it will increase your site’s chances of success.

Video

Though photos have seen an increase in use for a while, this year you will start to see more video content as well.

Many studies have shown that video content will increase engagement with your website. If of course, your videos are short enough. Longer content could actually cause a decrease in your engagement.

Your customers want more video content, so this is a trend that you should be following.

Augmented Reality

One of the most exciting web development trends is the integration of virtual and augmented reality (AR).

Where this technology flourishes is through mobile devices. We now have the technology for your mobile-optimized site or web app to interact with the real world. You can use a phone’s camera to project a digital image into a live feed of a physical space.

This technology is still new, but the possibilities are very exciting. Your team would do well to research the potential uses of AR in your site or web app.

Push Notifications

One of the web development trends that we’ve been seeing more is the use of push notifications. You are probably familiar with push notifications being used in apps on your phone, but they are now also being used in web browsers.

Push notifications can help you stay more connected to your customers. Instead of simply contacting them by email, you can interact with them more directly by alerting them with a notification. This is a great way to advertise upcoming events and promotions.

Your business should consider how you can start integrating push notifications into your website.

Chatbots

According to SitePoint,

“…chatbots are computer programs powered by machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) that anyone can interact with to get things done or find information and services.”

Chatbots are one of the most consumer-driven web development trends. They can allow your company to have 24/7 contact with your customers without needing to have 24/7 staff.

Maintaining this constant communication will drive up engagement with your site significantly.

Social Selling

If your website is connected in any way to your company’s social media accounts, then you need to know about social selling. Social selling is using your social media to achieve your sales goals.

Posting great, relevant content from your site to your social media platforms is a great way to do this. You will begin to be seen as an authority in your field and you will drive up your sales as well as engagement with your site.

Also be sure to feature your social media pages prominently on your site to encourage engagement with both.

Static Site Generators

Static sites may seem like a step back for web development, but they can actually be really helpful for modern web developers who only need to create basic content.

If you aren’t interested in many of the dynamic and active tools listed here, but would rather just get the basics out to your customers, then a static site may be the way to go.

Creating a static site can be a great way to create a simple, minimalist experience that puts everything you feel your customer needs in one convenient location.

Progressive Web Apps

Mobile compatibility is one of the most important things you can do for your website. But beyond optimizing your site for mobile, you should consider creating a web app.

Progressive web apps essentially allow your website to function like an app. This creates a simpler and more interactive experience for the consumer.

Developing a web app will also increase engagement through the use of push notifications, which are more accessible as a mobile app than on a browser.

Motion User Interface

Related to app design is one of the more exciting web development trends: motion user interface (MUI).

MUI creates a more dynamic and engaging experience for a mobile user. It gives you the capacity for animations, sliding transitions, and other tools to create a visually stimulating site or web app.

This technology is highly customizable and worth talking to your web development team about.

Single Page Websites

The last of our 10 web development trends is one you have probably noticed on other sites before the use of only a single page.

Keeping all of your content in one location is a great way to keep your customers on the site. Instead of jumping around to a number of different pages, they are able to stay in one place and search for whatever it is they are looking for.

The lack of multiple pages will also make your site seem less cluttered and encourage further engagement. Sites that look too full or too vast will often turn people away within seconds.

Keep Watching Future Web Development Trends!

We hope that this list has been helpful for your web development team as you prepare for the remainder of 2018. There are many trends to keep up with, and they are all worth considering for your site.

You will want to be sure to watch closely throughout the remainder of the year so that when 2019 rolls around, your team will be prepared to update your site accordingly.