One thing that’s been made obvious over the last 30 years is that technology will always be changing. Back in the 90s, people were skeptical of how successful computers would even be. Now, it’s practically our number 1 solution, business or otherwise. Depending on your specific business, your website is likely your best marketing tool. Given how important having a reputable digital presence has become, it’s not enough to simply have a website anymore. More and more we’re finding that having a well-built website can be the difference between converting a searcher into a purchaser and losing that searcher to a poor user experience. 

To read more about updating your website, check out this article. To learn more about leveraging the latest technology to create a website that will help you blow your competition out of the water, keep reading. 

Latest web development trends for websites

HubSpot has an in-depth article on popular web development trends in 2022 and what we can be expecting in 2023. If you’re looking for a shorter read, we found the top highlights that we believe will help you get more out of your website. 

Conversational AI vs Chatbots

Chatbots have been around for decades, whether we used them for our websites or not. Recent developments have brought upon us the age of Conversational AI. Where chatbots operate using a pre-determined and rule-based conversational flow, Conversational AI works through “Natural Language Processing, Natural Language Understanding, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Predictive Analytics to deliver a more dynamic, less constrained user experience.” With these amazing features at hand, Conversational AI can help improve the virtual experience for users astronomically. 

While this advancement in technology is a great way to leverage web development in your websites, chatbots can also be the better option depending on what you’re looking for the system to do. To continue reading about Conversational AI, you can check out this Hyro Hub article. 

Prioritizing mobile-friendliness

When you first built your website, you may have only thought about how the website functioned on a desktop and not how it responded on a mobile device. However, times have seriously changed. I don’t know the last time I opened up my laptop to Google something, but I can tell you I’ve Googled 7 things on my iPhone today already. 

Around 58% of virtual traffic happens via a mobile device, but what does it mean to be mobile-friendly? In order to ensure your website is truly built for both desktops and smartphones, it must be “using geolocation data to deliver highly personalized experiences to users, offering one-click ordering on ecommerce apps, and incorporating biometric authentication like fingerprint scanning or voice recognition.” It will also have a layout that’s responsive to mobile devices, have an “optimized loading speed,” images that are compressed, and more.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

One way to increase the responsiveness and capabilities of your website is to use Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Long story short, according to wp engine, PWAs are a type of software that “uses the most current web programming techniques,” can offer push notifications, negates the need for “complex installation,” and is able to function for any user “regardless of browser type.” PWAs are also easy to maintain, are secure, and can function either from a home screen or web browser. 

With PWAs, you’re able to use push notifications (which enables an increase in user engagement), increase the loading speed of your site, and still maintain its reliability. Another advantage is that, according to recent research, “when you create a PWA for your website that mimics the interface of a native mobile app, you’re likely to have higher engagement and conversion rates” even when you consider “traditional mobile-friendly” websites. 

Web development sites like WordPress can easily function as a PWA by adding it on as a plugin. 

Improving cyber security

We’re not saying that your website isn’t secure, but we are saying that, just like the internet is always advancing, so are hackers, bots, and viruses. “The practice of securing data, networks, and computers from misuse,” is the basis of cybersecurity. You can accomplish this with:

In addition to these more traditional forms of security, there have been developers exploring more non-traditional methods, but that’s still in the works. The bottom line, though, is when you’re working to make updates to your website, cybersecurity should always be on your list of to-do’s. 

Offering “Dark Mode”

While this may not seem like a high-level web development that acts as a turnkey solution for the user experience, it has been shown to enhance the overall experience of the user. HubSpot notes that, in recent studies, “at least 8 in 10 users prefer dark mode whenever possible.” If you’re not sure you’ve had a run-in with this feature, check out Facebook or Twitter! iPhones have even implemented a dark mode feature where your phone can either be in it all the time or shift at a set time each day. 

So, whether you have a website or an app, monotonous as it may seem, people love to be able to shift off the bright white light that’s become the standard and on the dimmer, cooler setting. 

In conclusion

Website development improvements and enhancements will always be underway. Staying up-to-date as best as you can, will help you get a leg up on your competition by improving the overall experience of each user that travels to your website!