Web development trends that will make impact in 2018

What trends will prevail in web development in 2018? What kind of websites will grow in popularity in 2018? What kind of applications will grow in number in 2018? What features will rule in 2018? If you are curious about the answers to this questions, read on.

Paying attention to yearly trends is essential if you want to keep pace with the times. Previously we have observed web design trends that will remain relevant for 2017 and web design trends for 2016. For 2018 we will consider a few of the biggest web development trends to help make your web resource trendy and able to satisfy the ever evolving needs of modern users.

Main web development trends

1. Single page websites

Single page websites, which consist of only one long webpage and use scrolling, are expected to grow in number and become a web development trend in 2018. For sure, this specific site type doesn’t fit all kinds of businesses. It can’t cater to internet shops or news websites because of its limited capacities. However its simplicity is beneficial if you want to share a small bit of information on a certain topic. For example, the site of Every Last Drop brings attention to water saving problems through their one page website.

The benefits of one page websites for businesses:

• cost-effectiveness, as the development, design and hosting of a single-page website is much cheaper than that of multi-page websites
• user-friendliness, gained due to the absence of a complicated structure and navigation system, helps obtain customer satisfaction and audience engagement
• control over the way that one page site visitors learn about a company and services, as businesses can predetermine an order they want users to consume the information and direct them through it consecutively

The benefits of one page websites for users:

• positive mobile experience for mobile users who don’t have to click on tiny buttons and hyperlinks on the small screens of their mobile devices — instead all they have to do is just conveniently scroll through the page
• ease of use, no confusion in users’ minds, no challenge with complex navigation, multi-level menus, etc. as all the needed information is gathered within one page

2. Progressive web applications (PWAs)

Possessing both website-like features and an app-like look and feel, PWA represent the next generation of web resources. Being backed and promoted by Google, one of the biggest and most influential software companies in the world, progressive web applications are destined to have a bright future. They have many obvious advantages that make them an attractive web solution and a progressive web development trends.

The benefits of progressive web apps for businesses:

• PWA development cost less than native app development, as it can be built with no additional technologies and programming languages
• PWAs are easy to expand, add new functionality to, and update so that users will instantly see changes, like on the regular website
• no need to download anything means fewer steps and less time needed for users to engage with an app
• faster process for application indexation, which is great for SEO
• push notifications are able to be implemented, increasing user engagement and conversion rates

The benefits of progressive web apps for users:

• although they are installable, with an icon on the screen, no downloading from App Store or Google Play is required as PWAs launch instantly from browser
• PWAs can be found when searching the web, as they are indexed by Google
• while updating native apps can be a challenge, progressive web apps are always up-to-date without any efforts from the user side
• PWA work on all devices: smartphones, tablets and even desktops
• push notifications can be sent, which is a convenient way to stay informed
• utilizing cached data from previous online activity allows working offline, which is useful when users have no Internet connection

3. Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots

Artificial intelligence is now gaining a lot of attention and is being implemented in different spheres. TechEmergence, an AI market research platform, surveyed AI startup founders by asking where they see consumer apps of artificial intelligence in 5 years. Chatbots and virtual agents took the first place, followed by smart objects and environments.

In future, companies will have less demand to hire human resources and instead rely on artificial intelligence for executing customer service duties. Gartner projects that by 2020, clients will manage 85% their relationship with companies without human interaction at all. Even now, thousands of businesses have already incorporated AI-based chatbots and this number will increase. Gartner also predicts that by 2020, AI will be a top 5 investment priority for more than 30% of chief information officers.

Immediate response and 24/7 accessibility are the main benefits and main reasons of the popularity of AI chatbots. This web development trend help enterprises not lose their potential customers and constantly remain in touch with the existing ones. Although scientists will keep on working on improvements, AI chatbots are now performing cognitive functions close to human minds, such as learning and problem solving. They can consult clients by answering questions and directing them to appropriate web pages, as well as make purchases and bookings for them. A human free chatbot interface is able to create the feeling for a client that a conversation is being held with a real customer executive. So in 2018 users are more likely to interact with chatbots ,even without knowing it.

If you need to build or improve your web resource according to current web development trends, our IT-specialists are always ready to help.