Website Development Trends to Look for in 2023
As web development evolves each year, businesses need to keep up with the latest trends to remain competitive. However, it can be challenging to identify which web development trends would work best for each organization. I’ve compiled a list of 12 major web development trends for 2023 by assessing market requirements across various IT fields. The list includes Progressive Web Apps, Single Page Applications, Dark Mode UI, Voice Search, Accelerated Mobile Pages, and AI-powered Chatbots, among others. Each trend is explained, and the benefits of adopting it are highlighted. These web development trends are expected to be game-changers for businesses looking to succeed in the competitive digital market.
1. Dark Mode User Interface (UI)
Dark mode user interface (UI) has rapidly gained popularity worldwide, and its popularity is projected to continue to grow in the coming years. Dark-themed websites provide users with a visually appealing design that makes browsing the web easier regardless of the device used.
A survey conducted by Android Authority found that 81.9% of respondents preferred using dark mode on their devices, and 9.9% alternated between light and dark modes. Another survey by Polar revealed that 95% of users preferred dark mode over light mode.
Major tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter have already implemented dark mode UI, and many others are expected to follow suit.
Some benefits of dark mode UI include reducing blue-light, saving battery life, improving the accessibility and legibility of UI content, and reducing eye strain even in low-light conditions.
Since many web developers are incorporating the option to switch between dark and light modes as an in-built feature, it is expected to become a standard practice in 2023 and beyond.
2. Accelerated Mobile Pages
AMP - Accelerated Mobile Pages AMP is a recent trend in web development that focuses on improving page speed and user engagement. This technology shares similarities with PWA in terms of its user-centric approach.
AMPs are pages that are optimized for speed and simplicity, featuring a minimalist design and basic functionality compared to full-scale websites. Additionally, they are mobile-responsive and feature easily readable content.
The emergence of AMP highlights the trend towards a more user-oriented internet. Despite the availability of 5G internet and the prevalence of native applications, the AMP plugin offers businesses a cost-effective way to enhance user experience and connect with their target audience.
As a result, we can expect to see niche products competing with market leaders in the coming years.
3. Progressive Web Apps (PWA’s)
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) is another trend that provides a great amount of value to web development:
Improved user experience: PWAs provide a fast and responsive experience to users. They load quickly, work offline, and can be installed on a user's home screen without going through an app store. This makes PWAs feel like native apps, providing an immersive experience to users.
Cross-platform compatibility: PWAs are compatible with different platforms, devices, and browsers, making them accessible to a wider range of users. This allows businesses to reach a broader audience without investing in building separate native apps for each platform.
Lower development and maintenance costs: PWAs are easier to develop and maintain than native apps because they are built using standard web technologies. Businesses can save money on development costs and maintenance as they only need to build and maintain one app instead of multiple apps for different platforms.
Better performance: PWAs can provide better performance and speed compared to native apps, especially when it comes to page load time and content delivery. This is because PWAs use caching and other performance optimization techniques to deliver a fast and smooth user experience.
Increased engagement and conversion rates: PWAs can increase user engagement and conversion rates because of their fast load time, offline capabilities, and push notifications. This can lead to higher user retention and more conversions for businesses.
Overall, PWAs provide a more efficient and engaging experience for users while being more cost-effective and accessible for businesses. Therefore, they are becoming increasingly popular in web development.
4. Internet of Things (IoT)
Internet of Things (IoT) IoT is all about connecting devices with the internet. In the upcoming years, IoT will influence web development trends to a great extent. IoT has introduced smart homes, smart cities, and smart cars with advanced connectivity.
The integration of IoT technology with web development offers exceptional opportunities for businesses to collect, analyze and use data from different devices. With IoT, companies can enhance user experience and streamline business processes.
As per the reports of the Statista, the global IoT market is projected to reach $1.6 trillion by 2025, which makes it crucial to add IoT development in the web development trends list.
A Single Page Application (SPA) is a popular and dominant web development technology that differs from traditional website applications. SPAs consist of a single page that initially loads the entire website page and then subsequently loads dynamic content on the same page. The development of SPAs employs HTML5 and AJAX to ensure responsiveness.
In addition, client-side SPA development is also supported by frontend JavaScript frameworks such as Vue, Ember, React, and Angular. The advantages of SPAs include offline support, easy navigation, convenient debugging, quick page loading, and a reduced bounce rate. Studies suggest that SPAs can increase conversion rates by up to 37%, helping businesses reach their target audience with the required content. SPAs are an excellent choice for organizations to streamline user navigation and enhance profit by minimizing page load time.
5. Voice Search
Voice search is a rapidly growing trend that cannot be ignored. Its impact on the web is expected to increase in the coming years. According to a report by Statista, the global smart speaker market is expected to exceed 35.5 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. In addition, another study predicts that the voice recognition market will reach $27.16 billion by 2026.
Considering various studies and current market conditions, voice search optimization has become one of the top trends in web development. To stay ahead of the competition, it is essential to include voice search in your technical SEO strategy.
To integrate voice search technology into any web application, use the Web Speech API. The API comprises two components: SpeechSynthesis and SpeechRecognition. Speech synthesis is responsible for the text-to-speech element that enables scripts to read text content. Speech recognition identifies the voice context and responds to queries.
6. Ai-Powered Chat Bots
AI-powered chatbots are set to become more versatile in 2023, using natural language processing, machine learning, and data retrieval methods to better match user behaviors and requirements. Not only do they help organizations streamline their operations with text or voice chats, but they also enhance the overall customer experience by gathering information, solving problems, and providing prompt responses to queries.
Leading B2C organizations are already using these chatbots within messaging apps like Skype, WhatsApp, and Facebook, offering a smoother digital experience than traditional chatbots. We expect more organizations to adopt AI-powered chatbots in the years to come.
Industries such as finance, education, travel, and healthcare are among those benefiting most from chatbots, and we predict that their use will continue to grow in these and other sectors.
7. Serverless Architecture
Serverless architecture has become a highly popular web development trend due to the growth of cloud SaaS solutions, especially with the shift to remote work this year. The State of the Cloud Report by Flexera indicates that 99% of companies use at least one private or public cloud, highlighting the importance of cloud architecture in the future of web development.
Serverless computing offers several benefits, including affordability, faster time-to-market, improved scalability, and scheduled maintenance. With serverless development, programmers can create and run web applications without the need to manage servers. Cloud providers support these apps, even if they still run on servers. Some of the major players in serverless computing services include Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
8. Mobile First Design
The constant increase in mobile users has brought mobile-first design to the forefront of web development. This design approach has been used for many years and is expected to shape the future of web development.
According to Statista, mobile devices accounted for more than 57% of webpage views globally in August 2021. With the majority of traffic coming from mobile devices, using a mobile-first design approach has become essential.
Mobile-first design involves creating a design that is optimized for mobile devices before considering desktop or tablet devices. This means including features like one-click ordering on eCommerce applications, utilizing geolocation data to provide a personalized experience to users, and integrating biometric authentication such as voice recognition or fingerprint scanning.
9. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity As technology is advancing rapidly and has become a significant concern. As per the Cybersecurity Ventures, the global cybersecurity spending will reach 248.26 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. Hence, it is essential to prioritize cybersecurity as a trend in web development.
Web developers need to follow web security practices to secure websites and prevent data breaches. Some cybersecurity practices include secure socket layer (SSL), two-factor authentication, and access control.
10. Low-Code Development
Low-Code Development Low-code development is one of the upcoming web development trends in 2023. It involves the use of drag-and-drop interfaces, visual modeling, and automation to create software applications.
With low-code development, developers can build applications faster, and businesses can save costs by reducing development time. It also allows non-technical people to build applications without having a deep knowledge of coding.
11. API First Design
API-First development approach is an innovative trend that addresses users' needs, enabling developers to perform their tasks and simultaneously push the code to users accessing the website. This approach reduces development costs and enhances delivery speed, while also enabling new websites to serve as content delivery sources. You can access a CMS built using this approach from browsers, smart kiosks, and cars.
Some key benefits of API-first development include:
Increased flexibility
Faster time-to-market
Reduced development costs
Improved user experience
12. Motion UI
Motion UI, another web development trend that offers dynamic and interactive websites. It involves the use of animations, micro-interactions, and transitions to create a better user experience.
It’s a useful in web development for storytelling, making a website interactive, and offering a better user interface. With Motion UI, developers can deliver exceptional designs and increase user engagement.
Final Thoughts In conclusion, these are some of the major web development trends that businesses need to consider in 2023. As technology continues to advance, web developers need to adapt to the new trends to stay competitive in the market.
While some trends may be more popular than others, it is crucial to understand that every business has unique requirements. Hence, businesses need to choose the trends that align with their business goals and target audience. By keeping up with the latest trends, businesses can deliver exceptional user experience and grow in the digital era.
