Websites play a vital role in business as they establish brand awareness and presence in the online world. Today, it is even more critical as more consumers now compare brands before buying something. A Salesforce survey shows that 85% of consumers conduct initial research before making a purchase, with 74% relying on a business’s web design and development.
Enterprises seeking ways to boost brand awareness must implement effective website design and development strategies.
Defining Web Design and Development
Web design and development is a broad term that encompasses everything involved in the creation of a website. It covers two primary skills:
- Web design involves the visual and interactive aspects of a website. It entails choosing the site’s layout, color schemes, fonts, and graphical elements to enhance user experience and convey information effectively.
- Web development is the building and maintenance of websites. It encompasses coding, programming, and implementing functionalities to ensure a website functions smoothly, providing an optimal user experience.
Trends in Web Design and Development
Companies need to keep up with the current and emerging trends in web design and development to stand out in today’s highly competitive digital landscape.
Below are some of the most important web design and development trends in 2024.
- AI Chatbots
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been reshaping the landscape of web design and development. Integrating AI-powered features such as chatbots in your website can help you enhance user experience (UX).
Programmed for natural language processing (NLP), NLP enables chatbots to interpret human language independently. This allows the company to interact with users as conversationally as having a live agent.
To integrate an AI chatbot into your website, you will have to choose a platform that aligns with the use cases you require. Depending on your chosen platform, you may need to develop the chatbot using programming languages like Python, Node.js, or Java. Some platforms offer a no-code or low-code approach, allowing you to configure the chatbot without extensive coding.
Then, you will embed the chatbot into the website by adding a chat widget or using an API. If the chatbot needs to fetch or update information from backend systems, integrate it with relevant APIs or databases.
- Low-code and No-code Tools
Online tool creation and software development are concepts once exclusive to programmers. But with low-code and no-code tools, even designers, content creators, and business owners can now independently build websites and apps with ease.
Platforms in the low-code and no-code realm empower both programmers and non-programmers to develop websites, apps, and software without manual coding.
More businesses are seen to engage in low-code and no-code tools. A study by Statista even reveals that the global revenue of the low-code market will hit 65 billion USD in 2027, a significant increase from the 13 billion USD recorded in 2020.
- Skeuomorphism
Skeuomorphism is one of today’s top web design trends. It refers to interface objects that imitate real-world counterparts in appearance and interaction.
Skeuomorphism is particularly beneficial for enhancing your website’s user-friendliness. When integrated into your website, skeuomorphic elements act as a guide on how users will interact with your website’s interface.
One good example of a skeuomorphic website is Arrow Dynamics, an animation library for Framer. This simple yet engaging one-pager demo video loads up perfectly within the skeuomorphic dashboard area, setting it apart from its competitors.
- Parallax Scrolling
Parallax scrolling is one of the prominent web design trends in 2024. It is a method where the background of a website moves more slowly than the foreground, generating a 3D effect as users scroll down. This creates depth and an immersive browsing experience.
Parallax is grounded in optical illusion and exploits the human eye’s tendency to perceive closer objects as larger. Consequently, distant objects appear to move more slowly, contributing to the perceived depth in the scrolling experience.
- Typographical Evolution
Typography is also evolving, so businesses should explore diverse typography aspects or consider hiring a web design outsourcing company to help them in this regard. Working with experts can help you keep up with the various typography trends, such as:
- Bold Typography – With all the notifications people are constantly getting, paying attention to websites may come as a challenge for many users. Using bold fonts allows you to make a strong impression the moment users land on your website.
- Brutalism – Known for using bold and geometric fonts with sharp contrasts, brutalism conveys a sense of strength and urgency. This typography is more of an in-your-face compared to other bold typefaces.
- Highlighted Text – Your website is usually given less than a second to create an impression on an average internet user. Therefore, it is important to grasp your audience’s attention as soon as they enter your website, and highlighting texts is an impressive solution. Most web designers emphasize specific text sections to capture the attention of their intended audience and encourage focused reading.
- 3D Typography – This type of typography provides a sense of depth and volume, with a primary emphasis on visual appeal. This is among the design styles sought after by web designers to enhance the visual allure of their creations. Its potential goes beyond just visual appeal; it offers additional benefits in various design aspects.
- Animated Typography – Similar to 3D typography, animated typography holds the promise of becoming a prominent trend in the typography landscape of the 2020s. Designers embracing this trend aim to provide users with interactive and immersive experiences.
- Microinteractions
Microinteractions refer to subtle, purpose-driven animations geared toward enhancing the intuitiveness, engagement, and efficiency of your website. By transforming mundane actions into memorable moments, microinteractions contribute to a more dynamic and user-friendly online experience.
An example of microinteraction is customizing headers and other landing page elements. Reddit employs this technique by displaying a unique icon and header background every time a user visits a different subcategory. This minute touch creates a more unique experience for your audience.
- Voice Search Optimization (VSO)
Voice search optimization is another of the top web development trends today. VSO refers to the optimization of your website content to rank higher in voice searches.
Employing voice-based search engine optimization in your business is critical, especially now that more people are utilizing this technology. It is reported that voice search users are about to hit 125.2 million in 2024. This is about a 1.4% difference from 2022’s 123.5 million.
To ensure your website is voice-search friendly, you need to:
- Use conversational keywords
- Optimize your content
- Create an FAQ section
- Prioritize the website’s mobile friendliness
- Claim your Google’s business profile
- Push Notifications
Push notifications are small, popup messages that deliver information about your website, products, or services. They serve various purposes, including:
- invitation to explore your site
- update on a particular product/service
- a promotional message featuring discounts
Like other innovations, push notifications are constantly going through improvements. Geolocation is among the latest updates in push notifications that enable your website to send customized messages based on the user’s location.
Adding visual elements to your push notifications is another addition to modern push notifications. This update is called Rich Media, which increases users’ retention by 25%.
- Cybersecurity Focus
Cybersecurity is an element that should never be undermined in web development. Its importance will be more pronounced in 2024. Automation may have streamlined many business operations, but it has also posed serious threats to online platforms.
Hackers will continue to improve their tactics to keep up with the constant advancements in many technologies.
A solid cybersecurity plan involves various steps, such as:
- Perform a comprehensive security risk assessment
- Establish clear security objectives
- Assess your technological infrastructure
- Choose an appropriate security framework
- Examine existing security policies
- Develop a robust risk management plan
- Execute your chosen security strategy
- Assess the effectiveness of your security measures
Improve Your Website with the Best SEO Agency
Search engine optimization (SEO) remains a crucial element in today’s market landscape, and effective web design and development are pivotal in ensuring that your SEO strategies yield positive results. You can rely on a web development and SEO agency to improve your website performance.
Digital Marketing Philippines (DMP) is an outsourced web developer Philippines that is also known for providing SEO solutions to its clients and partners around the world. For more than a decade, we have been delivering various SEO and web development services, helping our clients be more visible online without having to build and train an internal team.
Learn more about what we can offer by checking our website at www.digitalmarketingphilippines.com.
Sources:
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https://www.webfx.com/blog/marketing/what-is-voice-search-optimization/
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Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.