Since its invention in 1983, the internet has evolved and experienced major shifts. The over 1.5 billion websites and approximately five million daily active users wake up to something new every day. While some businesses are still yet to implement basic chatbots on their websites, others are talking up Web 3. The world of website development brings changes every single year and businesses that can’t keep pace struggle to survive. 

Failing to keep up with new trends can result in serious consequences for your website performance and user experience. To have a competitive edge in the digital era, you need a robust web product that’s up to date with the latest trends. In this article, we’ll look at some of the top web development trends to know in 2022.

Let’s get right into it:

1. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

A PWA is a website that looks and works the same as a mobile app. It gives the same user experience as a native application. Progressive Web Apps are built to leverage the features of a native mobile device without requiring users to download software from an app store. Instead, they are accessed through a browser.

PWAs have high loading speeds and can also work offline in apps such as Google Maps. This is important because 90.4 percent of internet users in Ireland access the internet through mobile devices. 

Some of the benefits of PWAs to businesses include:

• More flexible traffic distribution
• Faster launch to the market
• Lesser support and development expenses
• Lower maintenance costs
• Seamless installation
• Higher engagement and conversion rates

According to Statista, 8% of eCommerce businesses in Europe and North America adopted PWAs in 2021 while another 9% have plans to do so. Going forward, PWAs are only going to become bigger. Some of the established brands already using PWA include Alibaba, Twitter, and the Financial Times.

2. Artificial Intelligence-powered Chatbots

Chatbots help your site visitors to navigate through web pages, listed services, and pricing among others. They help to improve the user experience on your site and increase customer engagment. 

In 2022, chatbot marketing is going to become bigger thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Chatbots will become more sophisticated, efficient, and able to leverage machine learning, natural language processing, and information retrieval techniques for a seamless user experience. They will be able to collect data, answer frequently asked questions, and solve other issues. Instead of standard chatbots, businesses will go for AI-powered chatbots with dynamic functionalities including Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, and Skype functionalities. 

3. Single-Page Applications (SPAs)

Single-Page Applications (SPAs) are JavaScript-based web applications that load a single HTML page on a browser and dynamically update the content. They eliminate the need to keep refresshing a page. Google, Twitter, and Facebook are some of the big brands that have already moved to SPAs. 

Besides being easy to create and cost-effectiveness, some of the benefits of SPAs are:

• Convenient debugging
• Offline support
• Easy navigation for users
• Quick page load and reduced bounce rates
• Less space consumption on servers 

Internet users are increasingly demanding for simpler and faster browsing experiences. This is why single-page applications are going to become more mainstream in 2022.

4. Dark Mode Standardization

According to Android Authority, 81.9% of users prefer browsing the internet on dark mode. Another 9.9% switch between light and dark modes and only 8.2% are completely against dark mode. Dark mode will become the standard in 2022 and beyond. Some web development experts even feel it will the de facto default for applications as screen time by users increase.

The reasons why dark mode has become popular among internet users globally include:

• Reduced blue light
• Reduced eye strain in low light conditions
• Enhanced battery life on mobile devices
• Improved accessibility of UI content
• Increased visual appeal of sites

Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter are already using dark mode User Interfaces. They provide an easy option for users to toggle between light and dark modes, depending on the device’s system settings or the reader’s preferences.

5. Blockchain Technology

We mentioned Web 3 at the beginning. It is essentially powered by blockchain technology. As cryptocurrencies become more mainstream, blockchain technology will become a common word for web developers. There were already over 81 million blockchain wallet users globally as at February 2022. Blockchain technology will revolutionize how people communicate with government services, pay taxes, make professional connections, and engage businesses. It will also decentralize data, enhance web security, and enhance transparency. 

Bonus: Server-less Architecture

Have you ever heard about Amazon Web Services (AWS)? AWS offers cloud computing services that help organizations move faster, lower IT costs, and scale. These services include storage, databases, analytics, developer and management tools, IoT, internet security and enterprise applications among others. What Amazon Web Services does is basically offer businesses a serveless architecture for their online activities. 

Serverless architecture is going to become bigger as businesses look to reduce costs and focus their resources on more important tasks other than maintaining servers. Some of the benefits of serverless architecture include minimal risk of system overloading, reduced data loss, and save on web development costs. They are also more flexible and sustainable. Serverless architecture is going to be used in developing APIs, IoT apps, chatbots, and internet products with complex backend requests.

Keep Up With The Trends

Just like the needs and expectations of consumers, web development trends keep changing from time to time. These changes affect how your business communicates with your customers. Adapting to the trends mentioned above will help you to enhance user engagement and stay ahead of the competition. 

If you still don’t believe that you need to keep up with the trends, these five website statistics will change your mind. You need to hit the ground running heading into the second quarter of 2022. You need an experienced web developer to implement these changes on your website. Talk to a web development expert today.