15 Web Development Trends Every CTO Should Be Aware of in 2023

Some of the most popular low-code platforms include:

• Appian
• Kissflow
• Microsoft Power Apps
• Mendiz
• OutSystems

Although low code has many benefits, it can be limiting when it comes to customization and the creation of complex applications as it offers much less flexibility and scalability compared to the traditional coding approach. 

#2 PWAs

A long time ago, Gartner Research predicted that progressive web applications will replace 50% of consumer-facing apps. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Gartner Research and PWAs have really occupied a special place among current trends in web development and improved their nature to a great extent. 

Progressive web applications bring a range of striking advantages: they can operate offline, send push notifications, and create a user experience similar to native apps at the same time being much lighter and faster to download. The development process is also less challenging in comparison with native applications. PWA developers monitor only one codebase. Once the app is ready, you just upload it to the server without buying a license for the app stores.

A big number of outstanding companies, including Pinterest, Forbes, Starbucks and The Washington Post have built PWAs to provide responsive performance for their customers. 

Pinterest, for instance, reports that they experienced a 44% increase in ad revenue rate and their users spend 40% more time on their PWA compared to a mobile website.

These advantages of PWA technology give it all chances to outperform native apps and become one of the main trends in web development in 2023 and beyond.

#3 Motion UI

Unlike static infographics and long texts, motion graphics quickly capture the user’s attention and convey data in an engaging and interactive way.

With Motion UI, developers can build modular scrolling, background animations, and animated charts, amongst other elements, to express their unique style and keep users engaged.

Incorporating motion design elements into a project may seem like a simple task, but the placement and execution of UI motion graphics are crucial factors to consider. Proper placement enhances usability and interaction, resulting in greater customer engagement and satisfaction, while when done inappropriately, it can play a bad trick on your website’s speed and consistency of user journey.

#4 Artificial Intelligence

Coined in the distant 1956, the term “Artificial Intelligence” is not new to any industry nowadays. Integrated solutions related to AI have been widely used by every well-known company to make their websites intelligent.

Here are the main applications of artificial intelligence in web development:

1. Chatbots are probably the best-known way websites can enhance their user experience by providing 24/7 customer support to website visitors. Instead of manually searching for information, a user just needs to type a question and immediately receives answers and links.
2. Dynamic Content Personalization allows the delivery of relevant content to hundreds and thousands of users by analyzing their search history, location, and age, learning about their user behaviors, and determining where the user currently is in their customer journey.
3. Semantic Search enables search engines to identify the intent and contextual meaning of the search query to improve the accuracy of search results.
4. Quantitative Usability Testing enables tracking and assessing large amounts of UX metrics such as user’s location, device, source of traffic, bounce rates, etc., to develop a clear understanding of user behaviors and experience.
5. AI plays a huge role in achieving a website’s Better Accessibility. For example, it provides language translation and captioning for people who are hard of hearing and automatic image recognition for visually-challenged people.

#5 Content Personalization

The splash of personalization didn’t just start recently. Users have always been looking for more relevant, interesting, and useful content. Though the active usage of artificial intelligence and machine learning has brought it to a completely new level.

By processing large amounts of customers’ data, AI enables a great level of personalization, showing the customers only the information that is interesting and relevant to them. Broad traffic segmentation detects the channel of customers’ arrival, distinguishes visitors by country, language, and even weather conditions, analyzes which device the customer uses, and much more.

Of course, many small companies frequently can’t afford to leverage AI in their websites like such giants as Alibaba or Netflix do, though they can, for example, use cookies to personalize their content.

#6 Internet of Things

The Internet of Things can be best defined as the interconnectivity of computer devices in everyday objects via the Internet. It’s estimated that by 2025, there will be 64 billion IoT devices worldwide, while in 2018 there were only 10 billion.

The Internet of Things deals with massive amounts of data that is collected from sensors, processed, and transferred through cloud networks which makes any delays in the system impossible. The technology assures high security of all data-connected processes, accurate results, and building a dynamic UI experience.  

To give you a quick idea of how IoT is changing web design and development, here are its 6 most widespread applications:

1. Dynamic User Interfaces that can adjust to the user’s behavior and preferences  can be easily created with the integration of IoT devices and sensors.
2. Compilation of Large Data: IoT devices generate a vast amount of data that can be used to improve user experience, create more targeted marketing campaigns, and boost sales.
3. Strong Backend Design that can handle real-time data processing and provide seamless integration with other systems and platforms can be achieved with the help of IoT integration.
4. Security and Privacy of the websites also greatly benefit from IoT integration. IoT devices and sensors can be used to detect security threats in real-time, such as malicious attacks, and take action to prevent them. Users can also control how their data is collected, stored, and used.
5. Speed Optimization is achieved through real-time data processing and reduced latency. 
6. Insightful Data Analytics is possible due to the large amount of data generated through IoT devices.

#7 Chatbots

In the past few years, we have experienced a big increase in chatbot integration into websites. And the demand for automated communication solutions is predicted to rise even more during the next year. Today, chatbots are the fastest-growing brand communication channel and surveys show that 68% of users enjoy interaction with chatbots because they can provide fast answers.

Integrated with machine learning algorithms, chatbots respond to the queries provided by users without any need for human assistance. They are able to provide smart solutions to some common queries themselves, and later pass on the issue to a higher authority if needed. 

This technology saves a big amount of costs for businesses replacing a number of customer service professionals and speeding up the problem-solving process. 

Here are some examples of how companies from different industries are leveraging the technology:

1. H&M's chatbot, named Kik, allows users to browse and buy products directly within the chatbot interface. Chatbot can also provide style advice and outfit suggestions based on the user's preferences.
2. Domino's Pizza's chatbot enables customers to place orders and track deliveries without ever leaving the chat interface. Customers can also use the chatbot to receive updates on the latest deals and promotions.
3. CNN's chatbot provides users with real-time updates on political news and events. Users can ask the chatbot questions, receive news alerts, and browse articles on a range of political topics.
4. With the help of Sephora's chatbot, users can try on makeup virtually and get personalized product recommendations. The chatbot uses augmented reality technology to create a realistic makeup simulation.
5. Buoy Health helps users assess their symptoms and provides personalized recommendations for care. Users can describe their symptoms to the chatbot and answer a series of questions about their medical history and current health status. Based on this information, the chatbot provides users with a likely diagnosis and recommendations for care, such as self-care measures or medical treatment.

#8 Voice Search Optimization

Voice search technology is also gaining popularity day by day, becoming one of the main web development trends. Instead of spending time pressing buttons and typing, users can just speak, and the results of the search are immediately displayed on their screens.

According to the Google-released algorithm update “Florida”, integrated websites are predicted to rank higher than those not using voice technology. So, what can you do to make your website more voice search friendly? Here are some tips:

1. Use Natural Language. When optimizing your website for voice search, use natural language and conversational phrases in your content, including long-tail keywords that match the way people speak.
2. Optimize for Featured Snippets. Voice assistants often read out featured snippets in response to voice search queries. To optimize for featured snippets, make sure your content provides clear and concise answers to frequently asked questions.
3. Focus on Local Search. People often use voice search to find local businesses and services. To improve your website's local search optimization, include your business's name, address, and phone number on every page of your website, and list your business in local directories and review sites.
4. Optimize Website Speed. Voice search users expect fast results, so make sure your website loads quickly and is optimized for mobile devices. This can include optimizing images, using a responsive design, and minimizing the number of HTTP requests on your site.
5. Use Schema Markup. Schema markup helps search engines understand the content of your website and can improve your website's visibility in search results. Use schema markup to provide structured data about your business, including your name, address, phone number, and hours of operation.

By taking these 5 steps, you can improve your website's visibility and accessibility for voice search users, and help drive more traffic and leads to your business.

#9 Single Page Applications

A lot of worldwide-known companies such as Uber, Facebook, Google, and others have already started using single-page applications. A SPA is an application that works within a browser and doesn’t need to reload the page while surfing it. It loads a single HTML page and dynamically updates the content as the user interacts with it. 

SPAs have become one of the main web development trends in recent years due to their responsive UX which provides the user with a maximally natural environment without any need to wait for the page to reload.

Single-page applications can be a good choice for apps that require a highly interactive and responsive user interface, real-time communication or collaboration, or offline access. However, not all applications will benefit from SPAs, so it’s important to carefully consider the specific requirements of your project before opting for SPAs.

#10 Single-Page Websites

A single-page website is a website that contains one HTML without any additional pages like industries, contacts us, and other pages. The content is fully loaded on the initial page which is navigated by links that allow the users to check different information on the page.

Such websites are neat and comprehensive and largely contribute to an intuitive user journey. They can be a good choice for smaller projects or campaigns such as portfolios, event websites, or landing pages when one needs to convey a simple message or showcase a specific product or service. Single-page websites are easy and fast to design and develop and load more quickly than multi-page websites. However, they are not suitable for big or complex websites that require complex navigation structures and more content. 

#11 Accelerated Mobile Pages

AMP is a project designed by Twitter and Google aimed at developing really fast mobile pages. It’s a type of open-source library for creating websites, web pages, and web apps with a so-called “diet” HTML that makes it super lightweight and fast loading. 

Accelerated mobile pages are extremely useful for e-commerce websites, as they help to sell more in comparison with non-AMP pages because of the main simple reason - most people can’t stand waiting. The study shows that even a 1-second delay in the speed of a web page can reduce conversion by 7%.

#12 API-first Approach

The application programming interface is a software intermediary that enables communication among different software. API is widely compared with a waiter who takes our order to the kitchen and then brings us a meal that we ordered. In the same way, API takes our requests to a system and returns a response back to us through seamless connectivity. 

The API-first design brings a number of benefits which makes it one of the most popular new web development trends. It allows to recycle the code between the projects, therefore comes at lower development costs, increases speed to market as there is no need to redesign API architecture to add new features, and possesses a high level of stability.

#13 5G Technology

5G or Fifth Generation cellular networks is a planned successor to the 4G networks that provide connectivity to most current cell phones across the world. 5G can be significantly faster compared to its predecessor, allowing for up to 20 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) peak data rates and more than 100 Megabits-per-second average data rates. Newer technology has more capacity than 4G and is designed to support a 100x increase in traffic volumes and allows to significantly improve network efficiency providing lower latency at the same time. 

From a user perspective that means that their browsing experience can be significantly improved by introducing next-level video and audio streaming even in remote areas. That also enables resource-intensive functionality, so developers should start focusing on elevating their app’s UI to a greater extent. Another benefit of 5G technology is that now file size stops being a blocker since improved data sharing capabilities open huge opportunities for data, memory, or even money transfer.

#14 Dark Mode

The dark mode is a feature that becomes widely used in both software and websites that switches the background color to black or any other dark color. The trend was set by Apple’s iOS update back in 2019, and it seems that design keeps moving in the direction of low-light interfaces. 

Over the years our screen time has increased, and more and more users tend to switch to low-light mode due to multiple reasons. Firstly, dark mode reduces the strain on our eyes, which significantly increases user’s comfort, especially if they spend a lot of time online.  Another benefit of using dark mode is prolonged battery life for modern mobile devices since less power is used to display light areas of the interface. Another benefit of using a dark background on your website is that it improves user engagement by increasing color contrast, which makes white and vibrant tones pop.

#15 Multi-Experience

Multi-experience refers to the user’s overall experience with a single application that is available across multiple digital touchpoints like mobile apps, websites, wearables, AR, or VR. It uses a combination of interaction means like voice, touch, vision, or motion and the main purpose is to provide a seamless and consistent user journey. 

In a digital world, with businesses competing for the attention of their customers, multi-experience becomes one of the hottest trends in app development. 

We can observe the birth of multi-experience development platforms (MXDP) aiming to address user and industry demands. These platforms are used in creating chat, AR, wearable and voice experiences that support businesses that offer digital products. The main goal of MXDP is to enable centralized management of activities that put together a multi-experience, including not only designing, development and testing, but also distributing and analysis, which means that using MXDPs you can build an application that can be deployed across the range of devices.

Wrapping Up

Now, it’s time to realize that technology has redefined web development in the terms we used to know. The majority of businesses have learned how to operate remotely. 

We hope that the tendency for rapid development and positive changes in 2023 will touch not only the technology sphere but also every aspect of people’s lives.

In case, you still don’t have a website, web page, or web app, or are looking forward to implementing one of the trends in web technology, don’t hesitate to contact inVerita.