The new year is here, and, as well as finally seeing the back of 2020 (!), we will see the emergence of new website development trends.
Only time will tell what will reign supreme, but for now, have a nosey at our 2021 website predictions.
Progressive Web Apps
Progressive web apps, aka PWA, allow website users to access websites on mobile as quickly as they can on a desktop computer or laptop.
Other great features include the ability to send push notifications and provide offline services.
Drupal 9
November 2021 will mark the end of Drupal 8 support, and this will be replaced with Drupal 9. As the differences between Drupal 8 and 9 are minimal, an update from a Drupal 8 website to a Drupal 9 site will be straight-forward.
According to Drupal, the only major changes will be an update of dependencies to supported versions and removing their code from before the release.
Source: Drupal
The most significant changes are between Drupal 7 vs. Drupal 8 and 9. Upgrading from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 will require the most work as a migration of data and content must be carried out, and themes may need to be rebuilt.
Once this has been done, the groundwork for a Drupal 9 upgrade will be laid, as it is simpler to carry out from your Drupal 8 site.
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
In the past few years, AI has been a bit of a buzzword in the digital world, but new advances in artificial intelligence technology mean that it can provide a high level of personalisation for your customers, clients, or service users.
This can include website functionality such as customer service chatbots or voice-based search.
Coupled with machine learning, AI can improve your marketing efforts with accurate predictions of user’s behavior by tracking past actions on your website.
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)
Accelerated mobile pages are quick-loading web pages specifically designed for mobile devices.
The faster loading speeds of AMP websites improve SEO performance, with higher search engine rankings on Google.
Accelerated mobile pages are beneficial for eCommerce and media websites as a slower loading speed can make users stray elsewhere. Google states that the longer it takes for a web page to load, the higher the bounce rate.
Thinking of a fresh start with your website in the new year? Find out more about our web consultancy, design, and hosting services.
