Top Web Trends of the Future

Internet years are much like dog years – they go by fast! What worked or was popular 1 year ago may not be so popular anymore. Take Groupon as an example. One year ago, Groupon was all people were talking about online and they were making so much money that they couldn’t possibly imagine what would be happening today. Fast forward just 12 months and Groupon is losing customers and employees quickly after negative press and small business owners are starting to realize the risks.

Web trends tend to evolve, rather than go way completely, and while none of us have a crystal ball that can tell the future, there are always glimpses that will show us what’s going to be a hot trend. Below are some of the trends that are up and coming that you should keep an eye on so that you don’t miss the opportunity to jump on the trend bandwagon.

Responsive Web Design & Mobile Websites

Not a surprise at all, the growth of mobile websites is expected to rise exponentially. Web traffic to most websites already has a high percentage of mobile visitors and it will only increase. If your company hasn’t embraced mobile web yet, it’s time. Invest in a mobile website or you could miss out on potential revenue that could come from users surfing your website while they’re on the bus, waiting in line somewhere, or on their lunch break.

Declining Email Usage

Because you may be sitting in front of an inbox jam-packed with email, it’s hard to believe that email usage is on the decline and expected to decrease in usage further. Among younger internet users, texts, Facebook messages, Tweets, Skype and Google Chat have become the norm. Users want instant communication and they don’t like waiting for someone to answer an email. Look for more development of instant messaging and communications.

Increased Video Usage

Like mobile web design, videos are also growing in popularity on websites. If you aren’t publishing “content” in the form of video, you’re losing out on this fast growing segment. YouTube and Vimeo videos can help drive traffic to your website, grow your user or visitor base and provide useful information. Video is also great for search engines as Google has really taken to websites that use videos in various ways.

Look for more ways to use videos not only on the web, but also through various social media and sharing sites.

Content Marketing on the Rise

For websites that haven’t yet embraced it, content marketing is vital to a website’s SEO initiatives. Website visitors demand more from a website than just static content that never changes and doesn’t offer much more than basic information.

Visitors want up-to-date news, information, helpful insights and more from a website. Website owners are spending more on content marketing and it’s proven that websites with blogs receive 55% more traffic than those that don’t, so this is an area that you can’t ignore.

Increased Spending for Online Advertising

Online advertising has been growing, but not as fast as internet usage has. Many traditional merchants and businesses haven’t fully embraced web advertising to their fullest extent, but expect that to change. Even large brands targeted to older adults are beginning to see the benefits of increasing their online advertising budgets and this is expect to continue in the coming years.

The use of banner ads that can be easily knocked up using a web graphic design program like Photoshop or Gimp provides businesses with more opportunities to drive leads.

What Does This Mean?

Keeping ahead of web trends puts your business at a competitive advantage over businesses that are slow to react to web trends. What worked 5 years ago is much different than what works today and it will only continue to evolve. Each and every day, web users write the future of the web by how they use it on a daily basis.

Staying ahead of the trends is what smart business people do well, and this can be the one thing that determines success. Being ahead of the pack gives you an inside edge and can open doors to added revenue streams and opportunities.

Are there any web trends that you can see coming that we haven’t mentioned here? Feel free to comment with any web trends that you see on the horizon.

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