One of the dominant digital touchpoints between businesses and users are company websites. There is an evident need for better and faster solutions that provide more options. 

Web development has also evolved greatly during the last few years. Software companies are constantly exploring new technologies that can drive them to more advanced results and can help them grow both exponentially and globally. As part of this ecosystem, we've outlined below some of the key trends which are here to stay in 2021 and beyond.

1. AI and Bots

Μore and more companies are making the shift to virtual assistants or official page chatbots (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Skype), which has really elevated customer support over the web. Whereas human customer support has limitations in terms of workload magnitude and of availability, virtual assistants, such as AI-based bots, ‘work’ 24/7, year round whilst offering amazing consumer behavior analytics. AI-powered natural language processing (NLP) systems are turning chatbots into more efficient, intelligent and responsive agents. 

2. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

While PWAs are not new to the web development scene, they will see an increase in their use as they are gaining more and more traction due to the many advantages they offer. 

They provide users with offline access to cached content and an amazing mobile experience without the need of a native application. This is important for companies that wish to reach bigger audiences without the barrier of an app download. PWAs not only recreate an in-app experience within a browser, but also make things easier for developers, who no longer need to build native applications for every device. 

3. Voice Search

Voice search is a trend that has not yet been widely adopted, but one that should become a part of a company’s SEO and tech strategy. It will soon become such an integrated feature that will greatly facilitate users, who will be able to give spoken commands instead of typed ones, without even the use of a screen.

4. Motion User Interface (UI)

Motion UI has the potential to boost page interactivity, as it offers a fresh experience to digital products and a more enjoyable experience to users. Motion design creates an intuitive interface that guides the user with visual cues on where and what to focus on. This takes out a lot of the effort and frustration from having to wonder where to go when you first land on a website. 

As companies move away from simple aesthetics and pay more attention to the user experience, visual design grows into an issue for both engineering and marketing. 

5. Single Page Applications (SPAs)

Single page applications take away the waiting time for a page to load and allow users to visit and scroll uninterrupted. Similar to PWA, they also offer offline caching. SPAs are an already established concept with big companies like Google and Facebook, but will grow in popularity due to smaller companies favoring them for app development.