There are a number of web development trends that we are seeing arise, but it’s hard to know exactly what is a trend vs what will be an industry standard in the coming years. TRU’s very own industry leader and Chief Technology Officer, Chaitanya Kuthiala, thinks keeping up with current development trends is a must.
It’s imperative that developers understand the trends of today and how they will guide the development of tomorrow.
Chaitanya Kuthiala
In this article, I’ll cover what the top 5 web development trends are, why you should care about them, and more thought-provoking pieces of advice from other leading developers in the industry.
1. Virtual Development Environments on your Desktop
Optimizing your development workflow is now getting easier with the launch of tools that allow users to create local websites with just a few clicks. The team over at Stackabl is pushing the boundaries of traditional localhost development giving its users the freedom to create unlimited websites with just 1-click. It’s as simple as picking your preferred Content Management System (CMS), like WordPress or Joomla and clicking create project. That’s it!
2. The Rise of Drag-And-Drop Page Builders
While it is hard to beat the custom functionality of a professionally built website, the use of drag-and-drop page builder plugins offer junior developers an opportunity to build a website without a serious level of coding. Our Senior Full Stack Developer, Munish Thakur understands the appeal of drag and drop plugins “the ability to visualize what a landing page can look like in a few clicks is the real value behind these tools.” Both Beaver Builder and Elementor are industry leaders when it comes to drag and drop plugins for WordPress.
3. Headless eCommerce with WordPress
It’s no surprise that traditional small businesses are quickly transitioning into digital store fronts offering items or services for sale on their website. Having ecommerce capability is a growing necessity, and with BigCommerce, you can quickly turn any WordPress website into a full fledged ecommerce website. BigCommerce easily integrates with WordPress, enabling ease of use when it comes to product catalogs, payment gateways, inventory maintenance, and more. No iFrames or Javascript necessary — With BigCommerce you can do what you want within WordPress. If you decide to use it to power your online store, you’ll be in good company!
4. Voice Commands for Websites
Google assistant, Siri, and other voice-activated assistants are becoming the norm, and by 2020, it is estimated that up to 50% of all web searches will be done via voice. With adding voice command functionality, businesses are able to offer convenience that users are getting accustomed to. You will also need to consider how to best leverage SEO to ensure your content is written similar to what people searching are likely to ask. Check out Expertrec.com.
5. Making the Jump to WordPress
It used to be that WordPress was mainly for small organizations and blogs, but now WordPress has become a content management system that even large corporations rely upon to power their digital platforms. The simplicity of WordPress allows all types of users to play a role in the functionality of the website, and more large organizations are using it than ever before.