When we think about what website development was like 10 years ago, there are so many features that have now developed and evolved, but the end goal has always been the same, promoting your business to the world wide web.
Website responsivity
As we move into 2023, it’s clear to see that websites, the internet and our phones appear to be the most important thing in modern-day life. With Generation Z, born between 1997-2012, following millennials. This generation has been born and raised on the internet and social media, therefore, entering work life addicted to this lifestyle and way of living. So what does that mean for businesses? You need to be available online, present on social media and have instant access in order to sell products and services. Let’s not forget we are always aiming as businesses to reach out to all users meaning we also need to think about user experience for older generations.
So how has this changed in the last 10 years? You will have constantly heard the phrase, “you need your website to be responsive”, and in the short of it, you do! A responsive website allows you to display and present information in a way that is accessible to everyone. So our older generations and the younger ones too. Having the information and resources available on any mobile device or tablet as well as larger desktops and working across all browsers allows for a wider outreach, better user experience, and more sales/conversions to be had.
Types of CMS
10 years ago, there was a much wider split of CMS systems that were used, as well as some pages that were simply hard coded in HTML (unable to be edited unless by developer). WordPress had already been around for 10 years, drupal and Joomla also covered a wide range of websites. Other content management systems started getting introduced a few years later, such as Magento and Perch. As the years have progressed, it’s clear to see that WordPress is now the leading favourite covering 43% of the internet! Taking into account the fact that there were around 40 million websites back in 2013 and now, in 2023, there are roughly 1.3 billion websites!!! You can read more about why we prefer WordPress to Drupal here and also the benefits of endless free plugins when building in WordPress.
Security
With the amount of businesses transforming to an online presence, it’s only realistic to think about how much security on websites has changed, especially with GDPR changes over the last few years. We retain personal and private information and have a duty to ensure that information stays safe from potential hackers. There are loads of different enhancements you can take to help the security of your website, such as adding 2FA and ensuring you use strong and unique passwords. As websites have developed, so has the knowledge and understanding of hackers, and this is one of the most important factors to think about when building your website.
Social media impact and integrations
As mentioned above, the newest generation has been brought up to be glued to our phones. Social media appears to be on a continuous growth, with Tik Tok being the latest platform to surge in recent years. The development of these accounts now allows developers to create live feeds on websites, therefore, encouraging engagement from users to interact with pages for longer as well as link off to social pages for more information and engagement.
Visual Change
Lastly, looking at the visual change that has developed over the last 10 years, we can see that development has evolved into more creative and inspiring layouts, using interactive elements as well as animations and graphics to offer a more visually pleasing experience whilst still hitting the target of getting information across, selling products or services. Coding has become smarter, and we are able to offer users more on the page without upping the page load and website speed to downgrade user experience. All in all, website development has become more creative and affordable for non-technical users.
If you need some help updating your website or you have a new campaign idea in mind, get in touch and speak to our specialists.
