Source: Forbes
Everyone wants to know which trends are going to shape the next 5-10 years in business.
While nobody has an exact read on what is happening, if you look at human behavior, it is generally fairly easy to predict what’s around the corner.
Thanks to my work in the digital marketing industry, I see a lot of emerging technology and the new behaviors they create. In this article, I would like to share three of the digital trends I’ve noticed starting to take hold that may be worth incorporating into your business.
1. Static Site Generators
In the early days of the web, most websites were static, meaning they were simple HTML that ran on the client side (within a user’s browser). There was no need for plugins, APIs or a full CMS to make the site run.
But, as technology has evolved, the web development world has grown increasingly complex. Running a site effectively today requires a ton of moving parts. Template systems, databases and extendability have become the norm on most CMS platforms.
In the past few years, however, I’ve seen that static site development is making a comeback. Designing a website with static files allows it to be identically served (delivered) to users, removing the need for server-side processing. Today, this is achieved through the use of modern web frameworks and tools. Static site generators such as GatsbyJS are making this possible.
Why does this matter for the everyday website visitor, or a website owner? Here are some of the benefits of a static versus dynamic design:
• Faster load times (speedy load times are essential today)
• Ease of scalability (increased visitors don’t slow or crash the site)
• Pay-per-usage server hosting (instead of paying a monthly fee)
• Decreased server costs (reducing as much as 50%-75% of costs)
While the look and feel of websites are getting more sophisticated, site architecture is getting back to its roots. If you are considering a website rebuild, it might make sense to look at static site generation as an option.
2. Voice Search
Have you noticed that you tend to talk to your phone more today than ever before? Many people are now using their phones to ask their virtual assistants questions.
Voice search has exploded in the past few years, thanks to Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon all investing heavily in voice-assisted technology. The technology has come a long way in the eight years since Siri was first introduced on the iPhone 4s.
Why is voice-based technology such a big hit today?
One word: convenience. It’s easier to ask a question than it is to type it into a browser. Humans can typically speak more words per minute than they can type. And using voice-based search is liking asking a wise oracle any question you have.