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• January 21, 2011

Five Trends That Will Change the Web in 2011

As the web enters its third decade, a collision of technological and social advances are changing the way we use the Internet. We take a look at how businesses will be affected by these innovations and how they can capitalise on the changing web.

It was twenty years ago that scientist Tim Berners-Lee released a humble document sharing protocol that he dubbed the "World Wide Web". Few could have predicted that this niche technology would grow into the major global communication and commerce tool we know today.

It would be short sighted to think that this growth is slowing. The web continues to mature and evolve into every corner of our lives. In 2011 a combination of new web standards are slowly making their way into our hands via new browsers. GPS and smart phone technology are becoming mere commodities and people are undergoing a change in the way we behave online with the rise of social networking. We take a look at five of the biggest trends that will shape the web in the coming year, and how this will affect your business.

5. The Web Gets a Makeover

Until recently, these designers have been frustrated by outdated technology that made innovation difficult. Some browsers that originated at the turn of the century remain in common use and designers have been forced to be overly conservative so as not to break the web for these outdated browsers. It is only now that a new generation of browsers, featuring eagerly awaited technological standards like HTML 5 and CSS 3, are beginning to gain popularity.

New browser features means that design elements which previously took hours of design with Photoshop - like drop shadows and rounded corners - can now be created with a few keystrokes. Designers can finally use professional fonts without the clunky work-arounds that have been used in the past and the long awaited web canvas will allow designers to manipulate graphics in the browser rather than merely reshuffling pre-fabricated images. For designers these combined changes are like upgrading from scissors and glue to using paint and canvas.

Google's Chrome Experiments showcases designs created with the technologies that will change how the web looks.

This new technology is not just for the benefit of frustrated designers. A revolution in web design means web sites will soon combine the richness of magazine layouts with the interactivity of computer games. While many designers may choose to recycle elements to create a web of uninspired same-ish designs, others will be freed from constraints and empowered to spend more time working to make their designs stand out from the crowd.

As web design increases in sophistication, so too will users' expectations. Users are already adept at judging a company by the aesthetic of its website. Businesses will need to be sure that the image they are projecting is right for their company.

4. Collision of the Web and Desktop

The web ceased long ago of being a mere tool for sharing text documents. Images, sound and interactivity via JavaScript have all shifted the web towards the multimedia future we have long been promised. At the same time the iPhone and its App Store have raised consumers expectations of what their web enabled devices are capable of. Web developers are striving to meet these new expectations and are taking their lead from the desktop to create more interactive web applications.

The web will be faster thanks to speed increases on multiple fronts. The web scripting language JavaScript has received massive speed boost thanks to a friendly rivalry between the authors of Chrome, Opera and FireFox. The same browsers are also bringing hardware video acceleration -- typically the domain of complex 3D games -- into the web pages we use every day. This faster web manifests itself in complex websites like Google Maps and Gmail which resemble desktop applications more than web pages.

Google aspires to replace the entire Windows and OSX desktop experience with its web-only Chrome OS. They demonstrate their faster browser by comparing it to potato guns and lighting strikes in a series of videos.

Web authors have always been able to easily drop images and text into their pages, but audio and video have always been much more difficult. Online video finally achieved popularity with the ascent of YouTube half a decade ago. Browsers are now catching up with demand via video and audio support which makes it possible to drop video into any web page - just like images or text - without the cobbled together collection of proprietary technology we rely on now.

Not only are browsers getting faster, but the connections on which content is delivered are increasing in capacity. The National Broadband Network promises speeds which will make it possible to deliver high quality content at seemingly instant speeds. Small, blocky, videos will be replaced by high-definition full screen productions. It will be simple to deliver high-quality graphics giving us richer and more emotional experiences.

New technology doesn't necessarily mean that every websites should include large videos and game-like graphics. The simple text-based nature of the web played a large part in its success. Instead, multimedia capabilities mean that designers will have more freedom to experiment and stand out from the crowd if and when it suits the product being promoted.

3. The Social Web Encourages One-on-one Communication

The so-called "social web" has gone from a mere buzz word to a massive force that is redefining communication as we know it. It's a safe bet to say that this trend will continue to accelerate in 2011. The time is right for businesses to take advantage of this trend to increase brand awareness and promote their services.

The growth of social networking over the previous decade was predicted by many experts; yet very few foresaw the way the revolution was set to occur. Brands who tried to incorporate "user generated content" into their existing web strategy more often than not met with skepticism from a cynical audience. Instead we've seen two major players, Facebook and Twitter, emerge to lead the social revolution. Corporate websites have finally stopped trying to build their own social playgrounds and are now chasing the crowds with branded Twitter feeds and Facebook Pages. This trend has reached a point where brands often promote their Twitter and Facebook pages, rather than their own websites, in offline advertising.

The recent Queensland floods offers a case study in the way social media has changed the way consumers seek information online. Rather than trusting news and utility sites to keep them informed many people used Facebook and Twitter to spread news and rumours about unfolding events. It was a case of worse-is-better with consumers preferring for the less reliable but more immediate information offered by social media.

This trend could not have succeeded without outside intervention. Representatives from companies like Energex and Queensland Police took an active part in discussions to ensure than incorrect information did not spread too far. In doing so they showed how shepherding the discussion, rather than attempting to drown it out or ignore it, is a better way of interacting with consumers online. The same approach can be used by businesses to protect their online reputation.

Queensland Police used Twitter to reach a wider audience and address rumours during the Queensland floods.

While it is undeniable that the social influence will continue, what is still uncertain is how far it will reach into the domain occupied by traditional web sites. It is likely that we will see an equilibrium reached with social networks being used as a discovery and promotion tool as well as to gather customer feedback, and corporate websites being used as a canonical and detailed source of information.

Businesses should plan on using a multi-faceted approach to their web presence, with a branded website being only one part of the solution. Your business should be aware of how your customers use the web and tailor your web strategies and marketing efforts around their behaviour.

2. Mobile Web Influences How We Shop

Mobile browsing languished as a niche technology until the iPhone gave us our first taste of desktop-like mobile browsing just four short years ago. With the addition of Windows Phone 7, the rise of Android and adoption of 3G technology, mobile browsing has become a natural extension of the internet for a significant percentage of the population.

By some estimates over 6% of internet traffic is coming from mobile browsers. While this might sound low, mobile visitors are more focused on finding products and information than the idle browsing we see on desktop computers. Mobile visitors are often seeking immediate information or services with cash ready to spend.

  Mobile web browsing on current generation smart phones is finally offering web browsing that is in distinguishable from desktop experience and speeds.(Photo: Johan Larsson)

Unfortunately many websites fail to meet their customer’s expectations. Many of us have been frustrated by websites that show a business’s opening hours in formats which are incompatible with mobile devices, that hides important information behind animations or video, or is just plain unaware of what consumers are looking for.

Businesses can capture this market by offering mobile-specific websites that can be easily browsed on small screens. By skilled use of web technologies this can be achieved with little addition to the cost of a new web design. Web design firms will be able to help your business present the information your visitors are seeking in a format that works.

1. The Web Becomes Less “World Wide”

Mobile internet and browser based innovations have made real-time location information a reality for most internet users. Services like Foursquare and Facebook Places have taken small steps towards building communities around this information; allowing users to check-in and promote their favourite restaurants and coffee shops. These products have not yet hit mainstream consciousness but are a demonstration of how serious the major players are about promoting and developing the location-based market.

Google Maps is seen as one of the killer apps for mobile devices; offering an experience on par with dedicated GPS devices. Google has positioned themselves at the forefront of location based search by linking Google Places into their Maps product. Google plans to replace both directory sites like Yellow Pages and even traditional Google Search as the way in which consumers search for local businesses. This will affect small businesses most of all. Rather than trying to steal scraps of web traffic from global companies by fighting for a place on the traditional search results page small businesses will find themselves the target of local customers who are actively seeking their products.

Consumers can already access location based search through “augmented reality” interfaces.

Location based search will become increasingly competitive as it gains an audience. Just like traditional web search spawned the SEO industry, we will see new experts assisting businesses in their marketing endeavors. Businesses will need to learn how they should best promote themselves or partner with design and marketing companies with experience in this new domain.

Final Thoughts

The technological advances and social changes we are seeing today will mean the web we will see a year from now will be markedly different from what we know today. While some trends are are obvious to us now, history has shown that the unpredictable changes are often the most important.

One thing that is certain is that the rise of the web will affect all businesses. With more and more commerce and consumer research being conducted online businesses are being forced to keep track of a fast changing array of technologies and trends. Businesses will have to make sure that they are making informed decisions about their web based strategies. For those that do so the web will offer ever increasing opportunities into the future.