GoodFirms, a Washington DC based research organisation, has published a series of reports on software development trends in web design, SEO, Ecommerce app development and other technological areas. The company surveyed 200+ IT and software companies and experts from around the globe to collect data about the emerging trends in the sector.
The survey documented the experiences and information from participating companies whose expertise is developing a variety of software and applications. These companies, came from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Belarus, India, Ukraine, and Russia.
Stats and trends on software development
Ecommerce and the digital marketplace remains a fast changing environment, sensitive to changes in consumer taste. The survey highlights insights such as time, cost, challenges, methods, languages used, tools employed, popular frameworks, software projects in demand, popular tech-trends and development automation trends.
Some of the key results included:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) was acknowledged as most popular trend (69.2%).
- Blockchain (47%).
- The average time taken for a typical software development is 4.5 months.
- Agile has been accorded as the most used software development method.
- Developers revealed the most popular programming languages as PHP, Javascript and C#.
The challenges facing software developers included:
- Adapting to changing client requirements
- Continuous performance and load testing management
- Finding and hiring right developers
- Integrating systems and technology
- Understanding client requirements.
The importance of web design
To have a successful website, it is essential to stay on the current web design trends. The survey disclosed the latest trends in web design. This was based on the responses from 200+ web design agencies and freelance web designers. The majority support flat design style with about 88.5%. It delivers improved user experience on websites and apps.
Various key aspects in web design like typography, minimalist concept, responsiveness to different devices and browser compatibility also play higher in the minds of designing experts. Moreover, trends like CSS Animation to bring personality to the sites and Parallax Scrolling effect with the 3D layout just refuse to go away from the web.
Sharpening SEO Strategies
Businesses, regardless of their sectors, look to SEO strategies to enhance their visibility online. The online marketing arena works for even small businesses. It allows them to make use of the SEO practices and generate income from organic leads in the digital space. And it is a universal fact that whether small, medium or large; any business holding the top search results speak for the web-traffic inculcated by their websites along with the keyword optimization and Domain Authority (DA).
To get a thorough understanding of the latest SEO trends and tactics, GoodFirms surveyed 100+ SEO companies and specialist around the world. According to the report, Google Analytics is one of the most useful tools for SEO with 83.3% using it. Growing organic traffic and content marketing tactics still remain the top inbound marketing for global SEO companies and experts.
The Google algorithm updates – Panda and Penguin have highly affected the search engine rankings of the web pages according to the SEO specialists.
The report noted that voice search is bound to bring a new sense of respect for natural speech patterns, long-tail keywords, and optimisation for mobile devices.
Shoppers and app makers
The most successful E-business concepts requires implementing one basic E-commerce strategy: Understanding the customer’s needs and providing them with a superb online experience with personalised augmented reality. This ensures that the consumers maintain the connection with the brands they love across eCommerce websites, mobile applications and any other devices.
The survey also suggests that:
- 55% of shoppers prefer shopping from eCommerce apps
- 46% of them prefer online shopping sites
- Users favour apps due to the flexibility offered in time-saving surfing along with the discounts and easy comparison of products.
High definition images and the past positive experience influence the purchase decision of shoppers. Additionally, the promotional notifications, as well as the loyalty points earned give a boost on buying.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean for businesses?
Software is the core component of everything ranging from personal computers, smartphones, tablets, Internet of Things, and network systems. Everything, that businesses and consumers rely on for our regular day to day existences.
This is a very detailed report and provides a useful insight into the current trends in software development across a range of technologies. It also uncovers the challenges and best practices that developers need to consider. It is a useful reference for any business, irrespective of sector or size, initiating a software development project.