In this era of digital explosion, the internet is an indispensable element. The course of people’s lives is directly impacted due to the constant dependency on their smartphones and gadgets. All in all, it is safe to say that our lives have taken a turn towards adopting digital transformation.

From ordering a gizmo from Best Buy’s website to video calling with your mother on her birthday, web development is the sole purpose this was all made possible. A lot of folks we network with have a misconception about how WWW and the internet are the same things. In order to learn anything about the evolution of the web, you have to get this fact cleared. In layman's terms, WWW is just a common point of connectivity for information sharing that is orchestrated by a global network of computers. The Internet, on the other hand, is a connection between computers and “n” number of devices that create an enormous network of systems.

The web today is a multiverse in itself. Technologies have boomed over time to offer experiential designs and immense interactivity that is purely user-centric. The internet has created a market with unparalleled potential. Recent technologies like Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and Virtual Reality have made it possible for people to interact with the internet in a way that was never imagined.

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History

RTim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989 while working at CERN. The web was primarily developed and conceptualized to fulfill the burgeoning need for automated information sharing between scientists in universities and institutes around the globe.

The first website at CERN and also the first in the world was devoted to the World Wide Web project and was hosted on Berners-Lee’s NeXT computer. In 2013, CERN launched a project to restore this first-ever website: info.cern.ch.

On 30 April 1993, CERN put the World Wide Web software in the public domain. Later, CERN made a release available with an open license, a more secure way to maximize its dissemination. These actions kickstarted the web to flourish in the years to come.

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The evolution of websites can be broadly categorized into three key phases. Although these phases combine to elucidate holistic evolution, each is unique and imperative to future developments in technology.

Year 1990 – 2000

As you know by now, Tim Berners-Lee created the WWW in 1989. Just one year after this glorious invention, the first-ever website was created. If we were to show that website to you, you may not even consider it a full-fledged website, it is merely a column of simple text. Web development at this stage was considered a means to ease the inconvenience of the convoluted and complicated processes in the finance sector. Every single section of code had to be filled by hand to systems to generate archaic and outdated-looking structures. Since the websites were not that functional and lacked design, they were used mainly by corporations for information sharing. This gave rise to table-column websites that offered companies the ease to create multiple columns to disseminate information.

As more and more companies delved into the world of the web, a new software called Flash pioneered in the web ecosystem. Flash was an authoring software developed by Macromedia and was primarily used to create vector-based graphic animation programs. It offered full-screen navigation interfaces, illustrations, and a very simple interactive interface. This was a revolution at that period of time as it made it possible for websites to include music, videos, and decent animations.

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Year 2010 – Present

This as you would say is where technology was at its peak. Advancements like mobile-first websites (Add a hyperlink to our blog), dedicated Hero Sections (Hyperlink), and Experiential websites (Hyperlink) transformed the way we perceive technology. 2010 ventured off with minimalist websites. This was the time when the trend for glitzy websites was starting to die and a new wave of minimalism was starting to sink in. Minimalism ensured that the most important information was prioritized and highlighted and there was no clutter.

This was also the advent of strategic and tactical Marketing. The emergence of SEO and digital marketing took a huge ascent and brands competitively started engaging in SEO-based marketing. If you talk about the present, the scenario of web development has evolved tenfold.

The rise of low-code and no-code tools have increasingly simplified the lives of brands and has also challenged the principle of web development to an extent. While conceptualizing and developing a design first, a no-code platform called Apric, we took all of these factors into consideration on how time-in-time technology has progressed and the need of the hour is a substantial solution to people who want tastefully designed and beautiful experience-driven websites without the hassle of coding. According to us, No-code solutions are the way to the future and will triumph over web development in the years to come!

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Interesting Facts about Web Development!! 

1. In 2020, the total number of web developers and designers in the United States was around 178,900. By 2030, this number is projected to reach over 205,000.

2. The web design services market is estimated to be worth $40.8 billion in the US in 2021.

3. 73.1% of web designers believe that a non-responsive design is a top reason why visitors leave a website.

4. There are approximately 2 trillion global searches per year.

5. In a study commissioned by Google and conducted by 55 and Deloitte, decreasing mobile site load times by just one-tenth of a second resulted in major increases in conversion rates — specifically, 8.4% for retail sites and 10.1% for travel sites. (Deloitte, 2019)

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Why do you need a cutting-edge website in 2022?

A wise man once said, “Websites promote you 24/7, No employee will do that”. With technology progressing as we speak, it is pivotal to establish your brand identity as a business especially if you are looking to grow. Gone are the days when you would put up flashy icons or animations and hope to get great traffic. As discussed above, the world of the internet has progressed in ways that one could never imagine. If we were to build a basic website with no interaction, it may have worked wonders for us back in the 2000s but as of 2022, you need a website with avant-garde graphics, top-notch content, and an exceptional user experience to gain traction. The web nowadays has transformed the way we perceive information, connect and share data! With people spending more time on the internet than ever, it is imperative for businesses to have a strong online presence. Let us discuss 4 major reasons why having a website will foster growth and elevate sales for your business in 2022 and in years to come:

24/7 Online Presence 

A website represents you 24 hours a day 365 days a year without any restrictions on the location. Even on days when you may have a business holiday or times when your office hours are over, a website can guide a customer to inquire about your business or possibly stimulate a purchase from the comfort of their home. Think of a marvelous website as the display and décor in a shop, one would only go inside a store if it is decorated tastefully. Likewise, a customer or potential customer will only browse through your website if it is aesthetically pleasing and great in functionality! Trust us, it will aid all your marketing efforts!

Foster Credibility and Reliability

If a customer wants to have any association with you, he will have to know that you are reliable and can be trusted. A few years back, you could get away with having a simple website and creating a huge customer base. Nowadays, with cutthroat competition and market saturation, customers have become very picky. If you have a strong website that showcases your vision, and values and establishes credibility, there is a high chance of attracting customers. If people see the time you have put into creating a wonderful website, they may be convinced that you will add some value to their lives.

Display your Portfolio

A good website does not restrict you from just making a sale. It is an amalgamation of many elements for your business - a major one being exhibiting your work experience and portfolio so your potential customers can establish trust in your brand. Let us say you are a salon, you have your rate card, your contact information, and a review system but how will you convince a customer to get his hair colored by you and not your competitor? Yes, you have a gallery wherein you upload all of the hair you have worked on so any potential customer can have a chance to view your work.

To Stimulate Revenue and Sales

It is evident that no visitor will stay on your page unless they’re attracted to it. That is why your website needs to look and feel like nothing they have seen before. People get bored easily as we have so much media around us to consume, they will only stay if it intrigues them in a way. It is pivotal for businesses to have a professionally made website with detailed designs and an interface so people would want to make a purchase. Having a solid website does in turn translate to increased sales and revenue.

Websites of brands when they started out!

In the following comparison of brand’s websites from when they started out to how they evolved now, you will notice a stark difference in every aspect of growing the brand was subjected to. Even though all of these brands encapsulated different values and virtues, you will notice that their websites more or less looked the same and exhibited the same primitive designs. If you were born before the 2000s, be prepared to let nostalgia take you over. If you were born after the 2000s, be prepared to delve into a world of fascination!!

eBay

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Apple

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BBC

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Amazon

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Conclusion:

The crux of this blog is that although we have seen an unstoppable wave of development throughout the years, it is not bound to stop anytime soon. From our expertise in this area, we believe many more breakthroughs like no-code solutions and responsive websites are yet to conquer the tech landscape. The web is already moving towards an advanced and progressive future where AI and ML will be used for all interactions which will lead to the emergence of Web 4.0. Don’t worry, we will do a dedicated blog in the future explaining what Web 4.0 is and how it will impact us in terms of opportunities and growth.

Shoot us a mail at design@interactivedigitalmedia.in to let us know what kind of blogs you would want to see from us and we shall deliver it very soon. Until then, watch out for our upcoming blog. Ciao! ☺