8 Web Predictions for 2012
The New Year is just a few weeks away and that means it’s time to set our sights on 2012 and look to the future of the web. What will the New Year bring with regards to the Internet? We can’t be certain, but we’re pretty confident about the following predictions.
1) Google Mixes It Up
Google will continue to update and refine its search parameters to better fulfill the needs of the search-going public. Fresh content, social media, and other data will play a larger role in determining search results in the upcoming year.
2) Mobile Usage Grows
No surprise here. Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices will continue to take a share of the desktop market. It is not a trend, rather a necessity, to have a mobile ready website these days as potentially 1/5 searches will be conducted via mobile devices. It’s also estimated that 2012 will be the first year smartphones outsell desktop PCs.
3) The End of Flash
Is this the year Flash finally dies? Not necessarily, but the plugin may be on life-support. Adobe has stopped development of its mobile flash plugin, meaning contemporary devices like the Android and Blackberry will soon join the iPhone and iPad as flash free devices. The desktop version of flash will linger on for now, but the future doesn’t look too bright.
4) More HTML5 and CSS3 Websites
If you’re not a web developer the letters and numbers above may not mean anything to you. You should know, however, that it does represent a giant leap in web technology. It’s estimated that half of all Internet users currently have a browser capable of handling HTML5, and sites developed using this technology load faster, are easier to find, and generate a more fluid user experience.
5) Graceful Degradation of Website Designs
Graceful degradation implies designing for contemporary browsers and then gracefully eliminating design element to accommodate outdated browsers. Creating design details like rounded corners, gradients, and drop shadows are time consuming and expensive to implement in browsers like Internet Explorer 7 or 8. Why spend money supporting a shrinking market when you can ensure the long-term future of the site by designing for the next generation of browsers?
6) Internet Video Marketing Continues to Grow
Online videos have a major impact on website search engine optimization. An online video is 50 times more likely to get a first-page Google ranking than a text page. Expect business to take notice and continue to add relevant video to their websites.
7) Has Facebook Peaked?
Inside Facebook reports that Facebook lost nearly 6 million users from the United States in 2011. Some analysts dispute the numbers, while others expected it, saying Facebook has become too commercial and saturated. Even if the numbers are true and Facebook doesn’t continue to grow in the U.S., it’s still a heavyweight in the digital arena with nearly 150 million users.
8) The Future of Google+
It will be a make or break year for Google+, the social networking site Google launched in 2011 to compete with Facebook. Google+ has many intrinsic advantages over Facebook, such as search, Gmail, Youtube, and Picassa integration. Is that enough to convince users to migrate to a new service? 2012 could prove to be the year that question is answered.