5 Hottest Web Development Trends in 2019

We’re well into 2019 now, and the web development world is in many ways different from the 2018 edition. While all of the front-end technologies and practices that piqued people’s excitement in the last twelve months or so are still here, new trends are gradually cropping up.

The key principle that all web developers, including the Site Slinger experts, strive to follow, though, remains unchanged. It’s the need to engage users and personalize their digital experience. We’ve prepared a rundown of the most notable web development trends in 2019 that focus on these goals exactly.

Progressive Web Apps Versus Responsive Websites: Meet the Winner

First, there were static websites with just HTML and not much else. Then came CSS, Javascript, and other technologies that made websites more dynamic and responsive. These days, however, responsiveness has transformed into a much broader notion.

Just a responsive website is no longer enough to meet the users’ growing demands in 2019. On certain devices, it may not look as attractive as you might expect. That limitation gave rise to an alternative solution: Progressive Web Apps (PWA).

A PWA is a website that perfectly adapts to the specifics of the device where it gets displayed: screen resolution and size, browser, and hardware features. As a result, it’s almost impossible to notice any differences between a PWA and a native app.

Here are the key benefits that PWAs give web developers and users:

Since they can access the device’s hardware, you can use PWAs offline.
They’re fast, even on outdated or poor-quality devices with a weak signal.
They’re a step up in security compared with responsive websites
They are cost-effective and less time-consuming to create.

Your main takeaway? Lower bounce and higher conversion rates.

“How may I help you?” — AI and Chatbots

According to a recent report from Gartner, 37% of organizations have implemented Artificial Intelligence in various forms, and this trend is going to continue in the foreseeable future.

Almost every business website uses a live chat as a permanent point of connection with consumers. Now, this feature has become more sophisticated. No more need to hire a human support agent waiting for a customer to text a question at 3 a.m.

Just get a chatbot made and keep it running day and night. Thanks to the breakthrough in Natural Language Processing, chatbots no longer resemble mechanically speaking toys. They’re now able to answer typical questions from the Q&A page in a much more meaningful way and even solve simple issues that users may encounter.

So, expect chatbot development to remain in high demand in 2019 and years to come.

Push Notifications: Everywhere, Anywhere

Email newsletters are still a popular way to inform consumers of new services or update them on company news. However, they are slowly but steadily being replaced by push notifications.

In the past, these unobtrusive messages used to be limited to mobile devices. In 2019, an increasing number of website owners regard push notifications as a more valuable tool to stay in touch with their users.

Which is better: the inbox drowned in hundreds of newsletters or a tiny notification icon on the toolbar? We would choose the latter. You can add the push notification feature to a website by subscribing to a service like PushWoosh. WordPress website owners can also take advantage of various dedicated plugins like PushEngage.

The Site Slinger has implemented thousands of WordPress projects over the years. We are providers of all the services related to this most popular CMS in the world, including theming, customizing existing or building custom plugins from scratch.

No More Coding! Use Blocks

New versions of content management systems provide more powerful features to their users than ever before. Know nothing about CSS rules or HTML tags? It’s OK. You can still put together a sleek web page just like a professional web designer does (well, almost).

Simply take ready-made blocks or modules and mix them together. The website module building is only expected to grow in popularity in 2019 and beyond. That’s particularly true for WordPress users, who can use Gutenberg to “make adding rich content to WordPress simple and enjoyable.”

Smooth Website Navigation: Motion UI

Websites with visually appealing and simple navigation elements are likely to hold users’ attention for a longer span. When they know where to go and find surfing a website enjoyable, they will keep returning to it.

Creating smooth and straightforward navigation by using CSS animations/transitions is a trend that shows no signs of stopping in 2019. Motion UI is one of the best web development libraries for that purpose, flexible and customizable.

The Site Slinger web developers are skilled in creating dynamic and modern-looking interfaces by using a range of cutting-edge tools and libraries.

Concluding Thoughts

There’s no doubt: the web development industry is going to keep on flourishing. Websites and web apps are going to be faster, more secure, interactive, and AI-wise. Whatever modern technologies you select for your website, the top-of-the-line developers from The Site Slinger are always at your service.

Converting PSD to WordPress and Joomla Templates in 4 Easy Steps

The most popular systems on the modern web are Wordpress and Joomla, since they are the most versatile – with these CMS at hand you can easily create a blog with expandable menu, galleries, sliding images and other interactive elements. No expert knowledge is required either.

Yet, you need to add personal traits to your project to make it popular.

Creating a modern website is a project that involves generations of unique ideas and requires the author to handle large amounts of information. It is rather typical to opt for CMS use to save time and cut the amount of work overall. Content management software allows you to get your blog up fast and easy, and more importantly, no special expertise is required to perform basic operations. The most popular systems on the modern web are WordPress and Joomla, since they are the most versatile – with these CMS at hand you can easily create a blog with expandable menu, galleries, sliding images and other interactive elements. No expert knowledge is required either.

Yet, you need to add personal traits to your project to make it popular. No one is falling for another typical website, so it’s up to you to create a stunning design for your project. Once you have your ideas ‘on paper’ (or rather, in a PSD file), it’s time to convert the image to a fully-functional website.

What’s the difference between Joomla! and WordPress?

The main difference between WordPress and Joomla! content management software lies in the way they operate templates. WordPress pages are composed from a number of blocks: every single element is stored separately and used in a particular case. Once you make a change to an element (for instance, you alter background image for a menu) it takes effect immediately everywhere it is used.

Such ‘modular’ systems allow for faster work with complex projects. You create a set of components and assemble them at your wish.

Joomla, however, uses a different approach and handles every page as a separate set of components. This means that if you plan to use an identical item on every page (for instance, a navigation menu), you’ll have to add a separate menu to each one. If you change this component on a page, changes won’t affect the other parts of your website.

Every template should contain all the necessary code to make proper use of every single module type – authentication, navigation, text, images, video etc.

How do I convert a design project to a functional CMS template?

Working with CMS means you get to work with a product provided ‘as is’ by developers. Of course, there are advantages – you don’t need to hire a programmer to create frames for you, yet there is a drawback; you have to adhere to certain rules. Standard systems can be altered, but it takes time and certain web development skills; you would generally want to use a content-management system to save time and effort.

Converting a PSD project to a fully functional CMS template takes several steps:

1. Analyze your project. Split it into parts (separate pages and items – menu, text blocks, galleries etc.) and see which of them can be implemented by means of CMS systems. Generally, a WordPress or Joomla! website contains a header, menu, main block and footer. It is generally a good idea to stick with these modules to make further work easier.

2. Cut the PSD image into elements – buttons, triggers, decorations. Group up separate components – CMS will generally require you to place images in certain folders for the system to access it properly. For now, you have to handle components as separate parts (that are none-the-less tightly connected) and make them interactive.

3. Make every element work with the CMS of your choice. Assign each components its place on the page, qualities, set up the way it works (when it is shown, how it reacts to clicks and interacts with the user).

4. Run your website and enjoy the results of your work! You might have to check your code to get rid of unnecessary elements (some of them are implemented in the CMS, but you might never use them) to optimize memory and connection usage.

Keep in that you will be using classes to make your components work. Classes are basically unit types with a range of properties and functions – if you want to create a brand new item type, it should be compatible with the existing system. This is one of the limits set by CMS systems.

Is it worth using automated PSD to WordPress/Joomla converters?

There are a number of sites on the web that offer to convert your PSD file to a CMS template automatically. This option is certainly attractive if you are on a low budget, but it will ruin the whole project.

The process might be fast, but the result will leave you wanting more. Automated algorithms work with every project by a standard scheme. This results in a lot of non-optimized code with unnecessary components. Websites created by an automated system run slowly and lack functionality.

If you want an optimized website that runs fast and stable, you will want conversion to be done manually. It is a type of work that requires skill and knowledge; it’s best to let professional web developers to handle the project.

The Easiest way to order PSD to HTML, from The Site Slinger

The Site Slinger turns designs into code, and sets itself apart from other PSD to HTML companies with its quality, reliability, & speed. We are the only company to offer easy online ordering and a fully transparent development process.

We’ve implemented a new online ordering system!

Check out this walk-through and see how easy and fast it is to get your project from design to code with PSD to HTML from The Site Slinger.

LOG IN/REGISTER

Enter your email address and password, or select CREATE ACCOUNT at the top to register as a new customer.

UPLOAD PROJECT FILES

We make it a breeze! In the SUBMIT A NEW ORDER section upload your PSD file(s) via drag-and-drop, or click ‘Pick File’ to browse and select your file. We’ll see the files right away, and you can always add more later.

ENTER PROJECT INFO

While your file is uploading, let us know your Project Name, and select your Project Type & Project Deadline from the drop down options. Tell us a little bit about your project, or ask any questions you might have – we’ll see your order immediately and are ready to help.

VIEW ORDERS

To view an existing order, select YOUR ORDERS from the left menu. Your current orders, and completed orders, will be listed. Select the VIEW PROJECT button to see an order’s details. A consolidated list of your order history makes for easy reference – each and every time.

REVIEW ORDER DETAILS

We want you to feel happy, not sad, during development so we built a fully transparent ordering process. In the project details screen you can view the Project Status, Project Price, Confirmed Delivery date and even view an Invoice in the left sidebar. You can also leave your comments about the project and check for our replies. You will receive an email notification whenever we comment or have an update for you. That’s how we keep you updated at each step in the development process!

REVIEW/ADD ORDER FILES

On the ORDER FILES tab within the same screen you can review the file(s) you’ve already uploaded, and add more files, if you need to. As always, we’ll promptly review your order & files, and ensure everything’s in place for a quote. That’s just the first step in getting the project turned around as quickly as possible – we make sure all PSD to HTML projects are completed in 7 business days or less.

OTHER FEATURES

Click the BACK TO YOUR ACCOUNT button in the upper right to go back to the main account page. From here, you can also Edit Your Profile, or get your Referral Program details. Spread the word about The Site Slinger and receive a credit on future orders!

What we do.

PSD to HTML

Built for designers and headquartered in Austin, Texas, The Site Slinger makes building custom websites easy. Send us your PSD files and we return HTML code in 7 business days or less. Take our HTML and use it to create custom websites, WordPress themes, web apps, enterprise software or whatever else you can think of. This is the fastest way to get building for all your web projects.

PSD to WordPress

Our PSD to WordPress product is the best starting point for custom WordPress development. We hand code your PSD files into static HTML views and then compile them into a basic WordPress theme for custom development. We deliver the WordPress theme files and SQL file for your developer to customize.

If your project requires additional development and your team is without a developer we can recommend great developers.

We want to give web design and development teams an upper hand with easy PSD to HTML and WordPress. Our easy online ordering, personal 24/7 service, and expert developers take the pain out of outsourced development.

Test us out! Submit a design for a free quote today and we’ll be happy to give you a $100 discount off your first order. If you have any questions, just let us know!

Design Rules for PSD to HTML

Want to make your development team love you? Learn how to design your PSD (Photoshop design files) into clearly labeled, appropriately layered files for PSD to HTML!

If you’re coding PSD to HTML/CSS, you know that there’s often a disconnect between the person creating the designs and the development team coding them. With well organized and labeled files you can avoid many of the worst web development pitfalls.

By following these simple steps you can hand your PSD designs off to a good PSD to HTML team and they will come in back pixel-perfect, just like you imagined. This makes PSD to HTML easy for both you and the development team.

Some basic rules to follow:

1. One PSD file per page template or folders for each page in a single PSD file. What is a PSD?

2. Label all folders with the section of content on the page they refer to (Top navigation, Content, Footer, etc) Example

3. Separate folders for “on” and “off” states. Make sure to separate your on/off states into different folders so the development team can easily identify the different states in the design.

4. Provide a text file or .pdf that clearly outlines all functionality for the individual pages (this includes things like animations, slide transitions, etc.)

5. Be sure to design all animation states, javascript validation, button states (click, hover, off), modals and anything else you can think of. If you don’t see it in the design, we can’t see it to code it!

PSD to HTML Example

This is an example of a PSD single page with well organized folders for the content of the page. The organization of this is is clear and easy to follow.There are subfolders for each portion, clearly labeled.

Within the folder structure each page has its own subfolders that are all appropriately named. The elements for each group are within the subfolder and vector images are imported to the file when necessary (logos or other images). Make sure to show different on / off states. Rather than show multiple flat files for each state, they should be organized and named within the PSD in a way that the development team can understand.

Below is a good example of how files should be organized when you hand them off to your development team. You will see that there is 1 PSD per page with all of the necessary states for web development included in each PSD file.

Photoshop (PSD) File Structure

If you hand us well organize and labeled PSD files, our team will code the HTML/CSS and hand you back pixel perfect, markup!

Final Markup (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)

If you have questions about the process we would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

The Site Slinger Makes Design to Code Easy.

The Site Slinger makes design to code easy. Headquartered in Austin, our quality, reliability, and speed makes us different than other PSD to HTML companies. We are the only company to offer easy online ordering and a fully transparent development process.

The Easiest Way to Order PSD to HTML

We’ve just recreated The Site Slinger from the ground up focused on offering you the easiest PSD to HTML option, and we want to know what you think! Create an account, upload designs and we will get you a quote in 24 hours or less. Our easy to use online ordering system makes it simple to check the status of your current projects, submit new projects, see order history, and connect with the developers.

We love to code and we know how bad outsourced development can be. Try us for your next PSD to HTML project and get $100 off your first order. Please reach out if you have questions or comments, we would love to hear your feedback!