The Web Design Services industry’s revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 1.3% over the five years through 2021-22 to reach £575.1 million, including a 3.7% rise in the current year. This is despite the negative effects of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak since the tail end of 2019-20. Demand from businesses has been strong over the period, as the importance of having an online presence has greatly contributed to businesses using the services of web designers in order to expand and improve their websites. Rising internet access has meant that businesses that have a website have been exposed to a wider audience. It is fair to say that the UK market is a bouyant one.
In detail
The web design services market is estimated to be worth over $40 billion in the US. Since 2016, it has grown an average of 4.4% per year. Again, this just goes to show just how much this is now big business to the end user and how it is able to be a key means of being able to market a business. It really is the best investment to make. Web design services are for sure very much here to stay.
The Covid-19 effect
Revenue has dipped by an estimated 2.5% throughout 2020-2021. This is undoubtedly a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and the huge financial burden it has placed on businesses. Web design has fared well compared to other industries though, and it has shown great resilience. The UK pub market was estimated to have declined by 60% in 2020, there have been heartbreaking losses for many pub owners.
It is easy to take sympathy with all small business owners who have been affected by the pandemic, and I hope for an economic boom once this is behind us! As businesses are forced to operate online, this has created demand for new websites. There has been an increased demand for food delivery websites. Also for online reservations (click and collect), and many people are wanting ecommerce sites. Entrepreneurs can still sell nationally through a website, harnessing the power of software like WordPress & WooCommerce to run online stores.
A new outlook to the future
Online shopping accounted for 33% of retail sales at its peak in 2020, according to the Office For National Statistics. This is a silver lining for web developers. This is because because it demonstrates how important a website still is. All of this is all even as the world changes. Websites are vital for reaching a wide target market, and I believe demand for quality web design will continue to grow. There are almost 1.6 Billion Websites worldwide, and the web shows no sign of stopping. Web Design continues to be one of the fastest growing industries in the UK, with new jobs being created. I have witnessed huge demand for skilled web developers, and companies are willing to spend big on the right talent. I hope 2021 will be a strong year for the industry, and we can enjoy continued success.
Overall
we must keep an eye on user data and statistics. Historical data is necessary to monitor because, frequently, it can help forecast future events. From this data, we can generate statistics that may indicate how our page is performing or give us insights on whether the page fulfils the user intent. It is vital to understand precisely how we can use these statistics to generate a web development and marketing strategy that maximises the potential of your business. These stats can help us better comprehend what users are looking for on a page and give us ideas for new page features and improvements. It will all be key as we now head into the future.
