Just 20 years ago, you would have needed an advanced knowledge of programming and a lot of time on your hands to build even a basic website. Today, it’s possible to take a website template and transform it into your own custom design in a matter of hours—even if you have almost no experience with design or coding. You can develop and publish any content you want by starting your own blog, or you could even go the ecommerce route by selling products and services to your customers directly.
The Modernity of Website Building
Today, it’s possible to sign up for an account with WordPress or a similar website builder, walk through a series of steps (including choosing a domain, choosing a template layout, and adding in your own content) and have a finished, live site in a matter of an hour or two. Even more complex features, like optimizing for SEO or adding new layers of security, are relatively simple with modern technology.
This evolution has made it easier for anyone to get started as an online entrepreneur, or make a website for their existing businesses. And as this technology continues to grow, these features get more intuitive and more approachable, which is shocking considering its current simplicity.
Why This Simplicity Exists (and Keeps Getting Simpler)
So why is it so easy to build a website these days?
- Technology exists to make life easier. For starters, almost all forms of technology exist to make life easier—so it makes sense that evolving technology would improve upon things that have already been made easy. Website building was once a complicated and hard-to-understand process, so developers have been working nonstop to try and reduce it down to a more approachable series of steps.
- Faster and easier means more profitable. Don’t forget that the template sites and website builders all are incentivized to make their services faster, easier, and more approachable. Making website building easier means attracting more customers, which means becoming more profitable. This is especially important due to the amount of competition there is in this space; website builders are fighting to be the best.
- New tech builds on old tech. It’s something so intuitive we often forget to consider it; all new technology builds off of technology that already exists. New website builders get to look at all the website builders that came before them, pick and choose which features to keep, and intuit which features require replacement or improvement. This makes it exponentially easier to build faster, more innovative website building platforms.
- Non-technical demand is increasing. Even though technical knowledge is increasing in many segments of the population, there are also segments who have almost no technical knowledge. Despite this ignorance, they’re expected to keep pace with an increasingly technological world. This results in increased demand for technical solutions designed for non-technical participants, and demand always drives innovation.
- There are newer, more diverse ways to build a web presence. It’s also worth noting that the way people access the web is evolving as well. Instead of only accessing websites via a browser, people are relying on social media as gateways for content, and are increasingly using dedicated mobile apps rather than browsers. This opens up the possibilities for website builders and diversifies options for business owners looking to connect with and become more visible to their target audiences.
Where Do We Go From Here?
It’s tough to say how website building might develop in the near future; undoubtedly, the process will become even simpler and more approachable, but the potential for innovation is limitless. We’ll likely see more diverse types of “builders” (including app builders) and may see more custom options when it comes to layout styles—perhaps even brand-new templates generated on the fly.
In any case, tech always advances in one direction—forward—and we all stand to benefit from that progress.
