by Mark | Jan 22, 2026 | AI and Machine Learning, SEO, State of the Web
If you’ve been monitoring your organic traffic numbers, you may have noticed a concerning trend: impressions are increasing while clicks continue to decline. This phenomenon, known as the “zero-click era,” is fundamentally changing how we approach search engine optimization (SEO) and digital visibility.
We recently held a chat with Dave Jackson, one of our Advisory Board members who heads Tekkii Systems, a Kansas City-area digital marketing agency, and our executive director, Mark DuBois, to discuss what’s happening with search, how AI is reshaping the landscape, and what web professionals can do to adapt.
The Evolution of Search: From URLs to Zero-Click
Mark has been working with web technology for 34 years, and his perspective on search evolution provides valuable context. When he started in 1992, search engines didn’t exist. To visit a website, you needed to know the exact URL. People maintained lists of websites, which eventually evolved into searchable databases that became the first search engines. Google was actually one of the later entrants to the market, though they clearly dominate today.
For decades, SEO operated as a continuous cycle between search engines and marketers attempting to optimize rankings. Search engines consistently evolved their algorithms to prevent manipulation, from early keyword stuffing tactics to more sophisticated gaming attempts.
Now we’ve entered something fundamentally different. Mark describes it as the “zero-click SEO” era, where users increasingly find answers directly in search results without visiting websites.
The AI Disruption: Understanding the Impact
Since ChatGPT’s release in 2022, major technology companies have rushed to develop and deploy AI tools. Google, despite being the dominant search engine, found themselves responding to rather than leading this transformation with their AI Overviews feature.
When Google rolled out AI Overviews, the SEO community raised immediate concerns about traffic decline. The data has confirmed these concerns. Dave explains: “We’ve seen traffic drop–some estimates say by close to 60 to 64% across organic traffic.”
This represents a massive shift affecting virtually every type of website. The SEO community has moved through various responses, from initial resistance to current acceptance and strategic adaptation.
Understanding Zero-Click Search
Zero-click search occurs when users receive answers directly on the search results page, often through AI-generated summaries, without clicking through to any website. While this reduces traditional website traffic, Dave emphasizes an important distinction: “When it comes to actually engaging with a business or a service, it’s still going to end at a website at the end of the day.”
ChatGPT and similar tools may recommend businesses, but users ultimately need to interact directly with those businesses. The customer journey has changed, but the destination remains your website. The critical factor is ensuring your business appears in those AI recommendations.
SEO Fundamentals Still Apply
There’s ongoing debate about whether entirely new strategies are needed for what some call “AIEO” or “GEO” (generative engine optimization). Dave’s perspective is that it’s essentially SEO done comprehensively and correctly.
“The way that this is happening is they’re looking at a number of different areas as opposed to just your website,” Dave explains. AI tools evaluate whether you’re showing up across all their reference sources, which Dave calls “retrieval sources.”
This means maintaining topical relevance on your website while ensuring presence everywhere potential customers might look for information about your business type. For an HVAC company, this includes platforms like Houzz and Thumbtack. For restaurants, it means Yelp, Google Business Profile, and other review sites. The principle is straightforward: you must appear where people retrieve information.
Link Building in the AI Era
Links remain important, but the strategy has evolved. Dave notes that previously, building links from high-authority websites generally provided benefits regardless of specific relevance. Authority still impacts organic results, but AI recommendations prioritize extreme relevance.
Consider this example: Google reviews were once the primary focus for local businesses. Now that AI tools like ChatGPT make recommendations, they evaluate reviews across multiple platforms. The Better Business Bureau, which had declining relevance for local rankings, is experiencing renewed importance because AI seeks comprehensive views before making recommendations.
“You have to be on Yelp. You have to get on Better Business Bureau,” Dave advises. “AI is looking for a more comprehensive view.”
Links remain extremely important, but strategy matters. Success requires identifying which sites AI tools actually check when making recommendations, not just pursuing high domain authority.
Creating Conversational Content
How people search has fundamentally changed. Users interact with ChatGPT and similar AI tools conversationally, like speaking with a personal assistant. Instead of typing “auto repair shop near me,” they ask complete questions: “What is the best auto mechanic that fixes Toyota vehicles near [location]?”
This requires more natural content. Dave recommends moving away from robotic headings that simply combine keywords with locations. “Your content shouldn’t be as robotic, especially when it comes to your headings.”
Frequently Asked Questions have become increasingly important. Including comprehensive FAQ content demonstrates topical depth and helps AI tools understand your expertise across a subject area.
The AI Content Challenge
There’s a significant paradox in content creation today. AI generates approximately 99.9% of internet content currently. However, content that’s 100% AI-generated without human input typically doesn’t rank well. Search engines can identify these patterns.
Dave recommends the 80/20 approach: allow AI to handle 80% of the work, but contribute 20% of human input. That 20% provides uniqueness, authentic perspective, and genuine experience.
AI-generated content has identifiable patterns, from specific punctuation usage to vocabulary choices and sentence structures. Search engines have learned to recognize these signatures.
“You always have to get in there and say, I’m going to spend five minutes, ten minutes adding my own perspective, my own angles, what I know about this subject,” Dave emphasizes.
Tools like Originality.AI attempt to detect AI-generated content, though their accuracy is debated. Regardless, the principle stands: use AI as a foundation, then customize with genuine knowledge and perspective.
Local vs. National Strategy
Approaches differ based on whether you’re working with local businesses or national brands.
Local businesses should focus on comprehensive citation management and review presence across multiple platforms. They should also ensure accurate listings on industry-specific directories and maintain a complete Google Business Profile.
National businesses face greater challenges as blog traffic has declined significantly. The solution requires diversification, particularly into video content.
The Critical Importance of Video
Video content has become essential rather than optional. Dave emphasizes this point strongly: “YouTube is a massive retrieval source and a massive opportunity.”
YouTube functions as the second-largest search engine. Google prominently displays YouTube videos in regular search results and AI Overviews. Video offers more ranking opportunities than traditional written content because producing quality video requires greater effort, creating less competition.
“Anybody can just write an article in five minutes for any keyword. But not everyone can make a video for that keyword,” Dave notes.
Implementation can start simply with the following:
- Welcome video on the homepage
- Service explanation videos
- Contact page videos outlining next steps
- Regular YouTube content if resources allow
Maintaining Authenticity
Throughout the discussion, authenticity emerged as a consistent theme. Dave observed that ChatGPT’s recent updates often provide extensive responses with numerous follow-up suggestions. Users must exercise discipline to avoid being led down unproductive paths.
This connects to a broader concern: customer expectations for human interaction. When small companies implement AI phone systems, customers often respond negatively. Large corporations may successfully employ such systems, but smaller businesses face different expectations.
“I believe the best way to convey authenticity is through video,” Dave states. “You can convey it through your content if you actually get in there and modify what ChatGPT gives you.”
While businesses are encouraged to use AI tools for content production, what actually ranks well and builds trust is authentic content with genuine human input.
Looking Ahead: 2026 Predictions
Dave offers specific predictions and recommendations for web professionals:
Video Strategy: Even simple implementations matter. Start with basic videos on your site. If possible, develop a YouTube presence with regular content. The platform promotes content to new audiences regardless of channel size.
Community Engagement: As zero-click search becomes standard, finding alternative ways to reach audiences gains importance. Online communities are growing significantly. Platforms like Facebook Groups are seeing substantial activity and engagement. These communities provide opportunities to share content, assist others, and build authentic relationships with focused, engaged audiences.
Content Audit: Review existing website content to ensure it’s conversational and comprehensive. Verify presence in retrieval sources that AI tools reference. Dave notes you can even ask ChatGPT to identify appropriate high-quality authority sites for your industry and location.
The Trust Factor
Authenticity matters more than ever precisely because AI has made generic content ubiquitous. “People have accepted AI, but they’re not all in on it,” Dave observes. “They feel the squeeze.”
Users actively seek genuine human connection and expertise beyond what AI can provide. Businesses that deliver this through video, community engagement, and genuinely helpful content based on real expertise will differentiate themselves.
An interesting statistic supports this: studies indicate that nine out of ten AI investments from 2024-2025 were not profitable. Even major companies investing substantial resources in AI didn’t achieve expected returns, suggesting people don’t want complete AI replacement. They value AI efficiency but still want human expertise and connection where it matters.
Practical Recommendations for Web Professionals
The decline in click-through rates doesn’t signal the end of opportunity. It represents transformation. Successful professionals will adapt by:
- Building presence across multiple platforms beyond the website
- Creating conversational, helpful content that AI tools recommend
- Investing in video content, starting with simple implementations
- Participating in communities where potential clients engage
- Using AI as a tool while maintaining human expertise and perspective
- Preserving authentic human elements that differentiate from generic AI content
Dave’s guidance on AI usage is clear: “Don’t completely replace yourself because people don’t want it.”
The Role of Professional Community
Mark’s closing perspective emphasizes that the industry has navigated major shifts before and consistently adapted. What remains constant is the importance of staying connected to the professional community, continuing to stay educated, and maintaining commitment to quality.
“The pendulum has already swung back towards authenticity,” Dave observed. “And people really, really want it.”
For Web Professionals Global members, this is why our community exists: to help navigate these changes together, share effective strategies, and provide mutual support through industry shifts.
The web continues to evolve. SEO isn’t disappearing; it’s transforming. This transformation may ultimately benefit the industry by forcing focus on what genuinely matters: creating authentic value, building real relationships, and serving users in ways that AI alone cannot replicate.
Want to explore these topics further? Connect with other web professionals facing similar challenges? Learn more about Web Professionals Global and how our community supports professionals navigating the evolving digital landscape through our mission of Community, Education, and Certification.
by Mark | Jan 6, 2026 | Web Trends
As we move through 2026, the web development landscape continues to evolve at a remarkable pace. For web professionals looking to stay competitive and deliver cutting-edge solutions, understanding the emerging trends isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Web Professionals Global stays abreast of industry trends as part of our mission of Community, Education, Certification. Here’s what’s shaping our industry and what you need to watch in the coming years.
AI Integration Becomes Standard Practice
Artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimental features to become a core component of web development workflows. We’re seeing AI assistants help with everything from writing production code to debugging complex issues and optimizing performance. The most successful web professionals aren’t asking whether to use AI, but rather how to integrate it most effectively into their processes.
More importantly, client expectations have shifted dramatically. Users now expect AI-powered features like intelligent search, personalized content recommendations, and conversational interfaces as standard offerings. Web professionals who can thoughtfully implement these capabilities while maintaining performance and user experience will find themselves in high demand.
The challenge isn’t just implementing AI features—it’s doing so responsibly and effectively. This means understanding when AI adds genuine value versus when it’s simply a buzzword addition. It means considering the computational costs, the impact on page load times, and the user experience implications. Smart web professionals are learning to balance innovation with pragmatism, implementing AI where it truly enhances the user experience rather than adding complexity for its own sake.
The Performance-First Mandate
Website performance has evolved from a nice-to-have to a business-critical requirement. With Core Web Vitals and similar metrics increasingly tied to search rankings and user retention, performance optimization is no longer optional. Research continues to show that even small improvements in load time can significantly impact conversion rates and user satisfaction. A delay of just a few hundred milliseconds can mean the difference between a completed transaction and an abandoned cart.
We’re seeing a return to fundamentals—lean codebases, optimized assets, and strategic loading patterns. The era of bloated JavaScript bundles and unoptimized images is coming to an end as organizations realize the real cost of poor performance. Modern build tools and optimization techniques make it easier than ever to deliver fast experiences, but they require knowledge and intentional implementation.
Edge computing is playing a major role here, allowing developers to serve content from locations closer to users while executing code at the network edge. This shift reduces latency dramatically and enables experiences that were previously impossible. Web professionals should familiarize themselves with edge platforms and architectures to stay relevant. Understanding concepts like edge caching, distributed computing, and geographic content delivery is becoming as fundamental as understanding HTML and CSS.
Component-Driven Development Matures
The way we build websites has fundamentally changed. Component-driven development, supported by frameworks like React, Vue, and Svelte, has become the industry standard. But we’re now seeing this approach mature beyond simple reusability. Design systems and component libraries are becoming more sophisticated, with organizations investing heavily in scalable, maintainable component architectures.
The rise of web components and framework-agnostic solutions means that your component library investment can have a longer shelf life, surviving framework migrations and serving multiple projects simultaneously. Understanding how to architect, document, and maintain these systems is increasingly valuable. This includes knowledge of component API design, versioning strategies, and how to build components that are genuinely reusable across different contexts and projects.
Documentation has become a critical skill in this environment. A beautifully crafted component is only as valuable as the team’s ability to understand and use it. Tools like Storybook have become essential parts of the development workflow, serving both as development environments and living documentation systems.
Headless and Composable Architectures Take Over
The monolithic CMS approach is rapidly giving way to headless and composable architectures. Organizations want the flexibility to use best-in-class tools for each function—content management, commerce, search, personalization—without being locked into a single vendor’s ecosystem. This architectural shift represents one of the most significant changes in how we build web applications.
This shift means web professionals need to think in terms of APIs, microservices, and integration patterns. Understanding how to connect disparate systems, manage data flows, and create seamless user experiences across multiple backend services is becoming a core competency. GraphQL has emerged as a popular solution for querying multiple data sources, while REST APIs remain relevant for many use cases.
The composable architecture approach also changes how teams work and make technology decisions. Instead of committing to a single platform for years, organizations can swap out individual components of their stack as better solutions emerge. This flexibility is powerful but requires careful planning around integration points, data consistency, and system boundaries.
Accessibility Moves from Compliance to Excellence
While accessibility has always been important, we’re seeing a cultural shift in how it’s approached. Rather than treating it as a checkbox exercise or legal requirement, forward-thinking organizations are embracing accessibility as a design principle that benefits all users. Features like keyboard navigation, proper semantic markup, and screen reader support improve usability for everyone, not just users with disabilities.
Web professionals who deeply understand accessibility principles and can advocate for inclusive design from the project’s inception will be invaluable team members. This means going beyond automated testing tools to understand the actual user experience for people with various disabilities. It means testing with screen readers, understanding color contrast ratios in context, and designing for keyboard-only navigation from the start rather than as an afterthought.
Tools and testing frameworks for accessibility are also maturing, making it easier to catch and fix issues early. Automated testing can catch many common issues, but manual testing and user feedback remain essential for truly accessible experiences. Organizations are increasingly hiring dedicated accessibility specialists and building accessibility requirements into their design and development processes from day one.
The Rise of Specialized Roles
As the web platform grows more complex, we’re seeing increased specialization within web development. Pure generalists are becoming rarer, replaced by professionals who have deep expertise in specific areas while maintaining broad foundational knowledge. This doesn’t mean generalist skills aren’t valuable—they absolutely are—but the market is also creating space for deep specialists.
DevOps engineers focused on CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation, performance engineers who specialize in optimization, and accessibility specialists are all in high demand. Even within frontend development, we’re seeing specialists in areas like animation, data visualization, and web graphics. Understanding where your expertise lies and how to communicate your specialized value is increasingly important.
For many professionals, the path forward involves choosing a primary area of deep expertise while maintaining working knowledge across the broader field. This T-shaped skill profile—deep in one area, broad across others—is highly valued by employers and clients alike.
Serverless and Edge Functions Reshape Backend Development
The infrastructure layer of web applications continues to evolve. Serverless functions and edge computing are changing how we think about backend architecture. Instead of managing servers, developers are focusing on business logic and letting cloud platforms handle scaling and infrastructure concerns.
This shift is particularly impactful for smaller teams and individual developers who can now build and deploy sophisticated applications without deep infrastructure expertise. However, it does require understanding new architectural patterns, pricing models, and debugging approaches. The pay-per-execution model of serverless can be both liberating and challenging, requiring careful monitoring and optimization to control costs.
Edge functions take this concept further, running code closer to users for even lower latency. Use cases range from simple redirects and header manipulation to complex personalization logic and API aggregation. Understanding when to use edge functions versus traditional serverless functions versus dedicated servers is becoming an important architectural skill.
Immersive Experiences Gain Traction
WebGL, WebGPU, and related technologies are enabling increasingly sophisticated visual experiences directly in the browser. From 3D product visualizations to interactive data dashboards to gaming experiences, the web is becoming a platform for immersive content that was once the domain of native applications.
While not every project needs these capabilities, understanding when and how to implement immersive experiences can set you apart. The barrier to entry is lowering with libraries and frameworks that abstract away some of the complexity. Three.js for 3D graphics, D3.js for data visualization, and various game engines that compile to WebAssembly are making sophisticated experiences more accessible to developers.
The key is understanding when these technologies serve the user’s needs versus when they’re unnecessary complexity. A simple product page probably doesn’t need a full 3D viewer, but for certain products—furniture, jewelry, technical equipment—the ability to examine an item from all angles can significantly reduce returns and increase confidence.
Zero-Click Search Changes the SEO Game
The search landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation with the rise of zero-click searches—queries where users get their answers directly on the search results page without clicking through to any website. AI-powered search engines and enhanced featured snippets mean that an increasing percentage of searches never result in a click to your carefully optimized website.
For web professionals, this shift requires rethinking SEO strategy entirely. It’s no longer enough to rank well; you need to consider how your content appears in AI summaries, featured snippets, and knowledge panels. This means structuring content with clear, concise answers to common questions, using schema markup to help search engines understand your content, and creating genuinely valuable resources that people want to visit even when they could get basic answers elsewhere.
The strategy is shifting toward building brand recognition and authority that makes users specifically seek out your site, rather than relying solely on search traffic. This includes focusing on thought leadership content, unique insights and data, interactive tools and calculators, and community-building that creates direct relationships with your audience. Web professionals need to think beyond traditional SEO metrics and consider how to provide value that can’t be summarized in a search result snippet.
Privacy-First Design Becomes Foundational
User privacy concerns are reshaping how we approach analytics, tracking, and data collection. The decline of third-party cookies and increasing user awareness about data practices mean that privacy-respecting approaches aren’t just ethical—they’re practical necessities.
Web professionals need to understand privacy-preserving analytics alternatives, first-party data strategies, and how to build trust with users through transparent data practices. The days of indiscriminate tracking are ending, and forward-thinking professionals are adapting their approaches accordingly. This includes exploring cookieless tracking solutions, understanding consent management, and implementing privacy by design principles.
Continuous Learning as a Competitive Advantage
Perhaps the most important trend is the acceleration of change itself. New tools, frameworks, and best practices emerge constantly. The web professionals who thrive are those who embrace continuous learning as part of their professional identity.
This doesn’t mean chasing every new framework or tool that emerges. Rather, it means staying curious, understanding fundamental principles that transcend specific technologies, and knowing when to adopt new approaches versus when to stick with proven solutions.
How Web Professionals Global Supports Your Growth
Navigating these trends and staying current in such a rapidly evolving field can feel overwhelming. That’s exactly why Web Professionals Global exists. Our commitment to community, education, and certification provides web professionals with the resources and support they need to thrive in this dynamic industry.
Through our community, you’ll connect with peers facing similar challenges and opportunities. Whether you’re grappling with implementing AI features, optimizing for Core Web Vitals, or deciding between different architectural approaches, our member network offers real-world insights and collaborative problem-solving. The collective knowledge of experienced professionals is invaluable when you’re making critical decisions about technology adoption or career specialization.
Our educational resources help you build the skills these trends demand. We understand that meaningful professional development requires both theoretical understanding and practical application.
The certification programs we offer help you validate your expertise and stand out in a competitive marketplace. As specialization becomes more important, having recognized credentials in your area of focus demonstrates commitment and competency to employers and clients alike. Our certifications are designed by industry practitioners who understand what skills actually matter in the field.
Looking Ahead
The web industry in 2026 and beyond will reward professionals who combine technical expertise with strategic thinking, who understand both the possibilities of new technologies and the timeless principles of good design and development. Whether you’re a designer, developer, or strategist, staying informed about these trends and thoughtfully incorporating them into your practice will position you for success in an ever-evolving field.
The future of the web is being written right now, and as web professionals, we have the opportunity and responsibility to shape it. By staying engaged with these trends and maintaining our commitment to quality, accessibility, and user-centered design, we can ensure that the web continues to be an open, powerful platform for everyone.
Ready to take your web career to the next level? Web Professionals Global is here to support your journey with the community connections, educational resources, and professional certifications you need to succeed. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen your expertise in a specialized area, our members benefit from a wealth of resources designed specifically for web professionals navigating today’s complex landscape.
Contact us today to learn more about membership opportunities and discover how Web Professionals Global can help you stay ahead of industry trends, expand your professional network, and achieve your career goals. Visit our website or reach out directly—we’d love to hear from you and help you chart your path forward in this exciting field.
by Mark | Dec 18, 2025 | Industry News
If you’ve been watching your Google Search Console reports with growing concern, seeing impressions climb while clicks steadily decline, you’re experiencing the defining challenge of modern web work: the zero-click era. This isn’t a temporary glitch—it’s a fundamental transformation in how people search and how web professionals must approach visibility in 2025.
The numbers tell a stark story. According to a report from Datos and SparkToro, only 40.3% of U.S. Google searches resulted in clicks to organic results in March 2025, down from 44.2% the prior year. Meanwhile, 27.2% of searches ended without a click compared to 24.4% in March 2024. For web professionals—whether you’re a freelance designer, agency SEO specialist, in-house developer, or small business owner—this shift demands a complete rethinking of strategy.
However, our belief is that the death of clicks isn’t the death of SEO—it’s the evolution of digital strategy. The most successful web professionals in 2025 aren’t fighting against zero-click search. Instead, they are redesigning their approach around visibility, authority, and influence rather than traffic volume alone. Let’s take a closer look at what this all means for our profession.
Understanding the Zero-Click Reality
A zero-click search occurs when users find answers directly on the search engine results page without clicking through to any website. These answers appear through featured snippets, knowledge panels, AI Overviews, instant answer boxes, and other rich results.
A recent survey from Bain finds that about 80% of consumers now rely on zero-click results in at least 40% of their searches, reducing organic web traffic by an estimated 15% to 25%. Even among users skeptical of generative AI, about half say most queries are answered on the search page without a click.
With AI Overviews and AI Mode now live, we’ve entered a phase where Google’s search engine behaves more like a conversational assistant than a list of blue links.
The Real Impact on Web Professionals
SEO Specialists: You might hold position one, but if your content is outranked by an AI Overview, traffic takes a hit regardless. Traditional metrics no longer guarantee results.
Web Designers and Developers: Users might encounter your client’s brand early through a zero-click result but convert through other channels much later. Attribution models break down.
Small Business Owners: Your carefully crafted content gets synthesized into an AI response without attribution or traffic.
Content Creators: Your detailed guides populate zero-click results, yet you see none of the traditional traffic.
This fundamentally challenges the business model built on driving traffic to owned properties.
Why Zero-Click Doesn’t Mean Zero Opportunity
Despite challenges, web professionals who understand the new landscape are thriving. The key is recognizing that visibility equals success—SERP features have become destinations where the user journey often completes.
Consider this: ChatGPT drove 293 million estimated visits to websites in April 2025, and generative AI traffic to U.S. retail sites increased by 3300% year-over-year for Amazon Prime Day 2025. Zero-click doesn’t mean zero action—purchase intent is taking new forms.
Successful professionals have shifted from “How do I get clicks?” to “How do I become the authoritative source that gets featured, cited, and remembered?” They’re playing a longer game focused on brand building, topical authority, and strategic visibility.
Six Strategic Shifts for Web Professionals
1. Optimize for AI Crawlability and Semantic Search
Traditional keyword-focused optimization isn’t enough. Structure content for machine readability with clear headings, concise definitions, well-organized lists, and structured data markup. Make it easy for AI to extract, understand, and cite your information.
Ditch old habits like hiding content behind forms or in PDFs. That content won’t get indexed or featured in the new search landscape.
2. Redefine Success Metrics Beyond Clicks
Shift from click-focused metrics to measuring search impressions and AI reach. Track brand mentions in AI responses (even without links), impression share and SERP feature appearances, brand search volume, assisted conversions, and position in AI Overviews compared to competitors.
For agencies and freelancers, explain to clients that appearing in an AI Overview seen by 100,000 people may generate more brand value than 1,000 clicks from a traditional result.
3. Build Deep Topical Authority
Create interconnected content clusters that cover topics from every angle. Answer not just the main question but all related questions users might have. Demonstrate expertise through depth, not just breadth.
For web designers, showcase detailed case studies explaining not just what you did but why. For SEO specialists, move beyond simple how-to content to thought leadership that analyzes trends.
When Google’s AI needs to synthesize an answer about your specialty, you want your domain to be the first place it looks.
4. Diversify Content Formats and Platforms
Use video and interactive formats to boost visibility. YouTube is now the top destination for traditional search in the U.S., EU, and UK, and the second-most visited domain from AI tools.
Create video versions of written content. If you’re showcasing web design work, create video walkthroughs. If you’re sharing strategies, record tutorials.
Search is becoming multimodal. Web professionals who deliver content in multiple formats gain visibility in multiple SERP features.
5. Optimize for Featured Snippets and SERP Features
Structure content with clear, concise answers to common questions. Use proper heading hierarchy that makes content easily scannable. Include definitions, step-by-step instructions, and comparison tables—formats Google frequently pulls into featured snippets.
For local businesses, optimize for local pack results. Ensure your Google Business Profile is complete and actively maintained.
6. Focus on Long-Tail and Niche Queries
Long-tail keywords often bypass zero-click features and attract users more likely to click through. While broad informational queries increasingly result in zero clicks, specific, nuanced queries still drive traffic.
If you’re a web designer specializing in e-commerce for sustainable fashion brands, create content around that specific niche. The more specialized your content, the less likely it is to be fully answered by a zero-click result.
The Role of Professional Development
The rapid evolution of search behavior means continuous learning is essential for career sustainability. Web professionals who stay ahead position themselves as valuable partners who understand both technical aspects and strategic implications.
This is where Web Professionals Global becomes invaluable. As the professional association for internet professionals across all industries, we provide training, certifications, and community support that help web professionals adapt to changes like the zero-click era.
Through industry-recognized certifications in web design, web development, web animation, and emerging specializations like AI integration, web professionals can demonstrate their expertise and commitment to staying current. These credentials signal to clients and employers that you understand modern web practices—including how to succeed when traditional metrics no longer apply.
Our community provides peer support and knowledge sharing. When everyone is grappling with the same challenges, having a professional forum to discuss strategies becomes incredibly valuable.
Practical Implementation: A Roadmap
Immediate Actions:
- Audit Google Search Console for queries generating impressions but few clicks
- Optimize top-performing content with structured data and clear answer formats
- Make gated content publicly accessible
Short-Term Strategies:
- Create content targeting featured snippet opportunities
- Diversify text content into video format
- Set up tracking for new metrics: impression share, featured snippets, brand search volume
- Educate clients about evolving success metrics
Long-Term Strategies:
- Develop comprehensive topic clusters establishing deep authority
- Build consistent video content strategy
- Invest in professional development through Web Professionals Global certifications
- Redesign reporting to emphasize visibility and authority metrics
Implications for Educators
For teachers and instructors preparing the next generation of web professionals, this zero-click shift raises important questions about curriculum. How are you addressing these evolving search behaviors in your web design and web development courses? Are students learning not just how to build websites, but how to optimize them for visibility in AI Overviews, featured snippets, and other related features?
As educators shape the skills and strategies tomorrow’s web professionals will carry into their careers, integrating zero-click optimization techniques becomes as essential as teaching responsive design or accessibility standards. If you’re an educator navigating how to prepare students for this new reality, we’d love to hear from you. What approaches are working in your classroom? What challenges are you facing? Share your experiences with us as we collectively adapt our teaching to reflect the industry students will actually enter.
Conclusion
The zero-click revolution isn’t something to fear—it’s an opportunity to differentiate yourself as a web professional who understands the modern digital landscape. While others panic about declining traffic, position yourself as the expert who helps clients succeed in this new environment.
The fundamentals still matter: create valuable content, build genuine expertise, serve your audience well, and establish authority. What’s changed is how those fundamentals translate to business outcomes. Success now looks like visibility in the right places at the right times.
For web professionals willing to adapt, this moment represents a chance to move upmarket. Clients who understand the new reality need partners who can navigate it successfully. Your expertise in this transition becomes a competitive advantage.
Web Professionals Global exists to support you through these shifts. Whether you’re seeking certifications demonstrating current expertise, training to expand skills, or a professional community navigating similar challenges, that support system makes adaptation easier and more successful. Reach out to us today to learn more about our community.
by Mark | Dec 11, 2025 | Global Web News, Web Pro News
The web is global, and so is the regulatory landscape that governs it. For web professionals serving international clients or working for organizations with a global footprint, understanding legislative developments around the world is essential to staying compliant and competitive.
This month, we’re taking a look at significant legislative and policy updates from around the globe that affect how we build, design, and deploy web experiences. From Australia’s groundbreaking under-16 social media ban to evolving AI regulations across Europe, whether you’re developing e-commerce sites for European customers, building applications for the Asia-Pacific market, or creating accessible experiences for users worldwide, these developments deserve your attention.
Europe
European Union: AI Act Implementation and the Digital Omnibus
The European Union continues to lead global technology regulation, and 2025 has been a pivotal year for implementation. The EU AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024, is now in active deployment. As of February 2025, the prohibitions on unacceptable-risk AI practices took effect, banning things like untargeted facial recognition database scraping, emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, and real-time biometric identification in public spaces.
In a significant development last month, the European Commission unveiled its “Digital Omnibus” proposal on November 19, 2025, aimed at simplifying the EU’s sweeping digital regulations. The proposal includes extending the timeline for full AI Act compliance for high-risk systems from August 2026 to December 2027, giving businesses more time to prepare. The Commission estimates these simplifications could save businesses approximately 5 billion euros annually.
However, the Digital Omnibus faces opposition. The proposed changes require modifications to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and many Members of the European Parliament have already announced their opposition to weakening data protection standards.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) continues its enforcement phase, with Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs)—those with more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU—subject to the most stringent requirements, including annual independent third-party audits. Non-compliance can result in penalties of up to 6% of annual worldwide revenue.
For web professionals, the practical impact is significant. If you’re building AI-powered features, you need to understand the risk classification system. If you’re creating platforms that allow user-generated content, you need DSA-compliant content moderation systems. And if you’re handling any personal data of EU residents, GDPR compliance remains paramount.
The European AI Office provides detailed guidance on compliance requirements and implementation timelines.
European Accessibility Act: Now in Effect
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into full effect on June 28, 2025, representing one of the most significant accessibility mandates for private-sector websites globally. Unlike previous EU accessibility requirements that focused primarily on public sector websites, the EAA extends to private businesses, including e-commerce platforms, banking services, transportation, and consumer electronics.
The technical standard for compliance is EN 301 549, which currently incorporates WCAG 2.1 and is being updated to include WCAG 2.2. Web professionals building sites for European audiences should be designing to WCAG 2.1 Level AA at minimum, with WCAG 2.2 becoming the benchmark as standards evolve.
Enforcement varies by member state, but penalties for non-compliance can reach up to €1,000,000 depending on the severity of the infraction. Perhaps more importantly, products and services that fail to meet accessibility requirements can be removed from the European market entirely.
This guide from Level Access provides practical steps for achieving EAA compliance.
United Kingdom: Online Safety Act Enters Phase 2
The UK’s Online Safety Act has entered its most consequential phase. As of March 17, 2025, platforms have a legal duty to protect users from illegal content online, and as of July 25, 2025, they must protect children from harmful content including pornography, self-harm content, and eating disorder content.
The requirement that’s generated the most attention is “highly effective age assurance”—platforms can no longer rely on self-declaration of age or simply prohibiting under-18s in their terms of service. Instead, they must implement robust verification methods such as photo-ID matching, credit card checks, facial age estimation, or digital identity services.
Ofcom, the UK’s online safety regulator, has already opened enforcement actions against pornography providers without effective age assurance, file-sharing services lacking child sexual abuse material protections, and smaller services that haven’t completed risk assessments. Penalties can reach up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover, whichever is greater.
The Act has generated controversy, particularly around its implications for encryption. Apple called it a “serious threat” to end-to-end encryption, while Meta stated it would rather have WhatsApp blocked in the UK than weaken encryption standards. Wikipedia’s Wikimedia Foundation launched a judicial review (which it lost in August 2025), arguing the Act’s requirements would compromise its open editing model.
For web professionals building services that UK users can access, the message is clear: understand your obligations under the OSA, conduct required risk assessments, and implement appropriate safety measures. The regulatory guidance runs to over 3,000 pages—compliance requires dedicated attention.
GOV.UK’s Online Safety Act explainer provides an official overview of requirements and timelines.
Asia-Pacific
India: Digital Personal Data Protection Rules 2025
India officially operationalized its first comprehensive data protection regime on November 14, 2025, with the notification of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025. These rules give effect to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which was passed by Parliament in August 2023 but waited over two years for implementing regulations.
The framework introduces consent-driven data governance for the first time in India. Companies must now provide clear, plain-language notices explaining what data is being collected, why it’s being processed, how complaints can be raised, and how consent can be withdrawn. Consent must be “free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous.”
For Significant Data Fiduciaries—organizations designated based on the volume and sensitivity of data they process—additional requirements include annual Data Protection Impact Assessments, mandatory audits, and the appointment of a Data Protection Officer based in India.
The rules are being implemented in phases: Data Protection Board provisions take effect immediately, the consent manager framework in 12 months, and broader compliance obligations in 18 months. Cross-border data transfers are generally permitted unless specifically restricted by the government, offering more flexibility than GDPR—though sector-specific localization requirements remain.
Critics have raised concerns about Rule 23, which gives the state broad power to demand personal data from any data fiduciary without user consent for reasons including national security and “any lawful function of the government.” The Internet Freedom Foundation has characterized these access categories as so wide they invite misuse.
For web professionals serving Indian users or working with Indian companies, this represents a significant shift toward formal privacy requirements. Begin mapping your data practices now to ensure compliance within the phased timelines.
India Briefing’s guide to the DPDP Rules 2025 provides detailed compliance information.
Japan: Platform Regulation and Active Cyber Defense
Japan has been actively developing its digital regulatory framework throughout 2025. The Act on Promoting Competition for Specified Smartphone Software, enacted in June 2024, is expected to become fully effective by late 2025 or early 2026. Inspired by the EU’s Digital Markets Act, this law targets designated providers of mobile operating systems, app stores, browsers, and search engines—primarily Apple and Google—with requirements around interoperability, alternative payment systems, and anti-self-preferencing rules.
The Information Distribution Platform Act came into force on April 1, 2025, requiring large social media providers to implement systems for removing illegal or harmful content, including defamation. Meanwhile, Japan’s Act on Improving Transparency and Fairness of Digital Platforms continues to impose annual self-assessment and disclosure requirements on major e-commerce platforms and app stores.
In a major cybersecurity development, Japan passed the Active Cyber Defense Act in May 2025, which will come into effect in 2026. This legislation moves Japan from a “passive” defense posture—relying on firewalls and antivirus measures—to an “active” approach that allows authorities to monitor communications data for threat detection and take counter-measures against cyberattack sources. Critical infrastructure operators will be legally required to inform the government of cyberattacks.
Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission is also planning amendments to the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) for 2025 or 2026, with topics including stronger protections for children’s data and enhanced enforcement penalties similar to GDPR.
Japan’s Digital Agency maintains current information on digital legislation and notices.
Australia: World-First Social Media Ban for Under-16s
Australia has become the first country to enforce a nationwide ban on social media access for children under 16, with the law taking effect on December 10, 2025. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, passed by Parliament on November 29, 2024, represents the world’s strictest approach to protecting children from online harms.
The legislation targets 10 major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, X, Threads, Kick, and Twitch. The law places sole responsibility on platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from creating or maintaining accounts, with penalties reaching up to AU$49.5 million (approximately $32 million USD) for systemic failures. Notably, there are no penalties for children or parents who circumvent the restrictions.
Implementation and Age Assurance
More than 1 million social media accounts held by users under 16 are set to be deactivated as platforms implement age assurance measures. These include AI-powered age estimation from video selfies, email verification, and government ID checks—though platforms are prohibited from compelling users to provide government-issued identity documents or demanding digital identification through government systems. Platforms must delete age verification data after use to address privacy concerns.
Several major platforms have already begun compliance efforts. Meta started removing under-16 users from Facebook, Instagram, and Threads on December 4, ahead of the December 10 deadline. Users can reactivate accounts when they turn 16, with their data stored until then or available for download. Even X, which has been vocal in its opposition based on free speech concerns, announced it would comply using a multi-faceted approach including self-attested age, identification documents, account creation date, and email addresses.
Public Support and Controversy
A YouGov poll found that 77% of Australians support the ban, driven largely by parental concerns about the impact of social media on children’s mental health. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated the ban aims to “give kids back their childhood and parents their peace of mind”, citing rising suicide and self-harm rates among Gen-Z Australians.
The push for the ban intensified following grassroots campaigns including “Let Them Be Kids,” launched by News Corp alongside parents and child safety advocates, which garnered over 54,000 petition signatures. A government-commissioned national study found that 96% of children ages 10 to 15 use social media, with seven out of 10 exposed to harmful content including misogynistic material, fight videos, and content promoting eating disorders and suicide.
However, the legislation has generated significant criticism. Mental health experts and child welfare advocates worry that banning young children from social media will dangerously isolate many who use these platforms to find support, particularly LGBTQI youth, children in regional communities, and those from marginalized backgrounds. Critics also argue the ban could drive children to less safe parts of the internet or reduce platforms’ incentives to improve online safety.
The bill’s passage was criticized as rushed, with only one day allowed for public submissions despite 15,000 responses received. Technology companies including Google and Meta urged Australia to delay passage, arguing more time was needed to assess potential impacts.
Legal Challenges and Global Impact
The Digital Freedom Project announced in November 2025 it would commence legal action in the High Court of Australia, arguing the laws violate the implied right to political communication. Implementation challenges are already emerging, with reports of young users circumventing AI age estimation systems.
The world is watching Australia’s experiment closely. Denmark, Norway, France, Spain, Malaysia, and New Zealand are all considering similar age-based restrictions, positioning Australia as a critical test case for global youth social media policy. Australian officials have described the landmark ban as the world’s “first domino” in what may become a broader international movement toward stricter child protection measures online.
For web professionals building platforms that could be accessed by children, Australia’s ban represents a new regulatory frontier. Understanding age assurance technologies, privacy-preserving verification methods, and the balance between child protection and user rights will become increasingly important as other jurisdictions consider similar measures.
Africa
Continental Progress on Data Protection
Africa’s data protection landscape continues to mature rapidly. As of 2024, 39 out of 55 African nations have implemented data protection laws, with 34 having established Data Protection Authorities. Several countries made significant progress in 2024: Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Malawi enacted new data protection laws; Botswana amended its existing legislation; and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Togo, and Tanzania established or launched their Data Protection Authorities.
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) saw important updates in April 2025, with stricter rules around consent, breach reporting, and data handling. Notably, compliance violations are now publicly visible through the CIPC BizPortal, meaning non-compliance affects not just potential fines but also business reputation and relationships.
Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has been particularly active, releasing sector-specific guidelines for healthcare, education, and digital lending. Nigeria continues to enforce its Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) through the National Information Technology Development Agency.
AI governance is gaining traction across the continent. The African Union adopted its Continental AI Strategy in 2024, while individual countries including Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe have developed proposals for AI-specific regulations. South Africa published its AI Policy Framework, and Kenya is developing a national AI strategy for publication in 2025.
Looking ahead to 2025, expect enhanced regulatory sophistication, sector-specific regulations (particularly in healthcare, finance, and education), increased enforcement actions, and growing emphasis on child online protection.
This roundup from Tech Hive Advisory provides detailed analysis of African data protection trends.
South America
Brazil: LGPD Matures and AI Regulation Advances
Brazil’s Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) continues to mature as the country’s comprehensive data protection framework. A significant development for web professionals: companies utilizing Standard Contractual Clauses for international data transfers must incorporate ANPD-approved clauses into their contractual instruments by August 23, 2025, as mandated by Resolução CD/ANPD 19/2024.
The National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has been active on multiple fronts. In mid-2025, it launched public consultations on the treatment of sensitive biometric data, signaling upcoming regulations for this high-risk data category. Resolução CD/ANPD 15/2024 mandates notification of data breaches to both the ANPD and affected individuals when risks arise.
AI regulation is advancing rapidly. After years of debate, Brazil’s Senate approved an AI bill in December 2024. The bill sets rights and obligations for developers, deployers, and distributors of AI systems, taking a human rights, risk management, and transparency approach. A Special Committee was formed in April 2025 to advance its examination in the Chamber of Deputies. As of July 2025, the bill (PL 2338/2023) remains pending but progressing.
At the state level, Goiás became the first Brazilian state to introduce an AI law (Complementary Law 205/2025) in May 2025, establishing an ethics council, AI sandbox, auditability requirements, and environmental standards for data centers.
In a notable enforcement action, the ANPD suspended Meta’s data training policy in July 2024 and imposed a daily penalty for improper use of AI training data, demonstrating that existing LGPD provisions already govern AI-related data use even before dedicated AI legislation passes.
Covington’s overview of Brazil’s digital policy in 2025 provides comprehensive analysis of the regulatory landscape.
What Web Professionals Can Do
The global regulatory landscape is complex, but there are practical steps you can take:
Conduct a jurisdiction audit. Understand where your users are located and which regulations apply to your projects. A website accessible to EU users needs to comply with GDPR and potentially the EAA; one serving Indian users now needs to comply with the DPDP Rules.
Build accessibility into your workflow. With the EAA in effect, ADA litigation continuing in the US, and accessibility requirements emerging globally, WCAG compliance should be standard practice, not an afterthought.
Understand age verification requirements. Australia’s under-16 social media ban represents the most stringent youth protection measure globally, and other countries are watching closely. If you’re building platforms that could be accessed by children, familiarize yourself with age assurance technologies and privacy-preserving verification methods. Even if your jurisdiction hasn’t implemented similar bans, expect increased scrutiny around child safety measures.
Implement privacy by design. Multiple jurisdictions now require or encourage privacy considerations from the earliest stages of development. Document your data practices, implement appropriate consent mechanisms, and be prepared to demonstrate compliance.
Stay informed. Regulations evolve, and implementation timelines shift. Follow the regulatory bodies relevant to your work and consider joining industry associations that track legislative developments.
Consult specialists. For complex compliance questions, especially around cross-border data transfers or sector-specific requirements, legal counsel with expertise in technology regulation is invaluable.
The web connects us globally—and so do the laws that govern it. By staying informed about international regulatory developments, web professionals can build experiences that serve users everywhere while respecting local requirements and expectations.
What international regulatory developments are you tracking? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. As always, feel free to reach out to learn more about Web Professionals Global and our mission of Community, Education, Certification.
by Mark | Dec 8, 2025 | Web Design, Web Design Trends, Web Professional Trends
The 2025 Industry Report – Web Design and Development is proudly presented by Web Professionals Global and its Advisory Council. This comprehensive analysis reflects our commitment to Community, Education, and Certification, serving as a guiding resource for web professionals, educators, and workforce development leaders worldwide. As the web continues to evolve and expand its reach across every sector of the global economy, this report offers an in-depth examination of emerging trends, workforce dynamics, and the evolving skill requirements shaping our industry. In today’s interconnected world, digital literacy has become fundamental to virtually every profession, making web expertise increasingly essential across all career pathways. Check out our 2024 Report here and read on for this year’s edition.
Executive Summary
The web design and development industry has entered a transformative phase in 2025, characterized by rapid technological advancement, evolving user expectations, and unprecedented integration across traditional and emerging sectors. This report examines critical developments including the maturation of AI-assisted workflows, the growing importance of performance optimization, the emergence of privacy-first architecture, and the continued evolution of professional standards and certifications.
Key highlights include:
- Accelerating demand for web professionals with specialized skills in performance optimization and accessibility
- Emergence of sustainable web development as a business priority
- Growing emphasis on privacy-first design and data sovereignty
- Expansion of web technologies into non-traditional sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture
- Critical role of industry certifications in validating expertise and advancing careers
- Increased focus on mental health and work-life balance within the profession
- Rising importance of communication and collaboration skills alongside technical expertise
Industry Growth and Employment Trends
The web design and development sector continues its robust expansion in 2025, with employment opportunities diversifying across traditional tech roles and emerging hybrid positions that blend web expertise with domain-specific knowledge. The industry is experiencing approximately 9% annual growth in job postings globally, reflecting sustained demand for skilled professionals.
Salary trends show continued upward movement, with US-based web developers now earning a median salary of $92,000, representing an 8% increase from 2024. International markets show similar growth patterns, with averages ranging from $45,000 to $78,000 depending on region and specialization. Notably, professionals with certifications in specialized areas such as web performance optimization, accessibility compliance, and privacy engineering command premium compensation.
The global web development market is projected to reach $142 billion by 2033, with an annual growth rate of 9.2% from 2025 to 2033. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects continued strong growth, with web developer employment expected to increase by 17% through 2033, significantly outpacing average occupational growth rates.
Emerging roles are reshaping the employment landscape. Positions such as Web Performance Engineer, Privacy-First Designer, Sustainable Web Developer, and Accessibility Specialist are gaining prominence as organizations recognize these specializations as critical business functions rather than optional add-ons. The demand for professionals who can bridge technical implementation with business strategy continues to intensify.
In Europe, the digital skills gap remains pronounced, with many countries implementing aggressive training programs to develop domestic talent. Countries including Germany, France, and the Netherlands have launched national initiatives to upskill workers across industries in web technologies, recognizing digital competency as essential to economic competitiveness.
Asia-Pacific markets are experiencing explosive growth, with India, Vietnam, and the Philippines emerging as major hubs for web development talent. These regions are producing highly skilled professionals who combine technical expertise with strong communication abilities, making them competitive in the global marketplace.
Latin America continues its trajectory as a preferred region for nearshore web development, with countries like Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay investing heavily in tech education infrastructure. The cultural alignment and time zone compatibility with North American clients, combined with strong technical training, position the region for sustained growth.
Web Usage Statistics and Technology Adoption
Global internet usage patterns continue to evolve in 2025, with several significant shifts impacting how web professionals approach their work:
- Total websites: The number of active websites has reached approximately 1.4 billion, with roughly 65% optimized for mobile-first experiences
- Mobile dominance: Mobile devices now account for 63% of global web traffic, with desktop usage continuing its gradual decline
- Browser landscape: Google Chrome maintains its leading position with 64% market share, followed by Safari at 20% and Edge at 5%
- Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Adoption of PWAs has increased by 35% year-over-year as organizations seek app-like experiences without native development costs
- E-commerce growth: Online retail now represents 24% of total global retail sales, up from 22% in 2024
- Video content: Video now comprises 82% of all internet traffic, driving demand for optimized video delivery and streaming capabilities
These statistics underscore the critical importance of responsive design, performance optimization, and adaptive content strategies in modern web development practice.
Transformative Developments Shaping the Industry
Several key developments are fundamentally reshaping web design and development in 2025:
The Maturation of AI-Assisted Development
While AI tools were transformative in 2024, 2025 marks their maturation into reliable, integrated components of professional workflows. Developers are moving beyond experimentation to establish best practices for AI-assisted coding, design, and content creation. The focus has shifted from “Can AI do this?” to “How do we effectively integrate AI while maintaining quality, security, and professional judgment?”
AI pair programming tools have become sophisticated enough to understand project context, architectural patterns, and team conventions. However, the industry has also developed a clearer understanding of AI limitations, recognizing that these tools excel at accelerating routine tasks while human expertise remains essential for strategy, architecture, and creative problem-solving.
Performance as a Competitive Differentiator
In 2025, web performance has evolved from a technical concern to a business imperative. Organizations now recognize direct correlations between site speed and revenue, with studies consistently showing that even 100-millisecond delays in load time can significantly impact conversion rates.
This awareness has elevated performance engineering to a strategic function. Performance budgets are now standard practice, integrated into development workflows and monitored continuously. Edge computing adoption has accelerated, with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) offering increasingly sophisticated capabilities for dynamic content and personalization at the edge.
The emergence of Core Web Vitals as ranking factors has made performance optimization a cross-functional priority involving development, design, content, and business stakeholders. Web professionals who can translate technical performance metrics into business outcomes have become increasingly valuable.
Privacy-First Architecture
The gradual elimination of third-party cookies, combined with expanding privacy regulations worldwide, has forced a fundamental rethinking of how websites track users, deliver personalized experiences, and measure success. In 2025, privacy-first architecture has moved from aspirational to essential.
Organizations are investing in first-party data strategies, building direct relationships with users based on value exchange rather than surveillance. This shift requires web professionals to design compelling reasons for users to share data willingly, fundamentally changing how we approach personalization and analytics.
Technologies such as server-side tracking, contextual advertising, and privacy-preserving measurement are becoming standard implementations. Web professionals must now balance personalization goals with privacy obligations, requiring both technical knowledge and ethical judgment.
Sustainable Web Development
Environmental sustainability has emerged as a legitimate business concern for digital properties in 2025. Organizations are setting carbon reduction targets that include their websites and applications, creating demand for web professionals who understand how to measure and minimize environmental impact.
Green web development encompasses hosting choices, code efficiency, asset optimization, and architectural decisions that reduce energy consumption. Tools for measuring the carbon footprint of websites have become more sophisticated and accessible, enabling data-driven decisions about sustainability tradeoffs.
This trend aligns with broader corporate sustainability initiatives and resonates particularly strongly with younger consumers who increasingly factor environmental considerations into purchasing decisions.
Essential Skills for Modern Web Professionals
The skill requirements for web professionals continue to evolve in 2025, with both technical and soft skills gaining importance:
Technical Competencies
- Performance optimization: Deep understanding of Core Web Vitals, resource optimization, and edge computing strategies
- Accessibility expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of WCAG guidelines, assistive technologies, and inclusive design principles
- Privacy engineering: Familiarity with privacy-preserving technologies, data protection regulations, and secure implementation practices
- AI literacy: Ability to effectively leverage AI tools while understanding their limitations and potential pitfalls
- Sustainable development: Knowledge of techniques to minimize environmental impact through efficient code and infrastructure choices
- Web Components and modern frameworks: Proficiency in framework-agnostic component development and contemporary JavaScript frameworks
Professional Skills
- Communication: Ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and collaborate effectively across disciplines
- Business acumen: Understanding of how technical decisions impact business outcomes and ROI
- Project management: Competency in agile methodologies, estimation, and stakeholder management
- Continuous learning: Commitment to staying current with rapidly evolving technologies and industry practices
- Ethical judgment: Capacity to navigate complex decisions around privacy, accessibility, and user welfare
The Critical Role of Industry Certifications
Industry-based certifications have solidified their position as essential career tools in 2025. These credentials provide validated proof of expertise, differentiate professionals in competitive job markets, and demonstrate commitment to continuous learning and professional standards.
Demand for certifications in specialized areas has increased by 28% year-over-year.
Employers increasingly incorporate certifications into hiring criteria, viewing them as reliable indicators of candidate qualifications and readiness. For professionals, certifications provide structured learning paths, validate expertise, and often correlate with higher compensation and advancement opportunities.
Web Professionals Global serves a crucial role in developing, maintaining, and administering certifications that reflect current industry needs and best practices, ensuring these credentials maintain relevance and value.
Workforce Development and Career Pathways
Building the next generation of web professionals requires strategic investment in education and early career development. In 2025, successful approaches include:
Educational Initiatives
Secondary and post-secondary institutions are increasingly aligning curricula with industry certifications and real-world project work. Partnerships between educational institutions and professional organizations help ensure graduates enter the workforce with relevant, current skills.
Programs emphasizing hands-on learning, portfolio development, and exposure to professional practices better prepare students for career success. Integration of soft skills training alongside technical instruction addresses employer needs for well-rounded professionals.
Competitive Events and Skill Building
Competitions such as SkillsUSA’s Web Design and Development event continue to provide valuable platforms for students to test skills, receive feedback from industry professionals, and build confidence. These events simulate real-world pressures while providing supportive environments for learning and growth. Participants gain exposure to industry standards, current tools and technologies, and professional expectations. The networking opportunities and mentorship relationships formed through these events often provide lasting career benefits. Web Professionals Global is proud to have led the Web Design and Development competition for over 20 years.
Apprenticeship and Mentorship Programs
Structured apprenticeship programs are gaining traction as effective pathways into web development careers. These programs combine formal education with practical experience, allowing learners to earn while they learn and employers to develop talent aligned with their specific needs.
Mentorship initiatives connect experienced professionals with those earlier in their careers, facilitating knowledge transfer and professional development. These relationships benefit both mentors and mentees, strengthening the professional community while accelerating skill development.
Essential Recommendations for Web Professionals
To thrive in the evolving landscape of web design and development, professionals should consider these recommendations:
- Prioritize continuous learning through structured courses, certifications, and hands-on experimentation with emerging technologies
- Develop specialization in high-demand areas such as performance optimization, accessibility, or privacy engineering while maintaining broad foundational knowledge
- Cultivate communication skills to effectively collaborate across disciplines and articulate technical concepts to business stakeholders
- Engage with professional communities through associations, conferences, and online forums to exchange knowledge and build networks
- Embrace ethical practices around privacy, accessibility, and sustainability, recognizing these as professional responsibilities
- Build resilience and adaptability to navigate rapid technological change without compromising wellbeing
- Mentor others to contribute to the profession’s future while developing leadership capabilities
- Stay informed about business contexts to align technical work with organizational goals and demonstrate value
- Maintain work-life balance to sustain long-term career satisfaction and productivity
- Document and share knowledge through writing, speaking, or open-source contributions to strengthen the professional community
Looking Forward
The web design and development industry stands at an exciting inflection point in 2025. The convergence of mature AI tools, heightened performance expectations, privacy imperatives, and sustainability concerns is reshaping how we approach our craft. These changes bring both challenges and opportunities for professionals willing to adapt and grow.
Success in this environment requires technical excellence combined with business understanding, ethical judgment, and effective communication. The professionals who thrive will be those who embrace continuous learning, develop specialized expertise, and contribute to raising industry standards.
Education, community, and certification remain the foundational pillars supporting professional success. Web Professionals Global provides essential resources, standards, and connections that enable individual professionals and the broader industry to flourish.
As we look toward 2026 and beyond, the web’s role in the global economy will only deepen. The demand for skilled, adaptable, and ethical web professionals will continue to grow. By investing in our skills, our community, and our professional standards, we ensure both individual success and the continued advancement of our industry.
About Web Professionals Global
Web Professionals Global has served as a trusted advocate for the web design and development industry since 1997, supporting professionals at all stages of their careers. Our mission centers on advancing the industry through education, certification, and community engagement, providing essential resources and opportunities to help individuals and organizations succeed in this dynamic field.
Our partnership with SkillsUSA, established over two decades ago, created the national Web Design and Development competition that continues to foster talent and innovation among students. As a proud partner with the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET program, we contribute to defining professional standards and resources for web developers and related roles.
We actively promote ethical practices through the Web Professionals Global Code of Ethics, ensuring integrity and professionalism across the industry. Guided by an international Advisory Board, we maintain a global perspective on industry trends, challenges, and opportunities, ensuring our initiatives remain forward-looking and inclusive.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
The web design and development industry stands at the crossroads of innovation and opportunity. With the continued integration of AI, the rise of mobile-first approaches, and the emphasis on certifications and leadership, the future is promising yet challenging. In the coming years, we anticipate a further blurring of lines between industries and the web, necessitating a robust, adaptable, and skilled workforce. Education, community, and certification remain the pillars of success in this dynamic field, ensuring professionals are equipped to shape the future of the web.
For more information about how we support web professionals and the industry at large, please browse our entire website and reach out to us today.
by Mark | Nov 24, 2025 | Legislative Updates
As web designers and developers, we spend most of our time thinking about code, user experience, and client deliverables. But right now, several pieces of legislation moving through Congress could fundamentally change how we build websites, who can access them, and how our industry operates. Whether you’re a freelancer, agency owner, or in-house developer, these bills will affect your work—and lawmakers need to hear from the people who actually build the web.
Here’s a breakdown of the most significant pending legislation in the U.S. federal government and what it means for our profession.
The Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act (H.R. 3417)
Perhaps no pending legislation is more directly relevant to web professionals than H.R. 3417, introduced by Representatives Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) in May 2025. This bipartisan bill would establish uniform federal accessibility standards for websites and software applications, finally bringing clarity to a legal landscape that has left many developers uncertain about their obligations.
For years, businesses and web professionals have navigated a patchwork of court interpretations regarding whether the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to websites. Some courts have ruled that only businesses with physical locations must make their websites accessible; others have interpreted the ADA more broadly. This inconsistency has led to a surge in accessibility lawsuits while leaving developers without clear technical standards to follow.
H.R. 3417 would change that by affirming that entities covered by the ADA must ensure their websites and applications are accessible to people with disabilities. The bill has earned support from major disability rights organizations, including the National Federation of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, and the American Council of the Blind.
What makes this legislation particularly important for web professionals is that it would establish enforceable standards—likely aligned with WCAG guidelines—that we can build to with confidence. Rather than guessing at compliance, we’d have a clear federal benchmark. The bill also authorizes $35 million annually from 2026 to 2035 for implementation and provides for the creation of an advisory committee, with the majority of members being individuals with disabilities.
Why web professionals should support this bill: Clear standards benefit everyone. Developers gain certainty about what’s required, businesses can plan and budget accordingly, and most importantly, millions of Americans with disabilities gain meaningful access to the digital world. This is the kind of legislation that makes our work more straightforward while advancing digital inclusion.
The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) – S. 1748
The Kids Online Safety Act, reintroduced in May 2025 by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), addresses growing concerns about children’s safety on social media platforms. The bill passed the Senate last year with overwhelming bipartisan support (91-3) but stalled in the House. Now it’s back, with support from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
KOSA would require “covered platforms”—primarily large social media services—to exercise a “duty of care” for minor users. This includes providing minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive design features, and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations. Platforms would need to enable the strongest privacy settings for children by default and provide parents with tools to manage their children’s accounts.
The bill also mandates independent third-party audits and public transparency reports detailing foreseeable risks to minors, along with the prevention and mitigation efforts platforms have taken.
For web professionals, KOSA’s implications extend beyond the major social media giants explicitly targeted by the legislation. The “duty of care” framework and design requirements around addictive features could influence broader industry standards and client expectations. If you’re building applications that minors might use, understanding these emerging requirements is essential.
The bill has supporters and critics across the political spectrum. Health organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association have pushed for passage, while groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and ACLU have raised concerns about potential impacts on free speech and access to information for young people. Recent revisions added First Amendment protections to address some of these concerns.
Why web professionals should engage: Whether you support KOSA or have reservations, this legislation will shape how we design user experiences for younger audiences. Providing informed input to your representatives helps ensure that any regulations are technically feasible and don’t create unintended consequences for legitimate applications.
Broadband Deployment and the BEAD Program
On November 18, 2025, the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology marked up 28 bills aimed at addressing the stalled deployment of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Despite this massive federal investment in rural broadband, not a single household had received BEAD funds for actual deployment as of mid-2025.
The bottleneck? Permitting delays and regulatory barriers. Bills like the BEAD FEE Act of 2025 (H.R. 1975) would limit fees that states can charge for broadband infrastructure deployment. The Reducing Barriers for Broadband on Federal Lands Act would streamline environmental reviews for certain broadband projects. The Broadband Incentives for Communities Act (H.R. 2975) would create grants to help local governments process permits more efficiently.
Why should web professionals care about broadband deployment? Because faster, more reliable internet access expands our potential user base and enables richer web experiences. When rural communities gain high-speed access, they become viable markets for web services, e-commerce, and digital tools that previously weren’t practical. More connected Americans means more opportunities for everyone in the web industry.
The bills have generated partisan disagreement. Supporters argue that streamlined permitting will finally get federal dollars flowing to underserved communities. Critics contend that some provisions would preempt state and local authority and could weaken consumer protections.
Why web professionals should support broadband expansion: A more connected America is good for our industry. Advocacy for responsible broadband deployment—balancing speed with accountability—serves both business interests and the public good.
Section 230 Reform Efforts
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—often called “the 26 words that created the internet”—remains under sustained pressure from both parties in Congress. This law shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content and has been foundational to the growth of social media, user reviews, forums, and countless other interactive web services.
In 2025, reform efforts have intensified. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are planning to reintroduce legislation that would sunset Section 230 entirely by January 2027 unless Congress enacts a replacement framework. The strategy is designed to force stakeholders—platforms, lawmakers, and civil society—to negotiate comprehensive reform under deadline pressure.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has sent draft legislation to Congress proposing targeted reforms, including removing immunity for platforms that “purposely solicit and facilitate harmful criminal activity” or continue hosting known criminal content despite repeated complaints. The proposals would also carve out certain categories of civil claims from Section 230 protection, including offenses involving child sexual abuse, terrorism, and cyberstalking.
The SAFE TECH Act, reintroduced by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and colleagues, would narrow Section 230’s scope by removing immunity for paid speech (like advertising), civil rights violations, cyberstalking, and human rights abuses.
For web professionals, Section 230 reform isn’t just about Big Tech. The law protects any website that hosts user-generated content—from comment sections to customer reviews to community forums. Changes to Section 230 could dramatically alter the legal risks of building interactive features into websites and applications.
Why web professionals must pay attention: If you build anything that allows users to post content, Section 230 affects you. The difference between current protections and proposed reforms could determine whether small businesses and independent developers can afford to offer interactive features—or whether only large platforms with armies of lawyers can take that risk.
Career and Technical Education Funding and Reform
For web professionals who teach, train, or mentor the next generation, developments in career and technical education (CTE) legislation deserve close attention. The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) is the primary federal law supporting CTE programs, allocating approximately $1.4 billion annually for programs that prepare students for careers in fields including technology and web development.
The current authorization for Perkins V technically expired at the end of fiscal year 2024, and Congress is now set to begin work on reauthorizing the legislation. This reauthorization process presents both an opportunity and a risk. On the opportunity side, lawmakers and CTE advocates are pushing for increased funding—current levels haven’t kept pace with inflation, constraining states’ ability to provide high-quality programs. On the risk side, programs without active authorization can become targets for budget cuts.
A significant concern emerged in 2025 when the Departments of Education and Labor began implementing an Interagency Agreement to transfer administration of Perkins funding from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor. The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and other organizations have strongly opposed this move, arguing it would create administrative confusion, risk funding delays, and weaken the crucial link between CTE and the broader education system. They’re urging Congress to consider any such transfer through the legislative process rather than executive action.
On the positive side, the FY26 House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations proposal advanced in September 2025 includes a modest funding increase for CTE. However, the same bill proposes significant cuts to related education and workforce development programs, which has drawn concern from CTE advocates who note that CTE programs don’t operate in isolation—they depend on the broader educational ecosystem.
The bipartisan Skills Investment Act of 2025 (H.R. 464), introduced by Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), co-chairs of the Congressional CTE Caucus, would expand Coverdell Education Savings Accounts into “Coverdell Lifelong Learning Accounts.” This would allow individuals aged 16 and older to use these tax-advantaged accounts for workforce training, technical education, certification testing, and related expenses—not just traditional college costs. For web professionals seeking to fund their own continuing education or help employees develop new skills, this legislation could provide meaningful tax benefits.
Why web professionals should engage: The web industry depends on a pipeline of trained talent. CTE programs introduce students to web development, design, and related fields—often providing the first exposure that leads to careers in our industry. Advocating for robust CTE funding ensures that future web professionals have pathways into the field, while the Skills Investment Act could directly benefit your own professional development or your employees’ training.
Federal Data Privacy Legislation
The United States remains one of the few developed nations without comprehensive federal data privacy legislation. Instead, we have a patchwork of state laws—led by California’s CCPA and CPRA—that create compliance headaches for web professionals working across state lines.
The American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) came closest to passing, clearing the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2022 with a 53-2 vote before stalling. While the ADPPA hasn’t been reintroduced in its original form, congressional leaders continue to list data privacy as a priority.
The challenge remains preemption: whether federal law should override state laws like California’s, which offer stronger protections in some areas. Progressive states worry about weakening existing protections, while businesses seek the simplicity of a single national standard.
For web professionals, federal data privacy legislation would mean establishing consistent practices for data collection, storage, and user consent across all projects rather than navigating varying state requirements. It would also likely require privacy officers for larger organizations and mandate privacy impact assessments—creating new responsibilities and potentially new job categories in our field.
Why web professionals should advocate for clarity: Whether you prefer stronger or more business-friendly privacy rules, a clear federal framework would make compliance more manageable than the current state-by-state approach. Engaging with lawmakers helps ensure that whatever emerges is technically practical.
What You Can Do
These bills will be decided by lawmakers who may not fully understand the technical realities of web development. That’s where we come in.
Contact your representatives: a phone call or email from a constituent—especially one with professional expertise—carries real weight. Let your senators and House representative know which bills you support or oppose, and why. You can find contact information at house.gov and senate.gov.
Be specific: rather than general statements, explain how legislation would affect your work. If you’ve implemented accessibility features, share that experience when discussing H.R. 3417. If you’ve built age-gating systems, your perspective on KOSA is valuable. Real-world expertise helps lawmakers make better decisions.
Join industry advocacy: organizations like Web Professionals Global advocate for our industry’s interests. Collective voices amplify individual ones.
Stay informed: legislative landscapes shift quickly. Follow Congress.gov to track bills that matter to you, and sign up for updates from organizations monitoring tech policy.
The web industry has transformed how people work, learn, communicate, and do business. The decisions Congress makes in the coming months will shape what we can build and how we build it for years to come. Web professionals have both the expertise and the stake in these outcomes to make our voices heard. Stay tuned to the Web Professionals Global blog for regular legislative updates.
by Mark | Nov 20, 2025 | Industry News, Web Professional Trends
November has been packed with interesting developments in the web world, and we’re excited to share what’s been on our radar. From performance breakthroughs to accessibility milestones, this month highlighted how quickly our industry adapts and innovates. Keeping up with these changes helps all of us build better, more inclusive web experiences.
We’ve gathered some of the most significant topics and resources that caught our attention. Let’s dive in.
TOON
Token-Oriented Object Notation (TOON) is emerging as one of those “why didn’t I think of this” technologies. Essentially, every time we interact with a large language model (LLM) and provide a set of data in JSON format, we are wasting a number of tokens since every curly brace, every bracket and every quote counts as a token. Plus, JSON is not exactly human friendly on the readability front. TOON allows for more human readable data stores. That being said, it does not seem to work well with deeply nested structures. If you would like to learn more, consider the code repository on GitHub.
WebAssembly
WebAssembly has matured significantly in 2025, and it’s no longer just about making things faster—though it certainly does that. Think of WebAssembly as a way to run almost any programming language in your web browser at speeds that rival native desktop applications. The official release of WebAssembly 3.0 in September brought some game-changing capabilities that make it easier for developers to use familiar languages like Java, Python, and Ruby directly in web applications.
What’s particularly exciting is the Component Model, which lets different programming languages work together smoothly. Imagine building an application where parts written in Rust, Go, and JavaScript all communicate effortlessly—that’s the kind of flexibility WebAssembly now offers.
You’re probably already using WebAssembly without realizing it. Figma’s design tool runs entirely in your browser thanks to WebAssembly, Unity WebGL delivers console-quality games without any downloads, and Adobe’s Creative Cloud tools let you edit videos right in your browser. This comprehensive overview of WebAssembly’s capabilities shows how it’s being used for everything from CAD applications to scientific computing and even serverless applications running at the network edge.
For developers interested in exploring WebAssembly, the ecosystem now includes mature toolchains like Emscripten for C/C++, excellent Rust support via wasm-bindgen, and frameworks like Spin for building serverless WebAssembly applications.
TypeScript
TypeScript 5.7, released in November 2024, introduced several improvements that make catching bugs easier. One of the most useful additions is better detection of variables that never get properly set up before being used—even when they’re accessed deep within nested functions, which previous versions would miss.
If you’ve ever been frustrated by having to write .js in your import statements even though you’re working with .ts files, the new –rewriteRelativeImportExtensions option fixes that annoyance. It automatically handles the conversion for you when working with modern tools like ts-node, Deno, and Bun.
This version also adds support for the latest JavaScript features from ECMAScript 2024, including handy new methods like Object.groupBy() and Map.groupBy() that make organizing data much cleaner. Plus, performance improvements mean large TypeScript projects now build noticeably faster.
The official announcement from Microsoft walks through these improvements with practical examples. TypeScript 5.8, which came out in February 2025, continued adding refinements that make the language even more reliable and easier to work with.
Accessibility and WCAG 2.2
Accessibility took a major step forward in October 2025 when WCAG 2.2 was approved as ISO/IEC 40500:2025. This ISO certification transforms WCAG 2.2 from a best practice guideline into a formal international standard with legal and regulatory weight across borders.
The nine new success criteria in WCAG 2.2 focus on areas that previous versions didn’t adequately address. Focus Not Obscured (2.4.11) ensures keyboard users can always see what element has focus. Dragging Movements (2.5.7) requires alternatives to drag-and-drop interactions for users with motor impairments. Accessible Authentication (3.3.8) demands that authentication mechanisms don’t rely solely on cognitive tests or memory challenges.
For US public entities, the ADA Title II regulations now explicitly require WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance for state and local government websites, with deadlines in 2026 for entities serving over 50,000 people and 2027 for smaller entities. The European Accessibility Act has similar requirements taking effect in June 2025.
This detailed analysis of WCAG 2.2’s ISO approval explains the implications for procurement, compliance, and strategy. Organizations should begin updating their accessibility policies now, as many procurement frameworks will start requiring ISO/IEC 40500:2025 compliance in vendor contracts throughout 2026.
Headless CMS
The headless CMS market is experiencing explosive growth, projected to reach $7.1 billion by 2035 from $973.8 million in 2025, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 22.6%. This surge is driven by the increasing demand for omnichannel content delivery and the flexibility that comes from separating content management from presentation.
Unlike traditional CMSs where content and presentation are tightly coupled, headless architecture stores content in a backend system and delivers it via APIs to any frontend or device. This approach enables businesses to publish content simultaneously to websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, digital signage, and platforms that haven’t been invented yet.
The integration of AI-powered features has become table stakes for modern CMSs. Native AI functionality now helps with content generation, automatic tagging, and smart recommendations, removing bottlenecks and accelerating content workflows. This market overview from Storyblok reveals that 69% of headless CMS users report improved time-to-market and productivity, while traditional WordPress users cite delays of over an hour to publish content.
Edge Computing
Edge computing is revolutionizing web performance by processing data closer to where users actually are, rather than routing every request to distant centralized servers. Research indicates that 75% of enterprise data will be processed at the edge by 2025, up dramatically from just 10% in 2018.
The performance benefits are substantial: edge computing can reduce latency to under 5 milliseconds compared to 20-40 milliseconds typical of traditional cloud computing. For e-commerce sites, where a one-second delay can cause a 7% drop in conversions, this speed improvement translates directly into revenue. Studies show edge implementation can reduce website load times by 50% or more.
The integration of 5G networks with edge computing is enabling new applications that require split-second responses—autonomous vehicles, real-time gaming, and augmented reality experiences. This practical guide to edge computing provides implementation patterns and best practices for developers looking to leverage edge architecture in their applications.
Core Web Vitals
Google’s Core Web Vitals continue to evolve as a critical ranking factor and user experience benchmark. The most significant recent change was the replacement of First Input Delay (FID) with Interaction to Next Paint (INP) as a Core Web Vital. Unlike FID, which only measures the first interaction, INP provides a comprehensive view of a page’s responsiveness throughout the entire user session.
Google has also introduced a new metric for 2025 called Engagement Reliability (ER), which measures how consistently users can interact with a website without encountering obstacles. This addition emphasizes that Google isn’t just looking for fast sites—it wants sites that provide frustration-free experiences where buttons respond reliably and forms submit without issues.
Mobile performance now carries even more weight in rankings, reflecting the reality that over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Poor mobile Core Web Vitals can severely impact engagement metrics like bounce rates and session duration. This comprehensive guide to Core Web Vitals optimization provides actionable strategies for improving your scores, including image optimization, efficient JavaScript execution, and proper resource loading techniques.
Serverless Architecture
Serverless computing continues to reshape how applications are built and deployed by eliminating infrastructure management overhead and enabling automatic scaling. The serverless architecture market is projected to reach $17.78 billion in 2025, with major cloud providers like AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions leading adoption.
The key advantage of serverless is that developers can focus entirely on writing business logic while the cloud provider handles scaling, maintenance, and security. Applications automatically scale from zero to thousands of concurrent executions based on demand, and you only pay for actual compute time rather than provisioning capacity in advance.
The serverless paradigm works particularly well for applications with variable traffic patterns, event-driven workloads, and microservices architectures. Common use cases include API backends, image processing, data transformation pipelines, and scheduled tasks. Digital Silk’s analysis of web development trends highlights how serverless, combined with edge computing and instant-loading strategies, is defining the future of high-performance web applications.
Voice Search Optimization
Voice search continues its rapid growth, with projections indicating that 75% of US households will have voice-activated smart speakers by the end of 2025. This shift is fundamentally changing how users interact with the web, requiring developers and content creators to optimize for natural language queries rather than traditional keyword phrases.
Technical implementation includes using schema markup to help search engines understand your content structure, ensuring fast mobile loading times (since most voice searches happen on mobile devices), and optimizing for local SEO with accurate business information. Natural language processing capabilities in modern CMSs are evolving to better support voice-friendly content creation.
From an accessibility perspective, voice interfaces also benefit users with visual impairments or motor disabilities, making voice optimization not just an SEO strategy but an inclusive design practice. Websites that successfully adapt to voice search see improvements in overall discoverability and user engagement across all interaction modes.
Looking Ahead
As we approach the end of 2025, several themes are clear: performance optimization through technologies like WebAssembly and edge computing is becoming essential rather than optional, accessibility is transitioning from best practice to legal requirement, and the tools we use are becoming more sophisticated while often easier to deploy. The separation of content from presentation through headless architectures provides the flexibility modern applications demand, while Core Web Vitals ensure we’re delivering experiences that meet user expectations.
What articles or developments caught your attention this month? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. As always, feel free to reach out to us anytime to learn more about Web Professionals Global and our mission of Community, Education, Certification. If you are not yet a member, join us today.
by Mark | Oct 26, 2025 | Industry News, Web Professional Trends
As October draws to a close, we wanted to share the articles and developments that have captured our attention this month. The web continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and helping our members stay informed creates better experiences for our users. As always, we are curious to hear what you’ve been reading and thinking about.
Here are some topics and articles we found interesting this month.
CSS
The CSS landscape continues to mature with significant updates that are changing how we approach styling. Container queries, introduced in CSS 2023 and widely adopted in 2025, allow styles to be based on a container’s size instead of the viewport. This represents a fundamental shift in how we think about responsive design—no longer are we limited to viewport-based media queries.
Modern color handling in CSS includes relative color syntax, which lets you adjust properties like lightness or saturation from an existing color, and the light-dark() function allows easy switching between light and dark color values. For those working with scrollable interfaces, scrollbar-gutter keeps layouts stable by reserving space for a scrollbar, preventing annoying shifts when the scrollbar appears, while scrollbar-color lets you style the scrollbar’s track and thumb.
We found this article on CSS updates for 2025 particularly useful for understanding what’s ready to use right now across all major browsers. The W3C has also published their CSS Snapshot 2025, which provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of CSS specifications.
Accessibility
Accessibility remains a critical focus area for web professionals. On the standards front, there have been updates to the working draft for WCAG 3.0 including removal of exploratory content and updated assertions section of the Explainer for WCAG 3.0.
The European Accessibility Act continues to shape global standards, and organizations worldwide are working to meet upcoming compliance requirements. It’s worth reviewing your current accessibility practices now rather than waiting for deadlines.
AI and Web Development
OpenAI launched GPT-5, a multimodal model that handles text, images, audio, and video with a huge context window of a million tokens. This represents a significant leap in what’s possible with AI-powered development tools.
AI-powered development tools like GitHub Copilot are transforming coding workflows, automating repetitive tasks while enabling developers to focus on creative problem-solving. This comprehensive guide to AI tools for web development explores how these technologies are streamlining everything from code generation to testing and debugging.
The integration of AI with web development is no longer experimental; it’s becoming standard practice. The challenge now is learning to use these tools effectively while maintaining code quality and user experience, especially when it comes to accessibility and security considerations.
WordPress
WordPress development continues to move forward despite earlier concerns about release cadence. October brought three significant Gutenberg releases—21.6, 21.7, and 21.8—each introducing features that streamline development workflows and expand what’s possible in WordPress.
The Command Palette is extending beyond the Site Editor, making navigation commands available throughout the admin. For developers working with taxonomies, the new experimental Terms Query block provides a dedicated tool for building taxonomy-based layouts, particularly useful for directory sites and content hubs.
WordPress 6.9 is confirmed for release on December 2, 2025, bringing simplified site editing, advanced template control, and foundational AI support. If you haven’t updated to WordPress 6.8.3, now would be a good time—it includes important security fixes.
JavaScript Frameworks
The JavaScript ecosystem continues its evolution with several frameworks making significant updates. React 19’s compiler is a move inspired by frameworks like Svelte and Solid—React now compiles code ahead of time, bypassing reliance on the virtual DOM, which means the compiler can eliminate the need for optimization hooks like useMemo and useCallback.
Angular 18 now officially supports zoneless change detection by introducing signals, making Angular apps easier to read, debug, and ship while slashing bundle sizes. Vue.js is working on Vue Vapor Mode, a new compilation strategy that eliminates the virtual DOM, opting instead for hyper-efficient, fine-grained DOM updates.
The Tiobe index for October 2025 shows Python still leading by a wide margin at 24.45%, while C jumped back to 9.29% with the help of its C23 update, and JavaScript remains one of the most widely used languages in web development.
Web Design Trends
Web design in 2025 is embracing personality and expressiveness. Micro animations help guide users, reinforce actions, and give interfaces extra polish through hover effects, button ripples, and loading indicators. Custom cursors are gaining popularity as brand elements.
Web designers are increasingly drawing inspiration from gaming UI aesthetics, integrating 3D, intricate UI details and detailed microinteractions to create an atmosphere of high-tech immersion. At the same time, there’s a countertrend toward organic, handcrafted elements that bring warmth and authenticity to digital spaces.
Dark mode has moved beyond being just a trend—it’s now an expected feature. Many sites are implementing sophisticated light/dark toggles that respect user preferences and system settings. For those interested in implementation details, this tutorial on building a light/dark toggle with the Interactivity API provides a modern approach.
Progressive Web Apps
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) continue to narrow the gap between web and native experiences, with major brands reporting significant performance improvements and user engagement. The PWA market is projected to exceed $15 billion by 2025, driven by surging adoption across sectors.
The most significant advancement is enhanced offline functionality through sophisticated synchronization, allowing users to continue working seamlessly regardless of network conditions. With iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, Apple has significantly improved PWA support, bringing push notifications, install prompts, and offline functionality that opens up new possibilities for iPhone users.
This technology is particularly valuable for content-heavy applications and e-commerce platforms where uninterrupted user experience directly impacts business outcomes.
New Member Tools
For our members, we have recently added some tools to our Member tools page (tools created by members for use by our members). As with all our tools, we do not collect nor store the information you submit via our forms. Yes, you can often find the same functionality elsewhere on the internet, but do you really know what happens with the data you submit? These new tools include:
- The ability to strip EXIF data from images (this may be helpful when working with client materials).
- The ability to split long strings of text into smaller strings. For example, if you use DKIM with 2,048 bit encryption, you will be working with a long string of text. Of course, when you try to enter this into a DNS record on most servers, you will discover that only the first 255 characters are pasted. You can add subsequent TXT records and this tool allows you to paste those as strings of 250 characters each. As most webmasters working with DNS records know, it is up to the server to stitch those records together into a coherent string after the TXT record has been updated.
Looking Ahead
As we approach the end of 2025, several trends are clear: accessibility is no longer optional, AI tools are becoming integrated into standard development workflows, and the gap between web and native experiences continues to shrink. The frameworks and tools we use continue to mature, offering more powerful capabilities while often becoming simpler to use.
What articles or developments caught your attention this month? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. As always, feel free to reach out to us anytime to learn more about Web Professionals Global and our mission of Community, Education, Certification.
by Mark | Jul 31, 2025 | Web Design
Today we are taking a look at one of our most popular certifications, the Certified Web Designer (CWDSA) certification. This certification is used by schools all over the country, and one of the states where we see the most certifications being awarded is Texas. Our CWDSA certification is on the 2025-2030 Industry-Based Certification (IBC) List for Public School Accountability, which is the official list of state-approved certifications. Maintained by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the purpose of the IBC list is to “identify certifications that prepare students for success in the workforce, military, or postsecondary education.”
Every five years, there is an assessment process that determines whether certifications will be accepted for the list. Being on the list means that our schools know the CWDSA certifications their students receive meet rigorous state standards and are preparing students to excel in future educational and professional pursuits. We are proud to be certified by the TEA for the next five years and look forward to working with web professionals and those who teach them in Texas for years to come.
CWDSA Overview
The Certified Web Designer Associate (CWDSA) examination measures more than just the essential competencies for aspiring or practicing Web Designers. The examinee must demonstrate working knowledge of Internet basics, HTML including HTML5, CSS3 and WYSIWYG editors, Web graphics, Web audio and video, Web site design, Web site management, and basic legal issues at the standard defined by this test specification.
The skills and knowledge measured by this examination are derived from an industry-wide and worldwide job task analysis which was validated through a survey of hundreds of designers. The results of the survey were used in weighting the domains and ensuring that the weighting is representative of the relative importance of that content to the job requirements of a WOW Certified Web Designer Associate. The intent is to certify individuals in a body of knowledge that is identified and accepted as the baseline or foundation of any Web Designer.
Web Design as a Career
If you’re considering a career in web design, now’s a great time to jump in. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 8% growth in employment for web developers and digital interface designers from 2023 to 2033—faster than the average for all jobs. Demand is strong and still rising as more businesses move online and prioritize digital experiences.
Web developers earned a median annual salary of $90,930 in May 2024, showing that this field doesn’t just offer creative freedom—it pays well too.
Design matters more than ever. Around 65% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices, making a mobile-first approach essential. Plus, 94% of businesses say website design impacts their impression of a brand, and 42% of users will leave a site if it’s hard to use.
To stand out, a strong portfolio is your best tool—it shows what you can do. But industry-recognized certifications can boost your credibility, especially if you’re just starting out or want to specialize.
Whether you’re freelancing, joining a design agency, or building your own brand, the web design world is full of opportunity. Just keep learning, stay creative, and always design with the user in mind.
Reach Out Today
We are always proud to welcome new members to Web Professionals Global. If you are in Texas (or any other state) and interested in a career in web design or another web discipline, reach out to us today.
by Mark | Jul 25, 2025 | Web Conference
This June, Web Professionals Global was proud to once again participate in the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia World Congress Center from June 23-27. Web Professionals Global ran the Web Design and Development competition for the 22nd year in a row, providing students from a number of states with the opportunity to participate. This follows Web Professionals Global helping to facilitate some state competitions, the winners of which were invited to the national competition. Check out our article from early June on how we helped run the state competitions to prepare teams for the national competition.
Week Recap
June 23 (Monday) – After arriving late Sunday night, Mark arrived at the registration desk very early in the morning. He met our colleague Tammy Finch (Web services, Inc), a long time supporter and member of Web Professionals Global. Once Mark checked in for the event and received the packets of information and badges, he and Tammy were off to Courtesy Corps to arrange for their assistance in setting up the competition area. Mark had previously requested their help and needed to confirm all details once on site. He also worked with SkillsUSA personnel to get the wifi router installed and configured. Shortly after noon, both he and Tammy participated in the Technical Chair meeting. This event is held just prior to the competition to communicate last minute information (such as the current dispatch phone number and emergency procedures in the event of severe weather or other disruptions). Mark also picked up a plaque honoring our long time co-chair, Steve Waddell, for his numerous years of service to this competition
Once the meeting concluded, both Mark and Tammy returned to the competition area to verify the wifi was working. Although there was no easy way to stress test the environment, all appeared to be working once the router received a software update. Many thanks to SkillsUSA for their help in getting this set up and working.
June 24 (Tuesday) – We began the day once again testing the network and confirming all was working for the competition. At noon, we held a written test for competitors in room B-311. This was the room we also used for competition debriefing and training during the week. The test covered various aspects of web design and development including fundamentals every competitor should know as well as a few more advanced questions. When completed, competitors had a moment to grab some lunch prior to our mandatory training session (which started at 2 p.m.).
We covered the use of our online coding environment as part of our training and explained how the competition would be run along with providing a written overview. We also provided links to videos explaining the coding environment. Mark also reviewed some potential pitfalls that could happen when using the environment. He also reviewed why it is important to preview your work in the browser periodically.
Once questions were addressed, Tammy and David Jackson (Tekki Systems) [another long time supporter of Web Professionals Global and long time member of our on site technical team] provided an overview of what it is like to work in the industry today. After a brief discussion, they answered many questions from competitors. We hold these sessions concurrently for both the secondary (high school) and post-secondary (college) competitors. Each state was represented with a team of two competitors who had to work together to complete a series of specific tasks. More information about that can be found below (Wednesday). The session ran a bit over as there were many keen questions from those who aspire to work in our industry. Before we left the room, we reviewed the test scores of all competing teams and confirmed that their answers were properly recorded in our system. These scores are later input into a large spreadsheet for calculating the winners (gold, silver, and bronze) for both secondary and post-secondary competitions.
We mentioned to all competitors that we were throwing a wrinkle into the process this year. We have a practicing web professional who spent the same amount of time and used the same work order and assets to create a website. Since we are a global organization, we were able to ask someone from another time zone to do this. We decided that we would be reviewing their work as part of the competition debriefing. Everyone seemed intrigued by this new approach. They also got to meet this individual at the end of the training session (obviously via a Zoom meeting).
June 25 (Wednesday) – On this day we focused on the secondary teams. Roughly two dozen states were represented by teams of two. In order to compete in Atlanta, each team had to win first place in their respective state. Web Professionals Global is honored to be able to work with many states in their respective state web design and development competitions. We provide the coding environment, assets, rubrics, and judging criteria. We ask each state to provide on-site personnel and judges. Dan Dao (our SkillsUSA .NET [National Education Team] member was able to join us again this year. This is his second year and we greatly appreciated his help.
The competition began with a briefing and a client interview. In this case, David Jackson served in the role of client. He spent some time explaining what he needed as a client and was asked a number of questions by competitors about his business. Many of the questions were quite insightful and showed competitors wanted to understand his business to provide the best experience for his clients who would be visiting his website.
Once the client interview was finished, competitors returned to their workstations and spent about an hour drafting a low fidelity wireframe (some also did a site map and a few did a mood board/ stylesheet). We supplied the paper for use in this part of the process. Once they were finished with their version of the wireframe, they flagged down a Web Professionals Global member who had them secure their work and the team was then handed a medium fidelity wireframe developed by a practicing professional. This is what each team used as they developed the website. We have used this approach for a number of years and it vastly helps with judging as all judges are examining and comparing similar work (for example, they expect mobile versions to display images in a certain spot that is different from the desktop version). Competitors worked as a team and had until 3 p.m. to complete their work and validate it was working properly in our online coding environment. While each team was working, they were called up for a team interview. In addition to addressing why their team should be considered for future work with clients, we also asked detailed questions about their individual wireframes. Those wireframes were left with the interviewers. At 3 p.m. the competition concluded and competitors were able to leave the venue.
Judges then began reviewing competitor work (each team had one submitted spot). We use our custom online tool as it has a judge view. In that view, judges can move from one team to another effortlessly. Judges are able to view the source code, validate it, and test in various mobile device settings. However, judges are not able to make any changes to the code itself (they are operating in a read only mode). We have been doing this for over 20 years (and a few of our judges have been with us for almost the entire time).
June 26 (Thursday) – The post-secondary teams competed on this day. We had roughly a dozen post-secondary teams. We have noted that there are often fewer post-secondary teams than secondary teams. This is part of the reason we have the high school teams compete on Wednesday as judges can spend Wednesday evening as well as most of the day Thursday evaluating the work of the secondary competitors. As with the Wednesday competition, all teams met with the client and had the chance to ask many questions about his business. They then began to develop their own low fidelity wireframes. After an hour, they notified Web Professionals team members who secured their wireframes and provided competitors with a medium fidelity wireframe they could use to develop the website.
As before, the competition ended at 3 p.m. We then held a debriefing session in B-311. We reviewed the work of our volunteer web professional and showed his work in the judge’s view (so competitors got a behind the scenes look similar to what judges use – although it was in a different but similar coding environment). We then opened the floor for questions and comments by the competitors. Mark took notes as these comments will be reviewed and incorporated into next year’s event. Those notes have been shared with all team members and we are starting to make modifications already.
Once the debriefing session concluded, a number of competitors accompanied us back to the competition venue as we had to dismantle the tables and chairs and stack all for the move out happening on Friday. Thanks to those who helped. You made a big difference.
We then returned to our respective hotel rooms. Mark reviewed the score sheets provided by judges for the secondary competition and entered those scores into the SkillsUSA judges data store while the work of the post-secondary teams was being evaluated. Judges got all completed and the final scores were all recorded before the 9 p.m. deadline set by SkillsUSA. They need the time to then develop the materials for the awards ceremony on Friday.
June 27 (Friday) – Most of the day was free. Mark used the time to catch up on a number of projects for Web Professionals Global. This was the first year that we knew when we would be handing out the awards (to the minute). We arrived at State Farm Arena and navigated our way backstage. Tammy and David placed the medals on the winning teams (gold, silver, and bronze) for both secondary and post-secondary teams. We went with the teams for official back state photos after the event. Congratulations to all who participated. Although there can only be one first place team in each event, you are all winners because you stepped up and tested your knowledge, skills, and abilities on a national stage. In a number of states, competitor teams had to win a regional competition, proceed to the state competition, and then on to the national competition (winning first in each to qualify for our competition in Atlanta). Well done and congratulations to all!
Competition Winners
College/Postsecondary
From L to R: Silver-Salvador Meza Lopez and Yan Blaire Dologuin, Fort Hays Tech Northwest (Kan.); Gold-Kaylee Conley and Ashley Chance, Pinellas Technical College-Clearwater (Fla.); Bronze-Matthias Barnes and Ryan Posey, College of Western Idaho (Idaho).
High School
From L to R: National technical committee members Tammy Finch and David Jackson; Silver-Kush Varma Chola and Kushith Hanmandla, River Islands High School (Calif.); Gold-Chance Spradley and Brady Sligar, Meridian Technical Charter High School (Idaho); Bronze-Kaitlyn Ferguson and Kaden Nguyen, Ben Barber Career Center (Texas); National technical committee member Mark DuBois.
Here are some more photos from the week.
Get in Touch
We are honored to be recognized as a partner with SkillsUSA for another year. Reach out to us today for information on our collaboration with SkillsUSA, certification program offerings and the work we are doing to further our community of web professionals.
