Bold Predictions 2016

Bold-Predictions-20162016 is just hours away. This time last year our team took a chance, we put our egos on the line and made a few Bold Predictions for the coming year. As you may have guessed, some of these predictions did indeed miss the mark a bit:

  • 2015 is going to be the year of online privacy and protection.
  • Wearable technology may one day become commonplace; 2015 is not the year.
  • Or, perhaps most painfully, [t]he Bruins will win the Stanley Cup.

The B’s stunning late season dive aside, many of our predictions have proven to be right on target. For instance, the rise to prominence of “Native Advertising Strategies,” “Supertablets,” and “Internet TV options becom[ing] more widespread… [allowing advertisers to] target specific demographics.”

So, emboldened by a few good guesses, the Hall staff have taken a second shot at playing Nostradamus. These are our Bold Predictions for 2016:

Predictions for the Digital Marketing Industry:

As JavaScript has become more and more prevalent on the web, it has caused the addition of flashier ads. In turn, users have started using ad blockers and turning JavaScript off in their browsers. Advertisers will be forced to either become more creative or more subtle with their ads.

– Tim Howe, Lead WordPress Developer

Every year I think Digital Marketing gets more and more about great content. This year our advertising methods will continue to get more focused on a better user experience, making great content rise to the top.

– Michael Rodino, Paid Search Manager

Even more of the web will become e-commerce driven.

– Matt Harrison, Vice President of Technology

As more and more websites deliver their content through browser-side JavaScript, best practices for implementing SEO will need to adapt to allow web crawlers to understand the generated content.

– Gary Thayer, WordPress Developer

Spend on digital marketing is likely to grow significantly, both in terms of dollars and overall market share.

– Walker Hatchet, Technical SEO Analyst

Flexbox will become the standard for designing responsive page layouts.

– Jessica Lavoie, Front-End WordPress Developer

There will be a big push in 2016 to make sure that mobile experience is top notch. As more users tend to vet their purchases on a mobile device, first impressions are happening increasingly on mobile devices. The desktop, while losing some of its importance, will still be the platform of choice when it comes to making a final purchase.

– Mike Johnston, Director of Web Performance

Email marketing lists and display advertising will continue to work together and become more refined, more targeted, and better at identifying products and services that customers actually want to buy.

– Beau Haseltine, Client Account Manager

With voice search gaining momentum, we will see a significant impact the way users find information and interact with search engines.

– Ludmila MacLean, SEO Analyst

Predictions for Technology and the Internet in 2016:

Almost everyone will use a modern browser that auto updates allowing for faster additions of features available to developers.

– Tim Howe, Lead WordPress Developer

More rewards programs from everyone. We’ll pay for this with our data.

– Michael Rodino, Paid Search Manager

Apple Pay will pick up speed and begin to replace people’s wallets.

– Caitlin Frank, Responsive Web Designer

There will be increased competition for low-cost CMS products. There are still a lot of old sites on the Internet, sooner or later they will need to migrate somewhere.

– Jonas Levasseur, Vice President of Operations

A much larger percentage of the web will move to encrypted HTTPS. With the release of free certificates from Let’s Encrypt the barrier to entry has been drastically lowered.

– Matt Harrison, Vice President of Technology

We’re going to see a lot more advances in speech prediction software like Siri and Cortana. More and more devices will focus on voice versus touch.

– Andre McKay, Client Account Manager

Network TV will be declared the loser in their war against on-demand technology.

– Tom Hall, President

The WordPress REST API will change the CMS in a major way. One of the things we’ll start to see this year will be custom website backends catering to specific client needs. This will make site management experience better, but some will mourn the loss of the homogeneity that has existed across WordPress sites.

– Geoff Bell, Client Service Tech

Black Friday will cease to exist next year in its current form. Stores will have sales, but all the items will be available online, and much earlier than ever before.

– Mike Johnston, Director of Web Performance

IoT (Internet Of Things) makes some gains in consumer sector and big gains in commercial sector.

– RC Lations, WordPress Project Manager

We will see the early stages of software products like CAD, Photoshop, etc. start migrating their software to be used in browsers versus a local download as we use them today.

– Eli Dolloff, Junior WordPress Developer

Gifs will take over the web. Moving us one step closer to moving pictures à la The Boy Who Lived.

– Megan Cullity, Administrative Assistant

We’ll see a smart toothbrush that can get push notifications from your phone or something else equally frivolous and ridiculous.

– Walker Hatchet, Technical SEO Analyst

Other Bold Predictions:

There is still going to be a wait on Bean’s signature duck boots come summertime.

– Megan Cullity, Administrative Assistant

Short Stop Xander Bogaerts wins the American League MVP for the Boston Red Sox, beating out the Angels’ Mike Trout by a single vote.

– Mike Johnston, Director of Web Performance

JNCO jeans will be back before 2020.

– Gary Thayer, WordPress Developer

Brendan Gallagher returns for the Winter Classic on January 1, 2016, and scores a beauty of a wrister from one knee just above the hash marks on Tukka Rask. Zdeno Chara slips on a pile of snow in the same game and Brendan just laughs. Chara is traded by the deadline as Boston just barely misses the playoffs and a chance to face off against the Eastern Conference leading Montreal Canadiens.

– Michael Rodino, (Former) Paid Search Manager

See how Hall can help increase your demand.