Recent numbers from Netguru place web development as a very important part of the UK software economy. As the market heads towards £63.6 billion by 2030, much of this value comes from software built for the web, including platforms used by businesses, public bodies and consumers every day.
The UK software sector counts 992 businesses and grows at 4.8% each year between 2020 and 2025, according to Netguru. Web development supports this growth through websites, online platforms and browser based tools that allow firms to trade, manage data and serve customers online.
Revenue figures show how strong this area has become. Netguru reports the UK software market generated $23.7 billion in 2019, with yearly growth of 12.7% between 2015 and 2019. Web based services form a large share of this income, driven by online sales, digital services and cloud platforms.
At the end of 2025, Netguru predicted the total software revenue to reach $38.21 billion. Web development underpins many of these systems, from customer portals to internal business tools used across sectors.
Why Do Cloud Services Matter So Much For Web Developers?
Cloud computing influences how web developers work and sell services. Netguru data shows Software as a Service reaching £15.30 billion by 2025, with a market share of 65.75% in 2024. Most SaaS products rely on web interfaces, making web development essential.
Government buying also feeds demand and Netguru reports that public sector schemes such as the G Cloud Framework support cloud adoption. As a result, 94% of UK enterprises use at least one cloud service in 2025.
AI adds further demand for skilled web developers. Netguru explains that AI supports features such as language tools, fraud checks and personalised content. These features often appear first in web applications before reaching other formats.
Remote working adds pressure for better online tools. Nearly six million people work from home in 2025, based on Netguru figures. This drives spending on web based platforms for meetings, file sharing and daily work tasks.
Where Are Web Development Jobs Growing Fastest?
London leads web development hiring, holding 46% of all developer vacancies, according to Netguru. Average pay reaches £67,500 a year, reflecting demand for skills linked to large scale platforms and financial services.
Regional growth tells another story as the West Midlands recorded 32% growth in development roles, while Yorkshire and the East Midlands each saw 13%. Netguru links this to rising numbers of digital firms outside the capital.
Pay outside London continues to improve. Yorkshire salaries came up 13.64%, and remote roles rose 21.90%, based on Netguru data. Many of these positions involve web focused skills that allow staff to work from anywhere.
Web development jobs also lead flexible working. Netguru shows 48% of software roles offer remote or hybrid terms, with staff attending offices for an average of 2.3 days each week. This is what keeps web development at the centre of the UK software story.
What Does 2026 Have To Offer?
Experts have shared their 2026 predictions for web development, and here’s what they think…
Our Experts:
- Brady Lewis, Senior Director of AI Innovation, Marketri
- Mikael Saakyan, Co-founder, Managing Partner, Rattlesnake Group
- Roman Rylko, CTO, Pynes
- Sasha Berson, Chief Growth Officer, Grow Law
- Ivan Vislavskiy, CEO and Co-founder, Comrade Digital Marketing Agency
Brady Lewis, Senior Director of AI Innovation, Marketri
“Web development will become less focused on how people use the Internet to browse and concentrate more on how AI finds and understands content on the Internet. As AI tools are increasingly being used to find answers to questions rather than individuals clicking on web pages to find the information they need; as such, websites will need to be developed as highly structured, authoritative sources that can be located and referenced by AI tools when creating their responses.
“Websites’ visibility will now be defined not only by where they rank in comparison to others; they will now also be defined by whether or not they were included as references in AI-generated responses.
“This transition in focus will put greater emphasis on making web content clearer and easier to structure. For example, web pages will typically include a direct answer at the top of the page and will use a question format in the web page title. The information on these types of pages will also need to be presented in a format that is easy for AI tools to find and extract the desired information. Web development teams will need to work closely with PR and Content teams to ensure that web pages support the accumulated external credibility a brand receives through media because brands with established third-party validation will be preferred by AI for reference.
“From a technical standpoint, web developers will also be making regular and deliberate decisions that will help allow AI systems to find their web pages. AI-friendly practices include enabling AI systems to crawl their web pages, structuring their content for AI citation, guiding AI systems to their most valuable content as they develop their understanding of what the web contains. Additionally, websites may also retain additional roles beyond just the traditional definition of a web page.”
Mikael Saakyan, Co-founder, Managing Partner, Rattlesnake Group
1. AI-assisted development becomes the norm
“By 2026, AI will be part of everyday web development rather than something teams actively “adopt”. Generating code, running tests, checking accessibility, and improving performance will increasingly happen in the background. What will set strong teams apart is not whether they use AI, but how well they control it within secure, maintainable development processes.”
2. Product thinking overtakes visual trends
“Web design is moving beyond eye-catching animations and short-lived UI trends. The focus is shifting towards clarity, usability, and measurable outcomes. Teams that connect UX decisions with analytics and product goals will see better results than those prioritising visual impact alone.”
3. Flexible architectures replace rigid builds
“More teams are moving away from large, tightly coupled systems. Composable stacks, headless CMSs, and modular frontends make it easier to adapt, experiment, and scale without rebuilding from scratch. As a result, developers are spending less time assembling pages and more time designing systems that can evolve over time.”
4. Websites start behaving like products
“The line between a website and a digital product is continuing to blur. In 2026, the web will be treated as a primary product surface rather than a marketing add-on. Websites will feel more like applications, with personalisation, real-time data, and deeper backend integration becoming standard. Companies that continue to ship static, brochure-style sites are likely to fall behind.”
Roman Rylko, CTO, Pynes
“In 2026, web applications will increasingly look like interfaces built around AI agents, rather than simply a collection of HTML pages. The user will essentially be accessing their digital assistant, which, through the web interface, selects the necessary services and APIs for the task at hand. Pynest is already seeing requests from clients with similar requirements in some of its projects.
“Clients are formulating their requests not as “create a new frontend,” but as “create a workspace with a built-in assistant for my employees or clients.” Such an interface remembers context, action history, takes into account the user’s role, and proactively suggests actions instead of waiting for menu clicks. We will see the transformation of the web into a kind of dialogue layer, rather than just a business storefront.”
Sasha Berson, Chief Growth Officer, Grow Law
“By 2026, web development will be less about writing code and more about guiding AI systems to build and optimise websites. In my agency, we’re already building high-performing sites using AI as a co-pilot. A strategist provides the direction, AI handles most of the structure, and a developer just steps in for cleanup. This has reduced build time and made iteration cycles incredibly fast. What used to take three weeks is now live in three days.
“Another shift I see is how search behaviour is changing. Web presence alone won’t cut it if AI systems don’t recognise you. We’ve helped firms become visible inside ChatGPT responses by focusing on schema, authoritative content, and strong online signals. Developers in 2026 will need to understand how AI reads a website, not just how humans use it.”
Ivan Vislavskiy, CEO and Co-founder, Comrade Digital Marketing Agency
“The way I see it, 2026 is going to be all about showing up in AI search. And I’m not talking about getting found on Google. I mean getting found by AI, like ChatGPT and Gemini.
“These tools are already sending traffic to businesses that structure their websites in a way machines can read. Schema, signals of trust, and content that’s clearly written by experts. If you’re not showing up as trustworthy and relevant, you’re out.
“And let’s not forget local SEO. AI knows exactly where your prospects are, and it’s grabbing info from your Google profile, your reviews, your mentions across the web. That’s how we’ve been helping clients take over their cities, not by just tweaking their sites, but by making them visible everywhere.”
