Web Development: 3 Fast Ways For Business Of Any Size

Can a business exist without a website? It all depends on the industry and services provided or products sold. Nevertheless, the website for the vast majority of companies is a showcase of what they offer, and the quality of its performance and content affects whether the user will make a contact or purchase attempt. Your brand needs to be seen for your business to gain interest, build trust and generate profit. Website development is the key to making these things happen.

Moreover, as of 2021, there are around 5.2 billion global internet users. It means that 65.6% of the population around the world is using the internet for a vast variety of reasons. If you want to capture people from different sources including social media, paid ads, and search engines you need to lead them to the website of your company.

The question is what is the best way to develop a website if there is nobody in your company who is capable of building it? By reading this article you will find out about 3 fast and effective solutions.

Web development: what does it include?

What does web development include? It can range from developing a simple single page of plain text to complex web applications, e-commerce sites, portals, and social network services. No matter its type website development includes:

web design – the process of designing graphics, user interfaces, and writing web markup (instructions to the software used for viewing a webpage on how the page should look and work);
web engineering – writing code for servers and applications using programming languages as well as building page integrations with content management system (CMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

Web development: what skills do you need?

First of all, you need to be aware that there is a difference between web and software development – different programs/programming languages are used and the final outcome of the developer’s work differs as well.

Web developers are mainly responsible for building web applications and websites that run on internet browsers.
Software developers, on the other hand, focus on computer programs for desktop and mobile devices.

Both specializations require a strong attention to detail, a knack for problem-solving and programming experience, however, they have different maintenance requirements, workflows, and levels of complexity.

Web development consists of two areas of work: front-end (the user-facing side) development and back-end (the server-side) development, so in most cases, you need at least two developers to build your website.

Front-end web developers take care of how a website looks and functions from the users’ perspective, make it easy to access and browse, and ensure the website is compatible with operating systems and devices that display content.
Back-end web developers are responsible for the technical aspects. They work on administrative components such as the server, the database, the operating system, and the software and make sure these components run smoothly together.

An alternative is to hire a full-stack developer who possesses knowledge in both front-end and back-end development. It requires years in the field to build the necessary experience and become such an expert but they can create a website from start to finish. The full-stack developer knows how to design a website, user experience and is able to use the necessary programming languages and technology stack.

Keep in mind that if you plan to build a great website you first and foremost need talented and effective developers who also understand the business perspective and represent a proactive approach.

What are the best options if you need to build a website?

Before you decide which of the available options are best for you, consider the needs of your project and company. If you need a web developer permanently to take care of your site and implement changes often or if you have more than one project in mind, you might be better off hiring full-time web developers.

In most cases, it might be a good idea for companies that have complex online stores, SaaS companies, or news sites. Otherwise, you risk investing a lot of money in the recruitment process, and later in the permanent salary of a specialist that you will not need.

What can you do instead? Below we mention 3 fast ways to web development:

Cooperate with Freelance Web Developers

Nowadays, there are many online job platforms, such as Upwork, Fiverr, YouTeam, Gigster, and others where you can find all types of developers with whom you can cooperate on a one-time project basis.

Pros: you can find freelancers from all over the world; developers are ready to work for a reasonable price; usually a short project implementation period; you can review the profiles of candidates and see examples of work; you don’t waste time on the recruitment process.

Cons: you are not guaranteed high-quality work – there are often no vetting processes; lower cost might mean that the project will be made in the simplest possible way, both technically and visually; you cannot count on the developer to advise you on the best solution; the chosen developer doesn’t need to be fully dedicated to your project; you risk losing money to build a website that will not meet your expectations.

Use a Dedicated Team service

When your project is complex you can quickly find a dedicated development team through an IT staffing company. You cooperate with a dedicated team that is not just a group of developers working on their tasks, but they act as a part of your company and support you.

Pros: such a team is fully allocated to you and dedicated to your project; you take an active part in a decision-making process; delivering results and high quality is ensured; the capacity of the team is set on the workload needed to finish the project until and must be delivered until the agreed time period; the fee is charged monthly and you only pay for worked-hours; you get access to work-proven and skilled developers.

Cons: not the right solution if you need to build a simple business website; even if you don’t need to manage tasks of the team, it requires some engagement from your side; cost might be higher compared to hiring freelancer due to high-quality and experience of developers.

Outsource the entire Web Development

Outsourcing has become a very popular process. Outsourcing web development means that
your project will be developed by a third-party company that acts as a contracted partner to perform and manage website development work.

Pros: you free up your time so you can focus on your business instead; the maintenance commitment of the website is usually a part of an outsourcing contract and lies on the side of the provider; software houses face higher liability than in cases of other services, which makes it less of a risk for your business.

Cons: besides contracted cost, the extra ones may occur so there is a risk of going over budget; developers who work for software houses usually have several projects to handle which may impact the quality; due to lack of proper communication you may receive a website that doesn’t fit your expectations; you don’t have an influence on your website development.
Summing up

Currently, thanks to the popularization of remote work, your business has the opportunity to use a much wider range of solutions. However, remember to analyze the needs of the project before deciding to cooperate with a freelancer, IT staffing company, or software house. Consider which of the solutions will bring you the most benefits and guarantee that your website will not only look good but also be technically adapted to your company’s needs.