3-minute Read That Highlights New Trends in Web Dev and What’s Needed to Get There.
Most of us don’t butcher our own livestock. Some of us don’t even eat meat. But when we do, it’s off to the supermarket.
That is, don’t have a cow. Let the butcher do it.
Then, you can focus on the sizzle, the best part of the rib roast.
But Can’t I Just Hit The buffet… Simpler, Faster, Cheaper?
Web development is kind of like the butcher example. You can get exactly what you want, the way you want it. In contrast, you can go “buffet style” and access a menu of preexisting platforms and options like WIX and Shopify that deliver value to consumers with pre-built, plug-and-play functionality and themes. But these often have limitations that still require specialists to deliver the top-shelf experience consumers expect.
Do You Know What You (Or Your Clients) Want From The Site?
Do You Know What consumers want?
Visitors to the site may want to tailor products online, pre-purchase (like ordering the options on a car vs. taking what’s on the lot)… or they want to log off but come back to where they left off… or they’ll want a fast, focused experience that respects the small amount of time and attention they can afford… or, all of the above. Knowing “what it is” in advance helps assemble the right web-dev team.
What’s more, there are technical SEO operations, site optimization and UX/UI to consider. That can’t all be done buffet style. So, based on client demands or agency recommendations, any number of personnel may have to be brought in to help achieve these goals.
From Designers and Frontend Developers to WordPress Specialists and Sysadmins to all of the planning and people management that needs to be devoted to the demands of more complex website development. That is, offering an advanced level of digital transformation is a good-sized budget item.
Or, item(s).
Putting the “oh?” in Outsourcing
That’s why web dev often gets outsourced. So marketing agencies can benefit from a partner—a resource that focuses on digital trends, technologies and best practices—while the agency focuses on strategic initiatives and keeping budgets in line.
Examples of Strategic Trends in Web Dev:
- Augmented Reality: Would shoppers like to see how new furniture looks at home before buying it online? (Virtually viewing a new table in one’s dining room instead of in a catalog.)
IKEA thought so because this tech advance is helping their customers shop ’til they drop. - Custom Product Configuration: Can customers make the product their own or do they have to buy what’s in stock? (Choosing personally selected options versus taking what’s on the lot.) Tesla amps up personalization right the start as visitors navigate from its home page.
- ADA Accessibility: Do client websites follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for visitors with disabilities? (Accommodating impairments related to vision, cognition, seizure risk, etc.) Options at Kohler.com enhance readability or focus, or reduce visual disruption and more.
There are many more web-dev trends making their impact today, such as voice search that coattails on the popularity of speaker devices like Alexa; or geo-location that brings more personalized content to where one lives, works or plays; or lazy loading and infinite scroll that streamline the loading speed of some websites.
It’s not about picking morsels off a buffet line. It’s about solving business problems for clients, and getting them to communicate better with their target audiences, and generally keeping them relevant, competitive, profitable and adored by customers.
Outsourcing is simply a way to accomplish all of that while engaging and learning from a partner first and avoiding a large, fixed salary cost up front. A flexible staffing solution that can scale and shrink as needed. With a transparent pass-along cost, it’s an efficient way to benefit from the expertise of a specialist while helping clients bring home the bacon.
I could get a helluva good look at a T-bone steak by sticking my head up a bull’s [hindquarters]… but I’d rather take the butcher’s word for it.
—Brian Dennehy, playing the father-figure in “Tommy Boy”