Companies, such as Andersen, are expanding their presence in the digital space by creating software solutions.
Web development is at the peak of popularity: Siteefy calculated that 175 new sites are launched every minute in the world. Despite the development of technology and the projected 10-fold growth of the market for progressive web platforms, unforeseen difficulties often arise when creating programs. Let's talk about five points that must be taken into account before the start of building a web app in order for the product to be successful.
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#1. Conduct market research
Investopedia analyzed the most common causes of project failures. The top 3 of them include the lack of a target audience and marketing research.
When a business builds a web app for everyone without satisfying the narrow needs of a real target audience, then no one will use such software. It is important to find out who a potential client is and what problems he/she comes with. By identifying specific needs, you will be able to provide the best solution for each segment of the audience.
After studying the market, the business learns which software product is needed by consumers. The study will also provide an opportunity to analyze competitors to find gaps in their software or an example to follow. Based on the received analytics, it is easier to build an improved web app.
#2. Carefully approach the choice of domain
In the era of the Internet, the first thing a potential buyer does when searching for a product is to enter a query in a search engine. As a rule, the first sites in the search results “break the jackpot” by receiving an order. If the web application is easy to find online, the business increases selling chances.
Therefore, it is important to create a convenient, functional and SЕО-optimized website, which strong image is supported by the correct domain name. By choosing a domain that is consonant with the brand name, the business will provide traffic to the future site.
With the right SЕО strategy, a successful domain name in combination with other search engine promotion mechanisms will ensure a sufficient influx of customers.
#3. Develop a marketing strategy for the website
A good practice for a startup is to advertise a web application before the code is written. According to Forbes analysts, marketing activities should be started before the product launch. This is necessary to prepare the ground for business growth. Attract the audience and make them look forward to the release of the web application on the market.
Various pre-launch marketing tools can be used for web development:
- launch a landing page with advertising traffic;
- publish promotional articles on third-party blogs;
- release a teaser in the style of “soon on sale”;
- create a brand profile on social networks and interact with subscribers;
- attract an influencer to advertising;
- launch audio ads on popular content streaming platforms (Spotify, Pandora) and so on.
These methods will help create a stir around the web application before launching so that it starts selling well at the start.
#4. Perform load testing
Load balancing depends on the app complexity and the technologies implemented in it. For example, a game with an active gameplay that constantly exchanges data with servers may not be able to withstand a large load. To make sure that the web application will work smoothly with any number of users, you need to conduct full load testing.
Check the application when using a proxy server that acts as an intermediary between the device and the server. It speeds up the Internet due to cached copies, protects devices from attacks and viruses, and also hides information about the computer that made the request. If the proxy server does not withstand the load, future users may also have similar problems.
#5. Ensure site security
According to Statista's calculations, one data theft incident is estimated at more than nine million dollars, and the largest fines for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) exceed twenty million dollars.
Users trust web applications with personal data, so security issues can permanently undermine their brand loyalty. Make sure that the software has established processes for collecting, processing and storing data, as well as managing potential security risks.
Security problems cannot be solved after the software is put into production, so they need to be solved at the stage of creating a web application, or even better — during the design process.
Conclusion
The competition in the custom web development market in the UK is huge. The security, originality and relevance of the software product will become your competitive advantage and bring your business to a leading position.
As American entrepreneur Eric Ries correctly noted, every startup has a chance to change the world, by bringing not just a new product, but an entirely new institution into existence. Do not miss this opportunity, having thought through the important points in advance for the start of building a web app.