3 Ways You Can Build and Update Websites Using Data Pushes

Data is getting more and more accessible and is increasingly being used to inform the way businesses operate.

Data-driven organizations are able to move quickly, focus on the customer and promote a culture of making accurate decisions based on data. 

The more creatively businesses use this data, it seems, the better they become at managing their time.

Using a platform like Appy Pie Connect, for instance, businesses are able to manage their data and use it to improve daily processes. The platform syncs data across various apps to help the business automate its processes and improve productivity. It's easy to manage and requires no coding expertise.

Depending on your type of business, you might be compelled to turn your database into dynamic or static web content. One reason to do this is to keep your customers updated with fresh information.

You may also need to give your users the ability to easily modify web content irrespective of their technical skills. Traditionally, the challenge for web designers has been going through all the technical hoops.

Even when they are able to do it with ease, the process takes time and requires even more time maintaining the website by manually updating the content. 

Today you can do all of this without using any backend code or even logging in to any CMS. Using data push technology, the following three tools make it possible to build and automatically update websites.

1. Sheet2Site

Sheet2Site helps you create websites from Google Sheets. It's as simple as it sounds: You enter data into a Google Spreadsheet using add-ons or Zapier.

Sheet2Site automatically turns that into a beautifully functional website. According to its website, you can get such a website in just five minutes. Some users have reported creating entire websites within minutes.

You can create grid-style sites such as collections of pictures with beautiful pictures and links. You can use it creatively to make lists of cities, tools, equipment, events, animals, plants or artwork.

You can even customize the design and domain. And you get to manage all this from a simple spreadsheet.

You don't need to know how to code or any complex technical skill. Essentially, if you can enter data into a spreadsheet you can create a website with Sheet2Site, and quickly.

Additionally, you get a wide collection of templates and the ability to customize them to fit your brand.

2. Utilize Duda's “Connected Data" feature 

Duda is a web design platform built for agencies, digital publishers and hosting companies.

If your company builds and manages websites for small businesses, this might be worth a look. The platform is rich with collaboration and client management tools that enable its clients to build responsive, fast-loading and out-of-the-box SEO websites. 

Among these features is Connected Data contained within the Content Library. This tool which is among the latest additions to the platform allows users to connect site widgets to data from various external sources.

This data must then be contained within the Content Library where it's easily retrieved to design beautiful, functional and mobile-ready websites. 

There are three main ways of updating the Content Library with data but one allows you to push the data.

Meaning, it's automatically sent as soon as it's generated. Using the Content Library API, you can push the content and automatically connect it to various website widgets.

This is useful to many business owners because they always have data stored in an external source be it their own contact form, Salesforce, etc.

With a single source of truth, the Content Library, you can be assured that the website will always be updated and know exactly what it shows visitors at any time.

You also no longer have to manually update the data in each widget as the Content Library contains all the data you may need to use ensuring site-wide consistency.

Here's how the process looks:

3. ButterCMS

ButterCMS is in the class of “headless” CMSs. A headless CMS is like a traditional content management system but it's back-end only.

While it allows creating, reading and updating of content, it doesn't offer a way to present it. Because of this lack of a front-end delivery layer, brands are allowed to use a tool of their choice to deliver the content.

In the hyper-connected world where users are consuming content from so many devices, the brand has no choice but to be present in all the formats.

Thus, you want your content to be delivered beyond websites and apps to smartwatches, VR headsets and kiosks.

ButterCMS uses its API-first technology to save users “thousands of dollars worth of development time.”

Besides allowing you to create a feature-rich website, the CMS requires no maintenance from you as it takes care of its own security upgrades, performance troubleshooting and hosting.

Conclusion

There's no shortage of business data. With the ever-increasing connectedness comes a treasure trove of data for businesses that care enough to harness it.

Once collected, this can be organized into meaningful information for consumers and shared online.

Using data pushes, your business can turn this into an avenue for staying engaged with your customers. One of these tools might be just what you need to make this happen.