The doomsday predictions have yet to come. Despite the rise of “free” platforms like WordPress and “walled garden” site builders like Wix, web development as an agency specialty has yet to be killed off by DIY. Not  all companies have taken charge of building and maintaining their own websites. Some lack the expertise to take charge of the effort, while others simply look to focus more on their other business activities. So they’re still happy to outsource their requirements to dev agencies. Besides, digital business evolves so quickly that companies often need to add new functionalities or occasionally redesign their sites. Fortunately, developers and agencies now also have access to solutions that allow them to fulfill these needs at scale. Many  of today’s web apps and services have also opened up their platforms via application programming interfaces (APIs), allowing third-parties to access various functionalities and data. As such, it’s possible for sites to draw data from external sources such as social media, ecommerce platforms and other cloud apps. Connected data can also be used to tap into third-party content libraries and push content to websites, simplifying content management and site maintenance. Here  are five ways connected data can essentially change the way developers and agencies approach website creation and management. 1. Added Functionalities Integrations allow sites to access data and embed powerful functionalities from third-party services. Doing this conventionally, mind you, used to require developers to write their own modules from scratch, which required a high level of expertise to accomplish securely and at scale. Image source: https://www.shore.com/en/reserve-with-google/ For developers and agencies, this can be simplified with the use of integrations. For example, restaurants and wellness businesses can easily integrate Shore’s appointment booking and customer management features into their websites, while seamlessly like Google My Business. syncing with third-party services 2. Faster Website Creation Connected data also enables the use of content libraries, allowing sites to draw from any data set including databases and existing websites. For example, a client may be looking to revamp its website within a tight deadline. The agency can simply use connected data to populate content across a variety of website templates, instantly creating a multitude of functional design prototypes that the client can choose from. Duda, for instance, is mainly used by agencies for its collaborative site building functionalities, but its API also allows developers to update content using externally hosted resources, or even to .  This greatly benefits clients, since they are able to readily preview new designs and quickly deploy them upon approval. It also helps to minimize downtime, as there’s simply no place for “Site Under Construction” pages in today’s internet. create entire websites with a push 3. Simplified Management Another key challenge for agencies is to help businesses to keep content accurate and up-to-date. How many sites, especially those by small businesses, display inconsistent or even contradicting information across its pages? Image source: https://www.yext.com/products/ Changes in key information such as pricing and contact details must be kept correct and they must be reflected in all the instances where the data is displayed on the site. Connected data allows this to be done automatically since any changes in the source of truth will be pushed to all website elements and sections that draw from it. You can even use a canonical business information platform like Yext as the for all of your clients’ content — on their website and beyond. single source of truth 4. Better Agility The  challenge in site creation today isn’t exactly how to make things work or if certain features can be added to a site. There are plenty of management systems, platforms, and plug-ins that can help developers deliver these capabilities. It’s about speed by which businesses can get their new or updated sites up and functional. The ability to instantly customize functionalities, reuse information, and deploy content gives companies the agility to tweak their experience according to changes in their goals and objectives. 5. Richer Experiences Businesses also have to quickly react to users’ fickle sensibilities. Just a few years ago, blogs were all the rage among company websites. Today, it’s all about social media and short form content. The future hints at the need for more automation and chatbots. That said, users still expect to see all of these functionalities be used by companies to create a rich and satisfying user experience. Agency developers must be able to provide their clients with the ability to deliver richer experiences that engage visitors better. Image source: https://www.personyze.com/crm-targeting-and-personalization/ Connected data can help companies offer personalized browsing experiences by using data gathered from the other aspects of the customer journey to display more relevant content. Once you’ve connected the relevant social media, email marketing, and advertising data platforms to your client’s CRM, you can then with a tool like Personyze, which serves up personalized, targeted offers to individual site visitors. use APIs to integrate that information Challenging the Old Connected data should come as welcome progress for the web development space, as it simplifies many of the creation and maintenance tasks needed to keep websites relevant in today’s business environment. Unfortunately,  not all developers and agencies are capable of performing the necessary  integrations to make this happen. There’s no shortage of shill agencies  that claim to be full-service outfits but are only capable of creating front-end customizations and deploying what are now run-of-the-mill functionalities. Their inability to perform these integrations can deprive their clients of the richer web experiences that connected data can bring. This is why it’s critical for web developers and design agencies to ensure that they have such capabilities. And it’s not about proving that they can handle the coding challenges — it’s about providing immediate value to their clients.

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