Quick summary ↬

The past 18 months have been a time of unprecedented turmoil. As the people of the world flooded online, businesses joined them and used web development tools to adapt in real time.

A few years ago I wrote a lifetime about website builders. Yes, that’s a thing. At the time, it was as if there was a gap between drag-and-drop tools and complete web development. Today, it’s gratifying to see people like Wix add more code-heavy options to their repertoire.

Judging by Velo’s report, I’m not alone in feeling that way.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced much of the world online. Billions of people have worked, gone out and condemned on the internet more than ever before. To meet this change, businesses have strengthened their online offering. The demand for web developers and development tools is higher than ever.

The team at Veil by Wix – which provides a complete, fast web development platform – wanted to explore what this massive digital migration means for the industry. What web development platforms are used? By whom are they used, and why?

To answer these questions, Velo conducted a survey among 1200 developers and the resulting results Quick Web Development Report is quite fascinating. In the space between drag-and-drop website builders and off the ground, there is a lot of demand, and not always for the reasons you would expect.

What are fast web development platforms?

Before you put in the meat and potatoes of the report, we need to be clear about how Velo defines Rapid Web Ddevelopment (RWD). In the broadest sense, it means using builders or tools that streamline the development process.

We all recognize the spectrum on which these things sit, even if we have not given it a name. From low and low code platforms like Wix and Weebly to technologically visual tools like Velo, this is what we use when we want or need websites and web applications quickly- without coding everything from scratch.

Convenience and accessibility have long been the selling points of fast web development platforms. They handle many of the most important aspects of websites so that developers (or business owners, bloggers or activists) can focus more on the functionality of their project.

They offer ready-made or built-in solutions for many aspects of the site. These include:

  • Infrastructure
  • Database
  • Content management
  • Design
  • Servers
  • Security and privacy
  • Deployment
  • Maintenance
  • Business Solutions
  • Search engine optimization

In short, they take care of the foundations while still giving control. Each of the above aspects can be on their own full-time job (at Smashing Magazine we have published enough articles about it to know this), so the value of resources is unmistakable.

Key Findings

Let’s address the key points before we get into trouble. The report uses data from 1,200 respondents, 60% of whom describe themselves as entrepreneurs or freelancers. Together with agencies, it forms the majority of RWD users.

Those surveyed typically use Rapid Web Development platforms to support and grow their businesses, with speed, flexibility and cost-effectiveness the most important profession — especially in the Covid-19 era. Convenience surpasses technical capabilities. The real value of such tools is how they can facilitate the management of businesses.

The times they change

Such a sharp focus on business is meaningful given what has happened over the past 18 months. Calling the Covid-19 a time of upheaval is an understatement. Even the ever-changing web is shaky.

Of those surveyed, 42% said the pandemic was a time of great or extreme change. There was something of massive migration to e-commerce, with businesses that need to relocate online to meet the demand.

Few businesses can afford to take months to build custom web presence. The streamlined, out-of-the-box convenience and scalability of Rapid Web Development platforms have always made commercial websites a natural fit. This is evident from the report, with more than 80% of respondents saying that RWD instruments helped their businesses during the pandemic.

No time to waste

As for why, 61% of respondents said they use Rapid Web Development platforms because they ‘improve efficiency’. This and ‘productivity’ were the two most popular choices.

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Why use fast web development platforms?

You also get an idea of ​​how diverse the use cases are. While 56% of respondents said they use one RWD platform, the other 44% use multiple. Different builders have always had different strengths (Squarespace for design, Shopify for online stores, etc.), but it’s still interesting to see that so many people are looking for efficiency and yet still using multiple platforms.

Ecommerce thrives

Consistent with the online march, 44% of respondents said they use Rapid Web Development platforms to build e-commerce websites. This was by far the most common answer. Cost-effectiveness was the deciding factor for 64% of the subset. If people want to sell online, they want to be fast and affordable. Add hospitality and restaurants together and you’ve a big part of Rapid Web Development’s user base.

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What are markets used for?

That said, it’s clearly not just about the money. The second most common use of Rapid Web Development was blog and media, now followed by technology. Being present online is invaluable in many sectors, and website builders remain a popular way to achieve this.

Flexible frameworks

A particularly informative part of the report examines how fast web development platforms fit into the broader ecosystem. Gone are the days of website builders only being used by those who could not code. Their ease and flexibility make them viable options for just about everyone.

The framework most used among the respondents was Respond, with just under two-thirds saying they know it. Angular was second with 33.6% and Saw third with 30.9%. Technical knowledge is solid.

Despite the notoriety, frameworks are used primarily because they are known, not necessarily because they are loved. Only 25% of respondents said they use the frameworks they use because they like the product. Not a number that is completely out of the blue, yet very damning.

The appeal of web development tools takes on another dimension. Why would anyone use a framework they do not even like, when faced with a one-off project such as a portfolio website? Maybe they’d rather rustle something with a builder in half the time.

Cost an important factor

Not everyone has the resources to hire a development team at the gate. It is a huge investment of not only money but also time. All in all, cost reimbursement is the main attraction of fast web development platforms.

When asked why they use it, the three main reasons for respondents were:

Percentage Reason
64% “It’s more cost-effective.”
61% “Keep up with the needs of the customer.”
46% “Give competition a chance.”

The one-two to be affordable and up to date is far above all other factors. Even if these problems are not completely removed, it is much more manageable.

Meanwhile, openness was something that users did not care much about RWD tools. There is a time and place for open source code and total technical control, and these are not business sites in a pandemic.

There is no right way to do web development. The overall feeling you get from the rapid web development report is that a wider range of tools ensure that we can each build websites and applications in the right way for us.

As the report itself sums up, users are ‘not committed to a specific technology, but to the practical.’ Each platform is a tool in our web development toolbox. Sometimes only a React app can work from scratch. Other times, however, assistive technology is the only way to get the desired results, by the deadline you have to meet.

This was especially the case during the pandemic, with numerous businesses moving online and turn to rapid web development tools to help them keep track of seemingly relentless changes.

Prospective web developers sit completely on a spectrum, from total beginners to experts with a full stack, and everything in between. It’s reassuring to see how tools reflect reality and help people get online.

Smashing Editorial(vf, hy)



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