Custom web development companies are the creative problem-solvers of the digital world.
They’re the teams businesses turn to when they need tailor-made website development solutions that off-the-shelf options can’t provide. The main benefit of hiring a custom web development agency is to help create a bespoke digital solution that meets your needs and achieves your web design goals.
This article uncovers the ten most common projects a specialized development agency handles, including the applications, user perks, and potential costs of custom web solutions.
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Why Consider a Custom Web Development Agency?
The one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in custom web development. Your distinct challenges demand custom web design solutions. That’s where custom web development agencies excel.
As professional problem-solvers, here are three ways an agency can add value to your brand with custom website development:
- They can help you achieve the specific goals of your business.
- They can help your business stand out from competitors.
- They can help improve the efficiency and productivity of your business.
The best custom development agencies have the know-how and experience to get you where you want to go.
How Custom Solutions Benefit Your Brand – And Users
Custom web projects bring a dual dose of benefits – for businesses and end users alike.
Whether a new automated system for your staff or a simplified checkout process for your customers, custom web development companies give businesses more control over how they engage with customers and the brand image they put out into the digital world.
While off-the-shelf development solutions can still help a business achieve its goals, there’s something to be said for improved business efficiency or blowing the socks off of your customers. Achieving both doesn’t hurt either.
For businesses, custom web development projects can help to:
- Increase sales
- Automated business workflows
- Free up internal resources
- Improve customer service and engagement
- Build brand awareness and brand image
- Generate more leads
- Reduce costs
For end users, custom web development projects can help to:
- Provide a better user experience
- Access information more easily
- Get the information they need faster
- Interact with businesses in a more engaging way
- Establish brands as trusted industry authorities
Typical Scope of a Custom Web Development Service Provider
From e-commerce platforms that give customers a unique shopping experience to data tools that help businesses make better financial decisions, a specialized custom web development agency can handle many different types of complex projects.
Here are 10 of the most common projects custom development agencies tend to work on:
1. E-commerce solutions
E-commerce solutions like Shopify and WooCommerce make it easy to sell products or services online. But with so many new e-commerce businesses popping up, the off-the-shelf templates these platforms offer make it hard for businesses to stand out.
Whereas generic e-commerce platforms are a dime a dozen, tailored options are built with your users in mind. Credo’s ecommerce web development partners have deep experience building on these platforms; whether from the ground up or by customizing pre-existing templates.
Some of the features that custom e-commerce solutions typically include are:
- Easy product catalog management
- Improved shopping cart functionality
- Simplified payment processing
- Automated shipping and fulfillment
- Improved customer support
- Enhanced marketing and SEO tools
More and more businesses want custom e-commerce solutions to help reach a wider audience and increase sales. Hiring a custom development agency is how they get there.
2. Business process automation
Business process automation (BPA) involves automating tasks that are currently done manually.
BPAs help free employees from tedious jobs who can then focus on other tasks, improving the operational efficiency of your entire business. Custom web development agencies can seamlessly weave BPA tools like Zapier into your business workflow.
Some of the tasks that custom development agencies can automate include:
- Data entry
- Customer service
- Order processing
- Inventory management
- Payroll
- Accounting
Building customized BPA processes is a great place to start if you want to save time and money, improve accuracy, and reduce errors at every level of your organization. Custom web developers have the technical knowledge to create automated BPA solutions anyone can use.
3. Data collection and reporting tools
Bespoke data collection and reporting tools can be used to collect and analyze data with parameters specific to your business. Domo and Tableau are popular tools that offer flexibility in gathering and using your data to make informed business decisions.
Some of the features that data collection and reporting tools typically include are:
- Data collection forms
- Data analysis tools
- Reporting templates
- Data visualization tools
A custom web development agency can streamline progress tracking, trend spotting, and decision-making by designing custom apps and processes through these tools. These tools have a high technical threshold, but customer developers simplify the process for you.
4. Event or location-specific apps
Event or location-specific apps, like Whova, are designed for a specific event or location. They can be used to provide information, manage registrations, or track attendance. The problem is that these apps all tend to look and function the same way.
Some of the features that event or location-specific apps typically include are:
- Event schedule
- Location information
- Registration forms
- Attendance tracking
- Networking features
Say you hire a custom web development agency to build a custom event app that isn’t the same as all the others, such as an app with a novel social sharing functionality. That unique selling proposition (USP) makes more users want to use your service.
5. Games
Games are a fun and entertaining way to engage users. They can also be used to collect data or promote a brand. From KFC to Nike, many brands offer bespoke gamified experiences.
Some of the features that games typically include are:
- Gamification elements
- Leaderboards
- Achievements
- Social sharing
Game app development by a custom web development agency can help your business increase brand awareness, improve user engagement, and collect more data from more people.
6. Data aggregators
Data aggregators like Plaid and Finserv, collect data from one or more sources, provide some value-added processing, and repackage the results in a simplified presentation. This can be helpful to track data, like the average consumer age of a specific industry, from multiple sources.
Some of the features that data aggregators typically include are:
- Data consolidation
- Data filtering
- Data visualization
- Reporting tools
Data aggregators are powerful business tools that can be complex to install. Custom web development agencies can install these systems into your current business workflow to save time and money, improve accuracy, and make better decisions.
7. Social networks
Social networks like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram can be used to connect with customers, build relationships, and generate leads. They can also be used to promote and sell products or services. But the truth is that most businesses don’t know these platforms can be personalized.
Some of the features that social networks typically include are:
- User profiles
- Selling products
- Newsfeeds
- Find local events
- Play games
- Create groups
- Messaging
- Sharing features
For example, The Graph API is a key part of the Meta platform, and it’s used by millions of custom developers worldwide. Graph API helps them build custom apps that programmatically query data, post new stories, manage ads, upload photos, and perform various other tasks on all Meta products, including Facebook, Instagram, Whats App, and Messenger.
Other social platforms have similar capabilities that most businesses don’t use to their full potential. A custom web development team can help install powerful social listening tools and offer a more personalized/engaging social experience in your marketing strategy.
8. Content management systems (CMS)
CMSs are used to create and manage websites without the need for specialized coding knowledge. A CMS like HubSpot is a popular choice for businesses that need to be able to easily update their websites with content such as news articles, blog posts, and product pages.
Some of the features that CMSs typically include are:
- Content creation and editing tools
- Content publishing tools
- Content management tools
- Security features
- SEO tools
CMSs can help businesses save time and money, improve their content management efficiency, and improve their websites’ security. Most custom development teams have extensive experience customizing CMS and can suggest the right tool for your business.
10. Learning Management Systems (LMS)
With eLearning growing at 20% YOY, LMSs are valuable tools to create and deliver online courses. They typically include features such as course creation, grading, and tracking student progress. LMSs are a popular choice for businesses that offer training or certification programs to their employees or customers.
Some of the features that LMSs typically include are:
- Course creation tools
- Grading tools
- Tracking tools
- Reporting tools
- Social learning features
Custom web development agencies can help businesses customize LMSs to meet their specific needs by adding features and functionality unavailable in off-the-shelf LMSs. Gamifying learning is just one customization example. This saves time and money, improves training programs’ efficiency, and tracks staff or customers’ progress more effectively.
10. Application Programming Interfaces (API) Plugins
Finally, application programming interfaces (APIs) plugins are a set of rules developers use to define how two applications can communicate with each other. Businesses of all sizes use APIs like Gravity Forms on WordPress to connect their applications and share data.
- Create new products and services
- Improve technical performance
- Monitor technical performance
- Set parameters or filter data
- Automate tasks
- Improve efficiency
- Authenticate data
- Cache data
Custom web development agencies can use APIs to connect different applications and share data. APIs tend to unify two or more custom solutions that fill out the rest of this list.
Aside from Gravity Forms, a custom web development agency can use an API to automatically sync customer data between a CRM system and an e-commerce platform.
These are just a few of the many projects a custom web development company might handle. The specific projects a company works on will depend on the needs of its clients.
What Do Custom Web Development Services Cost?
The price of a custom web development project will vary depending on a number of factors, including the project’s complexity, the development team’s experience, and the client’s specific needs. Many factors go into pricing and hiring the right development team.
However, custom web development projects can generally range in price from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
[Related readings: The ROI Attached To Custom Web Design Services]
How To Choose a Custom Web Development Company
When choosing a custom web development company, it is important to consider a number of factors, including:
- The company’s experience
- The company’s portfolio
- The company’s communication skills
- The company’s pricing
It is also important to get quotes from multiple companies before deciding. Our comprehensive guide to custom web and software development delves deeper into typical pricing expectations.
Wrapping Up
Custom web development projects can be a great way for businesses to achieve their specific goals and stand out from their competitors.
If you are considering a custom web development project, be sure to research and choose a company with the experience and skills to meet your needs.
Find a Top Custom Web Development Agency On Credo
Credo matches businesses with specialized custom web development agencies based on their needs. All the agencies on Credo have deep experience with custom web and software development, pass a rigorous pre-vetting process, and are ready to work for you today.
Find the right custom web development team on Credo today – fast and for free.
