One of the most important services in the digital age is software development. Businesses need websites, Web applications and mobile apps to represent their companies to the public, to provide online services to their customers and to collect valuable data from their users. Software development has always been a highly specialized skill, and as users have become more knowledgeable, devices have become more powerful, and programming has become more technical and sophisticated.

Specializing in Web Development

Today’s programmers typically specialize in one area of software engineering, and for most businesses, the relevant type of programming is on the Web and mobile devices. Even within these specialized areas, there are many delicate issues to address, such as secure payment gateways, user data encryption and general network security. Every time a new Web protocol is developed, cyber criminals look for ways to steal credit card numbers and otherwise put users in compromising positions.

Many older enterprise software technologies are riddled with security vulnerabilities, and there is little a business using this technology can do to protect itself, aside from dropping support for past software releases. Professional Web and mobile developers must stay current on the latest security methods, programming frameworks, operating systems, browsers and mobile platforms to ensure that their clients provide a safe and reliable experience for users.

Keeping Businesses Secure

The best way to prevent security breaches is to stay up to date on the latest software solutions and to implement proper data security protocol at every step of the development cycle. It’s the programmer’s job to constantly learn new frameworks and security protocols because this task is too cumbersome for a business clients to worry about. A Web design firm should ideally offer programming services in addition to a suite of marketing options and business analytics so that clients can find a solution to all their Web and mobile requirements in one place.

DotComWebDesign takes care of the complete package of Web-related services, from Web app design and administration portal setup to SEO and follow-up marketing. Businesses don’t have to know exactly what they need before they hire DotComWebDesign to handle their Web strategy because the developers and marketing managers at DotComWebDesign provide expert consultation and support to help clients understand their options. The process is completely painless and actually quite interesting and enjoyable.

Providing a Suite of Software Solutions

Businesses that hire DotComWebDesign don’t need to worry about hiring IT managers or a marketing staff as these jobs can be completely outsourced to a Web development agency. A business with no Web presence whatsoever can expect to be generating heavy inbound Web traffic within one to two months of creating a blog or interactive website. All that is required is to keep the site updated with new content on a regular basis. The software developers at DotComWebDesign can create any type of custom website a business may need, from a standard content management system to a one-of-a-kind, modular Web interface.

Most businesses benefit from a standard CMS-style blog or e-commerce site, while some businesses need a completely original dynamic Web application for employees or customers to log into. A blog is one of the most popular forms of inbound traffic generation because it forms the basis for organic, SEO-driven content marketing. The way inbound marketing works is by creating a blog, video site or interactive website with content highly relevant to the customer base of the business in question. Customers are already searching the Web for information related to this content, so when businesses provide it for them, they receive this organic, inbound Web traffic. The cost is much lower than it is for conventional outbound advertising, such as magazine ads and TV commercials.

Taking Advantage of Search Engine Traffic

Traditional outbound marketing is much less targeted than content marketing because print and TV ads are shown to large portions of an audience that may not be interested in the product or service being marketed. A CMS is a pre-packaged system for publishing blog posts and other Web content without needing to know anything about programming. Blog frameworks like WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger let users post blog updates and any other type of content from an administrator dashboard.

DotComWebDesign developers can set up a pre-made CMS with custom plugins and an easy-to-use administrator interface. Another option is to build a CMS from scratch with a particular set of user requirements in mind. A company blog works quite well for most businesses that need to establish a line of communication with their customers. However, for businesses that need a more complicated website, DotComWebDesign provides dynamic Web application programming to meet the needs of any small- to medium-size business.

Custom Web Apps That Really Perform

A dynamic Web application is simply a computer program that runs on a Web server. Like a desktop spreadsheet or word processor, it can include any type of function, but it is accessed over a network connection, similar to the way cloud apps are accessed. The simplest Web apps can be written entirely in JavaScript and HTML, while more complicated programs require an application programming framework, such as Django, Ruby on Rails or Laravel.

Web apps have been increasingly popular for as long as PC users have had access to fast processors, large amounts of RAM and broadband Internet. The term “Web 2.0” is the nickname for this development in Web technology, and it has led to further developments such as Software as a Service and other scalable, cloud-based solutions. A custom Web app lets businesses offer an original user experience to their customers and efficiently manage internal tasks.

Usually, this type of website isn’t used for marketing purposes but for organizing content for customers and employees. For example, streaming video websites typically use custom Web apps. Their members log into a Web portal and access streaming media through a multimedia framework, such as Flash, HTML5 or Silverlight. No matter what type of Web programming is required, DotComWebDesign will take care of the entire project, from start to finish, and continue monitoring the site’s performance with SEO tools and business analytics.