Selecting the Right Framework for Your Website

When we help our partners develop a new website, selecting the right framework is one of the most critical tasks. This can set us up for success or hinder site functionality and growth potential. With infinite solutions to pick from, it can feel overwhelming and even daunting for businesses to select a new framework. There are numerous considerations that we consider, which we will discuss in-depth in this blog.

Understanding Your Website Needs

It is essential that we understand your website's main goals, requirements and functionality, which we break down by doing a deep dive into the following inquiries:

• Are you a professional services provider or an e-commerce organization? While there can be a "both scenario", this question helps us with whether we are building an informational website that captures leads versus a retail organization that needs to facilitate shopping on the site.
• Will you need to be able to access and edit the content on the website? This lets us know if you need to install a content management system. Some companies prefer to outsource all their website needs. In contrast, others may want a balance with access to change the content as needed. This also gives us a better picture of your team and whether you have developers on staff to maintain the framework in addition to the content.
• Do you have integrations that need to be made to backend systems? Businesses often need to integrate with backend systems such as CRMs, appointment scheduling, financial systems (like merchant services) and more. Understanding these integrations helps us know which framework we can leverage to most effectively handle this type of functionality.
• Do you have any web applications? Web applications are systems that users can interact with on the website with a dynamic output. For example, tracking a shipment online where a user inputs a tracking number, and the application returns shipment movement history. This type of dynamic interaction on the website needs to be integrated with the back-end logic/systems of an organization. Another use would be the ability to login to the website to gain access to personal details and profiles specific to individual customers to tailor their experience. This type of interaction is more dynamic and requires advanced functionality to control the site’s content based on a user’s profile.

Exploring Framework Options

Selecting a framework is just the first step in the process; how that framework is leveraged is 99% of what is important for your organization. After all, frameworks are responsible for:

• Your website's technical performance
• Enhancement capabilities and cost
• Maintenance capabilities and cost
• Functionality availability
• Resource experience needs
• Scalability

There are hundreds of choices when it comes to website frameworks. For organizations that have technical teams on staff and/or functionality, they need to utilize frameworks that are built in a specific language; it is imperative to utilize a framework that both your internal team can leverage and one that interfaces with existing business logic with the least resistance.

At Web Tech Fusion, we utilize two major language sets:

• PHP, a backend language
• JavaScript, a front-end language

While these are not frameworks, they are the basis on which website frameworks are built. Being a technology firm, we recommend working with a firm that specializes in language sets that are most relevant to your organizational needs.

We categorize website frameworks into three major categories:

1. A dynamic, high-performance website with low to moderate API integration needs without the need for a content management system (CMS). This is best suited for utilizing our proprietary framework that we have been building for 20+ years. It is built on PHP, uses JavaScript and is built on the LAMP stack (Linux Operating System, Apache Server, MySQL Database and PHP Programming Language). This platform is extremely lightweight, performs excellently and is rather scalable. It also allows any other firm with web development knowledge using the LAMP stack to take over the project should you ever change partners in the future.
2. Dynamic website with medium to high API integration needs, including the need for a content management system (CMS). These websites are better suited for WordPress, in which we would utilize WordPress Core and integrate our custom code to prevent it from overutilizing plugins or templates. We focus on building the logic ourselves versus utilizing plugins/templates because the overuse of foreign code can cause degradation over time, negatively impact your website's overall performance and open your organization to risk due to not having control over code that is being contributed to these plugins. This platform, while a bit bloated, is used on a wide scale (40% of the internet uses WordPress!). It is extremely extensible and allows for rapid development of advanced functionality without having to "reinvent the wheel." WordPress also has a "Framework Plugin" for e-commerce called "WooCommerce" that allows us to connect and integrate a shopping experience for retailers, making this an even more powerful framework for more complex websites.
3. Dynamic website with high API integration and custom business functionality needs. This would be suited for Laravel, where we utilize our own code practices to build out the site's structure, but leverage Laravel's extremely extensible integration/API code sets to allow us to build specific functionality for larger organizations. Laravel is built on the LAMP stack, making it a good Web Tech Fusion framework for much larger projects. By leveraging this platform, you receive access to a well-structured framework designed to offer numerous tools to build custom functionality that a business might need to integrate with its existing systems. This differs from WordPress, as you have a fresh canvas to work from instead of overhauling and editing the framework to fit your specific needs. There are also use cases where we might utilize Laravel as our framework and leverage API connections to the "WordPress CMS" for a specific job like editing content. This is where the benefits of Laravel really come into play, allowing you to connect to any system you need to get the job done right.

Which Framework is Right for you?

Selecting website frameworks is not as simple as sifting through our options and picking the best one. When talking with a team that has been gathering requirements and delivering websites for organizations for over 20 years, you can feel confident in our process and intentions. Our top priority lies in finding a proper framework that makes the most sense for your organization now and well into the future.

Without taking this necessary step, your brand, team and future can be in jeopardy. By choosing or working with the wrong framework, you risk losing time, money, resources and customer relationships. The best way to avoid these issues and develop a website you can expect to use for years to come is by talking with experienced experts like us about what you need to be able to do today, what you aim to do tomorrow and what you expect to be doing in the far future.

The framework or starting point for what needs to happen next is to deploy a team of qualified and experienced professionals to leverage the framework and expand upon it to meet your requirements and ensure that the website is scalable for future needs.

Building a Solid Framework Foundation

There is an endless list of considerations when selecting a framework for your website. It is common for organizations to know what they want to be able to do but are unsure how any of the systems work to allow it to be done. That is why it is so important to be mindful when finding and selecting a website framework professional to work with. You want someone you can confidently trust to think objectively and strategically to develop a website that doesn't just look great or function well but serves your organization exactly how you need it to.

Working with a professional organization who can explain the different options in a way that's easy to understand is a great way to avoid the 'one size fits all' developers that sell a single product/solution, usually template oriented. Their approach might seem to get you to the market quickly and at a fraction of the cost, but it will end up costing you more in the long run. The real goal? Find a trustworthy solution provider who can customize your website's development to meet your specific needs and invest appropriately into one of the most important aspects of your organization’s interface with your customers.

We take pride in the entire process of website development. From developing solutions that will serve the organization's goals to designing the website framework to match the brand's look and feel – we value our partnerships and commit to delivering an end product that performs exceptionally. We want to see our partners succeed not simply today or even a year from now but decades down the road. To do so, you must have a strong foundation from which to build.

A website or its framework is not just a product but a cornerstone of your organization and an investment that should be evaluated properly to maximize your growth and scalability potential.