Custom web development services have long been rated as the primitive tools that business enterprises can use to create a strong digital business model.
Given that web development services in India have now existed for a long time and that website development is no longer considered a rocket science it makes enormous good sense to suggest that it may have lost some of its sheen owing to the standardization of services and the ever increasing bandwagon of business enterprises on the digital landscape.
Cynics may well suggest that the value of web development thus may have fallen. This is where there is a need to do a recheck.
A seachange in custom web development
Unlike the yesteryear, custom web development that India has traditionally experienced has now undergone a sea change. In fact there is a pressing need to look at custom web development as a tool that enables business enterprises to stand out in the milling crowds of millions of websites.
While standard web development is a commodity that is but a necessary condition for business enterprises to fulfill, it no longer guarantees success in the digital market space. Custom web development puts the tried and time tested technological tools in the template of local problem solving and local innovation to overcome specific challenges that business enterprises face.
The understanding of the fact that no two business enterprises are the same combined with precision of technology handling gives birth to a highly customized service of web development. There are many challenges that clients face and traditional commoditized web services do not have an answer to these.
Going mobile
Looking ahead we take a look at these challenges and comprehend the science of deriving a strong value proposition in the digital space. The most significant of these challenges is the advent of mobile internet and the rapidly rising population of smart phone users who conduct transactions on the phone. With multiple operating systems and multiple disruptive innovations hitting the Indian mobile market, the development of websites for smart phones is not just a technological complexity but also a business compulsion that promises to alter the way digital business is done.
Getting the World Wide Web on the Smart Phone Screen
India has seen a sharp rise in mobile connectivity over the last two decades. On top of that the biggest game changer has been the advent of smart phones and the consequent withdrawal of feature phones from the market. This has opened up a new market for business enterprises with tremendous potential especially in the B2C segment.
Consumer goods companies, eCommerce ventures, banks, financial corporations, stock brokerage houses and online retailers have seen windows of opportunities opening up like never before. It is in this context then that mobile and web development need to be thought of.
- Cheaper services – To begin with for internet to be accessed on the smart phone there is a much lesser cost borne by the consumer in comparison to that on personal computers. The fact that people can today access the internet on their hand held devices is a proof of the growing democratization of software, information and web technologies. Many more people can be brought under the net of internet on less expensive hand held devices than on personal computers that entail substantial costs.
- Different dynamics on mobile – Secondly, the dynamics of user interface, design and navigation for smart phones and other categories of hand held devices are very different from those of personal computers. To represent the World Wide Web on the small screen of a mobile with clarity, speed and simplicity is a different challenge altogether.
- Portabilty – Thirdly, internet for hand held devices and web presence for hand held devices are about portability. This portability calls for faster loading of pages, quick and easy navigation system that can be understood and used by laymen without having to go through a user manual.
The Optimization Argument and Ranking of Websites
The optimization argument consisting of search engine optimization, social media optimization and social media marketing has existed for a long time. The traditional optimization of a website depended on its user friendliness for personal computer users. This premise has suffered a jolt with Google deciding to penalize those websites that are not mobile friendly.
It makes good sense to suggest that this decision of Google lies in the best interests of emerging economies like India. With smart phones available at budgeted costs, there is a huge untapped population that can be tapped into for doing business. Moreover it is not just an act of social marketing but in the best interests of business enterprises to realize that mobile web presence will enable them to overcome the digital divide and thus make inroads into the very depths of the Indian market.
Thus in order to ensure a strong digital business model, companies have to create websites that work equally well on personal computers as well as on mobiles.
Solutions To These Challenges Based on Custom Web Services that India Offers
Custom web services that India offers can be used to address these challenges in a unique way while keeping costs under control. In fact business enterprises stand to gain a higher return on investment provided they hire vendors who customize web development services.
Given that the smart phone revolution has important repercussions for digital business offerings, web development services need to take into consideration the challenges of user interface, front end design, navigation, loading speed and graphics with greater precision.
These challenges are best addressed through the concept of responsive design that makes websites easy to surf and navigate on the small screens of smart phones. Responsive design also addresses the challenges of search engine optimization and website rankings by dealing with mobile specific issues. The use of responsive design and mobile optimized sites enables business enterprises to gain a higher return on investment by consolidating their web presence.
The battle for mobile supremacy is the ultimate test of the business model of enterprises that want to leverage digital platforms. In the near future it can only be expected that the B2C segment is likely to grow and thus local and global enterprises are likely to operate in a market morphology that comes very close to the academic prototype of perfect competition.
Getting websites mobile ready is not just a necessity but probably a viable condition to harnessing the power of internet of things to sell more, sell better and explore new markets in far off places like India. Given that India is an emerging economy and cost value has been dear to Indian individuals and institutions across value chains it only makes for a string argument in favor of mobile compatible websites based on responsive design.
Images: “Design web site templates./Shutterstock.com“
________________________________________________________________________________
Tweak Your Biz is a thought leader global publication and online business community. Today, it is part of the Small Biz Trends stable of websites and receives over 300,000 unique views per month. Would you like to write for us?
An outstanding title can increase tweets, Facebook Likes, and visitor traffic by 50% or more. Generate great titles for your articles and blog posts with the Tweak Your Biz Title Generator.
