In the fast-paced world of web development, efficiency is key, especially for small businesses. We’ve gathered insights from founders, CEOs, and directors to share their top practices and tools. From leveraging AI website builders to centralizing with Notion project management, explore these fifteen expert strategies to streamline your web development workflow. How do you streamline web development for your small business?
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- Leverage AI Website Builders
- Host Code Cafés Weekly
- Utilize Content Management Systems
- Implement Ticket Management Systems
- Specify Text Length for Designers
- Streamline with ClickUp Platform
- Employ Zoho Projects for Management
- Automate Testing and Integration
- Organize with Asana Project Management
- Standardize Tech Stack and Templates
- Incorporate Tower for Git Interface
- Create a Reusable Component Library
- Combine WordPress with Elementor Plugin
- Track Changes with Git Version Control
- Centralize with Notion Project Management
Leverage AI Website Builders
We are starting to use AI website builders to help create first drafts, and it’s making us much more efficient. New products like ZipWP and others like it allow you to set up a complete WordPress website using simple prompts.
Rather than making a copy of a WordPress installation, setting up a theme and template, coming up with page copy, and then generating images, we can do all that in under two minutes with AI. This saves a significant amount of time in the initial stages of web development. We can build as many prototypes as we like, set up several proofs of concept, and import the chosen option into a full installation. We’re finding AI website builders have a couple of benefits.
One, it frees up development time for bespoke design and creating those elements of uniqueness brands demand. Two, spending more of our time on the final stages delivers a much higher quality site in the same or less time. We don’t believe AI will replace developers and designers, but it can definitely help them with the less creative aspects of their role!
Pratik Chaskar, Co-Founder & CTO, Spectra
Host Code Cafés Weekly
In our small business, we swear by Code Cafés. These weekly gatherings combine coding challenges with casual discussions. It’s a space where creativity flows, and problem-solving becomes a shared adventure.
By fostering camaraderie and skill-sharing, we not only accelerate development but also nurture a culture of innovation. It’s about turning the mundane into moments of inspiration, making every line of code count.
David Wilfong, Founder and CEO, DavidWilfong
Utilize Content Management Systems
One practice that we use, which has significantly enhanced the web development process for my small business, is the utilization of a content management system (CMS).
A CMS is a software application that enables us to create, edit, organize, and publish digital content on the web without requiring advanced technical skills. We chose CMS platforms since they have a user-friendly interface. CMS platforms typically offer intuitive interfaces that make it easy for non-technical users to manage website content. You can update text, images, and multimedia elements using a visual editor, eliminating the need for manual coding.
Scott Evans, Director, Gorilla360
Implement Ticket Management Systems
One practice or tool that significantly enhances the efficiency of our web development process at my small business is leveraging a clear ticket management system. With such a system, we can easily organize and track tasks, issues, and project progress in a streamlined manner.
For instance, we create tickets for website updates, bug fixes, or new feature implementations, assign them to team members, set priorities, and monitor their status in real time. This approach ensures that everyone is on the same page and helps us stay organized, ultimately speeding up our web development workflow and delivering results more effectively.
By incorporating the shift-left approach, where testing and quality assurance are conducted early in the development cycle, we identify and address potential issues sooner, reducing rework and accelerating delivery.
Additionally, defining clear acceptance criteria for each ticket ensures that tasks are completed according to established standards, leading to higher-quality deliverables and smoother project outcomes. Overall, our ticket management system streamlines our web development process, facilitates collaboration, and helps us achieve our goals more efficiently.
Cache Merrill, Founder, Zibtek
Specify Text Length for Designers
In the world of web design and development, inconsistencies often arise between the length of the text and the space allocated by designers. To address this, I request that designers specify the approximate length of text they need. Then, I relay this information to the copywriters in the writing guide.
Marco Genaro Palma, Freelance CMO and SEO Consultant, GenaroPalma.com
Streamline with ClickUp Platform
ClickUp has revolutionized our web-development workflow by providing a unified platform for task management, documentation, and communication. Its flexibility and comprehensive feature set allow our team to streamline processes, maintain clear project visibility, and enhance collaboration.
By centralizing operations, we’ve significantly reduced the complexity of managing multiple projects, enabling us to deliver high-quality web solutions more efficiently.
Michael Sena, CEO & Lead Analytics Consultant, Senacea Ltd.
Employ Zoho Projects for Management
In my experience running OneStop Northwest, a significant efficiency booster in web development, especially for small businesses, has been the systematic utilization of project management tools, with a special emphasis on Zoho Projects. This tool has proven indispensable for streamlining communication, task management, and overall project workflow within our team and with our clients.
For instance, Zoho Projects facilitates real-time updates and collaboration, which means that everyone involved in a project is always on the same page. This eradicates the typical bottlenecks caused by miscommunication or waiting times for updates. One concrete outcome was a noticeable 30% reduction in project turnaround times for our web development projects, significantly boosting client satisfaction and our team’s ability to take on more work.
Another cornerstone practice that complements the use of project management software is regular usability testing throughout the development process. By engaging real users and collecting feedback early and often, we can make data-driven adjustments that significantly improve the final product’s user experience. This proactive approach not only enhances the quality of our websites but also reduces the need for time-consuming revisions post-launch.
In conclusion, integrating Zoho Projects for project management and prioritizing usability testing from the outset have been transformative for our web development efficiency at OneStop Northwest. These practices have empowered us to deliver higher-quality projects faster, enabling our small business clients to achieve their digital goals more effectively.
Dylan Cleppe, Co-Founder & CEO, OneStop Northwest LLC
Automate Testing and Integration
If you’re a small-business owner and want to streamline your web development process, start by thinking about how you can automate mundane parts of the process. For example, we automate most of our testing and integration, which frees up our developers’ time for other problems that could benefit from their knowledge and experience.
Automation, especially at this scale, may seem intimidating at first, but it’s easier than you think. The key is to choose one element at a time, make sure it works, then let it run naturally. Check in daily to make sure it’s working as intended. After a few weeks, start thinking about what you can automate next to save even more time and effort.
John Turner, Founder, SeedProd
Organize with Asana Project Management
I use online project management tools like Asana to ensure an efficient web development process for my business. Project management tools help you design transparent workflows and facilitate collaboration in the workplace. They make task management easy for you and allow you to easily track your progress. Web development can be a daunting process.
You may lose track of time while trying to do the task at hand or debugging your code. A project management solution keeps you in check and helps you keep up with set deadlines. It enables you to keep your tasks organized and makes it easier for you to stay on schedule.
Chris Klosowski, President, Easy Digital Downloads
Standardize Tech Stack and Templates
We try to keep our web development process consistent as we partner with several brands. Maintaining this consistency is possible with the same tech stack across most of our products and services.
We also build templates that can be used across different pages of the website. So, all that our designers have to do is reuse the templates wherever necessary. In this way, we are able to maintain a certain brand image and look across our offerings. It also makes the web development process efficient and consistent.
Finally, using the same tech stack and templates means that we can identify issues faster. I strongly recommend having processes, tools, and templates that are the same across the board to build your products and websites faster, but without losing quality.
Syed Balkhi, Co-Founder, WPBeginner
Incorporate Tower for Git Interface
I use Tower, which is a user-friendly Git interface designed for web developers. Tower offers an attractive, native interface for both Mac and Windows for Git use. I rely on it daily, as I’m not keen on pushing myself to use the command-line interface tool. Additionally, it brings significant value to the collection of web development tools for those seeking an easy-to-use debugging solution.
Tower represents a wise choice for inclusion in your web development toolkit, particularly for those who emphasize a smooth Git interface. I’m trying to recall when I began using it (it was likely about ten years ago). Tower has been a lifesaver for me on several occasions, and I believe Tower is an indispensable part of your collection of web development tools.
Lucas Ochoa, Founder & CEO, Automat
Create a Reusable Component Library
We created a component library that we frequently update. It is like a toolbox with pre-built design elements and functionalities. In our web development process, we check for recurring components and treat the pieces of code as reusable components. It makes the process more efficient and acts like a smart resource that we rely on to enhance the quality of our work.
The library consists of pre-made elements that we can easily adapt or integrate for new projects, so we don’t have to redo it from scratch. Currently, the boilerplate Next.js setup is our most significant tool as it helps with general styling and components ready to be deployed. It makes it easier to maintain a high-quality standard and remain consistent, even with occasional development projects. Our developers get to focus their creativity and effort on unique challenges instead of being held back by repetitive tasks.
Serhii Antoniuk, CEO, LITSLINK
Combine WordPress with Elementor Plugin
Sometimes the beaten path is the best path. Most small business owners are not software developers, so you have to think in advance for them. At first, everyone is concerned about the upfront cost of building a website and maintenance costs. That’s why they usually say, “I just need a small website,” when in reality, they need a flexible framework that allows them to build upon the existing foundation as their business grows.
That’s why I’m using a tried-and-true combination of WordPress + Elementor plugin because I can create a cool graphic template easily and very fast, while leaving room to add an eShop, or a membership plugin when the time comes. Not only that, but there are tons of plugins you can use to enhance the WordPress functionality for cheap or even free. Having also a huge community of developers they can hire will help any small business in the long run to keep the costs under control.
Ionut-Alexandru Popa, Editor-in-Chief and CEO, BinaryFork
Track Changes with Git Version Control
As a business owner, I have always used version control systems like Git. I have particularly found it helpful because it allows me to track any changes to my website’s code. You can easily check what changes were made and when. This can be invaluable for debugging issues or understanding why certain decisions were made.
Besides, it also allows you to collaborate with your team members. Even if you have multiple developers working on the same codebase simultaneously, Git helps manage and merge their changes seamlessly. You can also revert to previous versions if needed. All of these have always helped me streamline the development process and prevent errors.
Josh Kohlbach, CEO & Founder, Wholesale Suite
Centralize with Notion Project Management
Our process becomes more efficient when leveraging Notion as a project management and collaboration tool. This tool allows us to centralize project documentation, streamline communication, and track progress.
We can create customizable Kanban boards with Notion to visualize workflows, create detailed project documentation, and set up task lists with deadlines and assignees. Its collaborative features also allow for seamless communication and collaboration among the team, keeping everyone updated and aligned on the project goals and timelines.
Marcus Clarke, Owner, Searchant
