Time was — not all that long ago in fact — to build a website you needed a web developer. Or, if you wanted an app created, well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who you’d call…
But here we are in 2021. Now more than ever, tech is ingrained in our daily lives. In fact it’s taken on a renewed purpose — and even greater importance — over the last 12 months.
However, while the coding skills needed to construct more complex online platforms remain a necessity for a lot of larger businesses, for solopreneurs and small business owners there are so many quick, effective, and simple ways to build an online presence — on their own or with minimal support.
Welcome to the low-code/no-code revolution.
‘The what now?’
Both low-code and no-code platforms essentially allow users to pull together websites and apps in a user-friendly visual environment. But while the terms often get used interchangeably, there's a shade of difference between the two.
Low-code solutions are designed to help those with development experience quickly build websites, apps, and other online portals — using simple visual development environments and allowing users to pull in automated links back-end systems, databases, web services, or APIs.
No-code solutions however, take this abstraction a step further, introducing visual drag-and-drop interfaces, often bundling snippets of code together to allow users to essentially stack and deploy their site or app in the format they’re looking for.
Or, according to Webflow, “The no-code movement rests upon the fundamental belief that technology should enable and facilitate creation, not be a barrier to entry.”
They make a strong point. In a world where technology is feted as able to provide a solution to so many different problems, the faster that solution can be brought to fruition from the initial spark of inspiration, the better.
With this in mind, it’s not just novices that are using these platforms to create their ideas and bring their vision to life, developers themselves are embracing low-code and no-code too — again for the sake to being able turn things around quickly, easily, and more cost effectively too.
For example, low-code and no-code services are great for building app prototypes and proof of concepts. They also offer developers more autonomy and freedom from project workflows. Plus they come with fewer dependencies, lower production costs, and a lot less hassle.
And considering platforms like Webflow allow developers to add their own custom code, they’re still able to flex some expert muscle — but again with a less time and cost-intensive roadmap to success.
Keen to explore what these services can do for you? Take a closer look at our low-code/no-code app/platform recommendations:
Landing pages
Websites
- Webflow (our number 1 choice)
- Squarespace
- Wix
Website forms
Website logins
Mobile Apps
Database Apps
Chatbots
App integration
Video creation
As sci-fi writer, Arthur C. Clarke (author of 2001: A Space Odyssey), is noted as saying: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Given the pace of change, we see examples of this so clearly whenever new devices are launched. But thanks to low-code and no-code, the ‘smoke and mirrors’ of web development are falling by the wayside, and clearing a path for something simple-yet-honest for those who’d otherwise get caught in the technical weeds.
