Nowadays, custom web application development has become a new trend, and every business focuses on building its custom web app. Because each business has unique needs and goals to fulfill, building a custom web app allows them to serve its purpose at a more personalized level to customers.
However, many businesses are unaware of the importance of building a custom web app rather than a generic one and how it can stand out a brand from the competition. Don’t worry!
If you’re also planning to build a custom web application, then this guide will help you from scratch.
In this guide, we will understand everything about custom web application development, its types, importance and the process of building a custom web application.
So, without any further delay, let’s dive in!
What is a Custom Web Application?
A custom web application is specialized software built for specific businesses based on their needs and brand identity. It looks like a brand’s personalized application that works on browsers and provides a personalized experience to its customers. The primary goal of building a custom web application is to improve brand visibility, enhance customer experience and stand out.
Why Should You Build a Custom Web App?
There are numerous benefits to building a custom web application for businesses. Here are some major benefits:
1. Cross-Platform Compatibility
Cross-platform compatibility is one of the biggest benefits of building a custom web application. This means a web application can easily work on all different devices and OS, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. There’s no need to build a web app separately for each OS, which leads to saving time and resources for businesses.
2. Increased Reach
Web apps can be easily accessible on different devices and OS with internet connections worldwide. This increases customers’ reach for businesses and allows them to target their customers worldwide easily. Now, they can target their potential customers worldwide without limiting the location.
3. Faster Time-To-Market
Building a web application requires one-time efforts compared to building an application for different OSes like Android and iOS. This means businesses need to spend time, energy, and money on one-time web app development, and now, it can be smoothly accessible on any OS and device. This helps them launch their products or services faster to market than their competitors.
4. Improved ROI
Custom web apps are preferred because businesses have complete control over the app development, what features to have, what to avoid, how it works and how it can showcase brand appearance to customers at a personal level. Such options and accessibility lead to high ROI in the long term.
5. Lower Development Costs
Custom web application development costs less than building software because a web app needs to be built once without being built separately for each OS, such as Android, iOS, or Windows. This reduces the development cost, update, and maintenance of several apps and allows businesses to focus on one web app only.
6. Scalability
Custom web applications give businesses the option for scalability to expand their business worldwide. Web apps can easily expand as per business needs by integrating more functionalities and making it an ideal option for businesses to evolve their app as they grow.
7. Native-Like Performance
Web applications are most similar to actual applications, and they look and feel almost like native apps. These web apps can deliver fast, responsive and smooth interactions similar to mobile apps for businesses.
8. Easy Updates and Maintenance
Custom web applications are hosted on servers, which makes maintenance and updates easy for businesses to handle. As these applications are web-based, there’s no need to download anything to get a new update, and users can get the update without any hassle.
What are Different Types of Web Applications?
There are different types of web applications available for different purposes. Here are some main types of web apps:
- Static Web Apps: Static web apps are those web apps that are basic and straightforward, like digital brochures, where displayed content is fixed and shown to everyone to spread information. Just like brands want to share information about their products or services via brochures, in which information is fixed and displayed.
- Dynamic Web Apps: Dynamic web apps can display content and changes as per user input. These are interactive web apps that take users’ commands as input and respond at a more personal level. For EX – Shopify takes users’ commands for songs and then suggests music to users based on the internet and interactions.
- Single Page Apps: Single-page apps are those web apps that load once and then update content automatically without refreshing the whole page manually. This makes SPAs quick and easy to use, and they don’t need to be reloaded every time a user clicks. For example, Gmail and PayPal are examples of SPAs where content loads instantly without manually refreshing.
- E-commerce Web Apps: E-commerce web apps are like online stores where users can buy or sell products. All the essential features like product catalogs, shopping carts, and payment processing are added to the online store. For Ex – Amazon and eBay.
- Content Management System: A CMS app will allow non-technical users to build, edit and manage web app content smoothly without the need for coding skills. The most popular example is WordPress, which allows non-technical users to build their websites without any technical skills.
- Multipage Page Apps: Multi Page applications are those web apps that load a new page each time you click a link. It’s especially useful for large websites which have lots of sub-pages to showcase content. For example, on Amazon, where millions of products are listed, users click on a product, and a new page loads to see the details of the product.
- Progressive Web Apps: Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) are more similar to mobile apps but run in browsers. They offer features similar to mobile apps, but users can access the app via a browser rather than download it.
- Portal Web Apps: Portal web apps mainly act as a one-stop platform for accessing multiple resources from one single page, including email, news, and forums.
- Animated Web Apps: Animated web apps are web apps that use moving graphics and animations to create an engaging experience for users. Such apps are used to promote educational content. For Ex- Google’s Your Planet, where users can explore environmental tips with engaging animation.
- Rich Internet Web Apps: Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) are desktop applications that run in a browser. These RIAs are highly interactive and allow users to use these apps offline.
6 Simple Steps to Build Custom Web Application Development
Here are the six simple steps to build a custom web application development:
Step 1. Define Purpose and Scope
The very step you need to take is to decide what your app will do and what the purpose and end result you’ll receive when a user uses the web app. Think about your potential customers, how they’ll interact with your web app, and what they’ll do in your web app. Then, create a complete roadmap to know exactly the purpose of the app and its end goal.
Step 2. Research and Gather Requirements
Now, it’s time to do in-depth research on the competitors and see what works well and what the USP of your web app is. Look carefully at what your competitors are doing and how you can stand out. By doing in-depth research, you can come up with an exact roadmap that includes USP, features required, process, and organized steps to take for building your web app.
Step 3. Hire a Web Application Development Company
Not every business has the technical expertise to build a web app on its own. This is where custom web application development services come as the most preferred option. Where a team of experienced developers will understand your project needs and turn your vision into reality, so make sure to find a reliable web app development company that is capable of delivering your project under budget and timeline.
Step 4. Design and Development
Once you’ve hired an experienced web app development company for web development services, the next stage is creating your web app’s UI/UX design, its layout, and how users will engage with it. In this phase, feedback matters the most, and business owners and stakeholders need to keep sharing feedback during the design phase to ensure everything is up to date with their business goals and user expectations. After finalizing the design, a development phase is initiated, during which a team of developers starts front-end and back-end development to build a fully functional web app.
Step 5. Testing and Deployment
After the web app development, the QA team will test the app to identify and fix issues in the web app. Once all the issues are fixed, the development team will send it for deployment, where the app meets coding standards and performs efficiently.
Step 6. Launch and Maintenance
After the successful deployment of the web app, now it’s time to launch in the market and let the real world access your web app across multiple browsers. However, ensure proper maintenance of the development of web apps.
How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Custom Web Application?
When it comes to building a custom web application, it costs between $15,000 and $150,000+. However, there are several factors that affect the cost of web app development, including the complexity of the web app, functionalities, budget, timeline and customization level. So, make sure to consider these factors to come up with an accurately estimated cost for web app development.
Tech Stack Required for Web Application Development
Choosing a technology stack is important because each tech has unique functionalities and purposes. You need to pick the right web development frameworks that best suit your business needs. Here are some standard technology stacks you can consider for building a custom web app:
| Components | Technologies (USD) |
| Front-end Frameworks | React.js, Angular, Vue.js |
| Back-end Languages | Python, Java, Ruby, Node.js, PHP |
| Back-end Frameworks | Django, Spring Boot, Ruby on Rails, Express.js, Laravel |
| Databases (Relational) | MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS SQL |
| Databases (NoSQL) | MongoDB, CouchDB |
| Middleware & APIs | RESTful APIs, GraphQL |
Top 6 Custom Web Application Examples
Here are six real-world examples of web applications:
- Airbnb
- Salesforce
- Trello
- Netflix
- Canva
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Conclusion
Custom web application development is offering numerous advantages for businesses, and now most of them are switching to custom web apps to provide personalized experiences to their customers. We hope this guide will help you understand everything about custom web app development, its importance and why businesses need to build custom web apps for their business growth and scalability. Now, it’s your turn to hire a custom software development services provider and build your custom web app within budget.
FAQs
Q1. Are portal web applications and custom web applications the same?
No portal web applications and custom web applications are not the same. A portal web application is built for specific users to get details, tools, and documents in one place. On the other hand, a custom web application is like a website created for businesses to handle their operations online and grow their business.
Q2. How do you choose a reliable custom web application development partner?
To choose a reliable custom web application development company, you need to check their portfolio, years of experience, client reviews, and relevant past projects to find the best fit for your project.
Q3. What type of custom web applications can you build for your business?
You can opt for eCommerce, CMS, enterprise and learning management systems.
