SaaS (Software as a Service) is not just an acronym. Still, it stands for Software solutions available on the Cloud to enable a User to access it over the internet and start using it almost instantaneously. The entire framework and logic are built into the solution, and the user has to merely subscribe to it and pay for actual usage after customization. Hosting also can lie with the service provider who manages the hardware and software and always ensures its availability.
Web Designing is a complicated domain. Although many web designers are available today, getting skilled ones often poses a challenge. Moreover, building from scratch takes time and involves multiple internal approvals.
Here is where SaaS steps in. There are frameworks available that enable you to design websites with the basic design in place. Coding is limited or not required at all. All you have to do is customize as per your tastes and preferences, and the coding will be generated automatically at the back end.
Table of Contents
Key Factors in Designing a Website
- Intuitive interface. The website must be easy to understand and not cluttered.
- It must be informative. Visitors to your site must be able to obtain information about the products or services you offer quickly.
- Clear website navigation. The landing page is not expected to carry much information. The key clicks should therefore be placed not in the corner of the page but at prominent locations.
- CTAs or a Call to Action. While information about your products or services is important, what is critical is the act of placing an order or filling up a form or any other action that will generate revenue for you. Most users need more time for procrastination, so these components must be placed at a prominent location in a visually appealing manner.
- Instant product/service introduction. Many visitors may need a clearer idea of what your site offers, so conveying the correct information is paramount and must be displayed prominently. Highlight the key features, and get into only a few details. The user could jump to the next screen by pointing and clicking on an object if he wants to know more. Testimonials should be displayed wherever available.
SaaS sites that help in web designing result from the collective wisdom of designers and marketing experts who have worked on these features for a long time and hence embed the best practices.
Key Saas Sites for Web Generation and Hosting
Google Workspace
The first tool that comes to our mind is “Google Workspace“. Not only that it come from the stable of Google, but it has been judged to be highly user-friendly and intuitive. It involves mainly Drag and Drop and interactive editing on the screen. It also allows hosting your website. The 1st step is to create your site and then further edit it as other thoughts come to your mind. It is easy to alter a particular banner or headline’s position, size, or shape if it is in tune with your aesthetic sense. It is collaborative and multiple designers can work simultaneously and in real-time like you are used to working on Google Drive or Google Docs.
It is possible to define the access permissions with a few presses of the buttons. It is fully integrated with Gmail and allows collaboration with other Google facilities like Meet (video-conferencing), Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms (sharing documents, excel sheets, PowerPoint slides, etc.) Standard security measures like Encryption and protection against hacking, malware, and phishing are built into the solution. Also, Admins, through a console, can get to see how many persons are accessing the site, identify any deviant behavior that may be suspicious, and grant or revoke access rights. It is mobile-responsive, which means that even if a Mobile App is not built, a user can access your site from his mobile device. The size of the screen will automatically adjust to the device being used.
For Indian users, the pricing is as follows. A Basic version is available for Rs 137 per user per month, a standard version for Rs. 736 per user per month, and a Plus version for Rs. 1380 per user per month. The standard version is recommended for business users, and for those planning to build sites with several complexities, the Plus version is recommended. Only learners need to go for the Basic version.
Shopify
Shopify is a tool that is widely in use today. You can customize the basic framework to suit your unique needs and tastes. There are standard design themes that are available but configurable and adaptable. There are stock photos and other assets commonly deployed on websites. 8000 Apps are available to choose from. Shopify is mainly used by e-commerce applications to build online stores. It allows multiple channels and lets you sell online through brick-and-mortar stores or kiosks using POS devices or Mobile Apps. It is a zero-code tool, and a non-technical person can use it from beginning to end to create a website without coding a single program line.
A unique feature of Shopify is its facility to purchase your domain name through them. The free tools for this purpose are Business Name Generator and Domain Name Generator. These help you navigate many domain names already purchased online and settle on a unique name. It also has a built-in SEO facility that enables the use of keywords to attract users of search engines to your site by ensuring that your site is listed on the very first page. Shopify is mobile-responsive and also helps you create your native Mobile Apps on both iOS and Android. Shopify has been employed by businesses of all sizes, although predominantly by SMEs.
Webflow
Webflow is another widely used SAAS tool. Webflow also positions itself as a ‘no-code’ web development tool requiring no development skills. It is reported that around 375,000 live websites are built and hosted with Webflow. However, the additional feature it provides is the editing of the CSS files of your website that have been generated through Webflow and adding HTML or Javascript codes if that is the need of the day. It offers two alternatives – you could use it to design your website and generate the code, which can then be exported to your Server and further modified, or it can be used to generate the website and host it on the Webflow. The latter option is recommended because hosting your site on the Webflow platform guarantees a robust environment, not prone to downtimes or performance issues. Security features are built, and there are walls to prevent hacking or unwarranted intrusion.
Once you export the code and start modifying it, it won’t be easy to access the Content Management System and Style Edits available with Webflow. However, this is not to state that the first option is never used. Companies that have an array of expert Web developers and Data Security experts employed in-house, but are in a hurry to get the initial version up, use Webflow to set it up, and then the in-house team takes over for further modifications.
Some of the spectacular websites designed using Webflow include:
- Proof: it is a website that caters to highly personalized experiences.
- Kajabi: it offers email marketing, analytics, payment gateways, and lead generation software.
- Lattice: a people management software that features testimonials from managers and employees of various organizations.
- Petal: a Fintech Credit card site
- Orbiter: A Machine Learning tool
Other SaaS Web Design and hosting sites
- Momo Board is used to develop a simple messaging site for communities.
- Dropbox – the component DropPages can be used for developing a site with a unique domain name for storing and synchronizing data – shareable by multiple users.
- You can use Slack to create your workspace to host a site for searching, communicating, and integrating multiple platforms.
- Canva – to create a one-page website for asymmetric communication. Its distinctive characteristic is that your website can be up within a few hours.
- Intercom is a messaging platform that can be plugged into an existing WordPress page to communicate with leads and customers.
- Figma is a tool for graphic designers. You could use it to design your web components collaboratively. It can be integrated with CSS programs. Its exceptional flexibility allows web designers to customize and tailor the design to suit their aesthetical senses.
- WooCommerce – an Open Source platform for designing and hosting eCommerce sites; it is available as a WordPress component
- Shopify – to design and host a website to easily sell your products through multiple channels.
Conclusion
Every company in today’s digital world will require a website to communicate with customers and sell its products. Since designing from scratch is time-consuming, it is always advisable to employ readymade templates with in-built web components and customize them to your requirements.
However, if you plan your website to be distinctive and have the resources, designing it from scratch with the assistance of expert web designers is an option worth considering.
