Web Development Problem #1: Development is complex and risky.

Historically, most companies just needed “brochure” style website. However, as web technology has matured, you’ve probably noticed that your clients are asking a LOT more from you than just web design.

Clients want increasingly sophisticated database-driven websites, e-commerce websites, third-party software integrations, and more. Plus, with increasing numbers of web hacks and security incidents, your clients need to have a guarantee that the websites your agency creates are secure and have the most up-to-date protection.

Taking on this level of complexity is a risk for your firm because 1) you may not be able to deliver. 2) you may not be able to make a profit from the project, and 3) you may frustrate and – even anger – your client if it isn’t done correctly.

Web Development Problem #2: Staffing programmers is difficult.

Many agencies consider – and often try – hiring a programmer in-house as a solution to their website development needs. And, of course, this makes sense at first. When your clients are increasingly asking for complex website features and functions, your first thought is to fill the need with an in-house person.

The advantage to hiring in-house is that your developer is fully integrated into your team. The downside is that programming today requires a broad range of skills and expertise, and one person cannot do them all very well. Trends shift, technologies evolve, as do your clients’ platforms and preferences.

When it comes to your developers’ coding growth and knowledge, you are now responsible for it. But because your in-house programmer is typically heads down, wrangling code for your clients, he or she rarely has the time to learn anything about new technology and security.

In addition, you have to figure out what software and equipment your programmer needs to stay on top of all of the evolving tech and to keep your websites secure from hacks. And, even when your web work is down, you still have to pay your in-house programmer. It’s hard to hire half a person.

Web Development Problem #3: Outsourcing to freelancers is exhausting.

While there are some professional, reliable freelancers available to help you with web development, a number of our agency clients have told us horror stories about coordinating freelancers. Challenges they have faced include projects not delivered on time, missed deadlines, stolen ideas, and disappearances for weeks at time. Perhaps most importantly, using a series of freelancers results in inconsistent code that is difficult to support and manage over time and can lead to additional web development problems.

While freelancers can give your organization the ability to scale to meet your clients’ web build needs; unfortunately, it typically also requires a ton of your staff’s time to manage the project. Additionally, it often mean finding multiple freelancers so that you have the skill sets you need as well as the availability since you never know when a freelancer will have another large project from a different client.

Web Development Problem #4: Using overseas resources has language, culture, and time barriers.

Another common option that agencies test to alleviate their web development headache is outsourcing it to an overseas company. At first, it seems like a perfect way to scale web services because it appears much less expensive. However, it becomes costly in the long run particularly in regard to details and customization.

Language, culture, and time zone barriers (12 hours between San Francisco and India) make precise and effective communication undependable. These factors also necessitate way more time for your team members to manage projects with overseas operations. As your website project becomes more complex, the barriers become increasingly difficult to overcome.

Add in all of the issues listed above that an agency faces when outsourcing to freelancers and – quite frankly – you’ve got the recipe for angry clients because your company wasn’t able to meet their website requirements.

Web Development Problem #5: Your core focus is on design/marketing.

In most cases, your core area of expertise is bringing your clients fantastic creative work and smart marketing strategies. It’s what you love to do and it’s what you do best.

While your team has the creative vision for your clients’ website, it can be difficult to accurately scope and budget the programming. Combined with gaps in correctly managing the development process, the result is scope creep, overages, and lost profits. Worst of all, your team gets bogged down in work that it doesn’t really want to do, which can cause frustration and lower morale.

Web Development Problem #6: You don’t want to deal with website maintenance.

You’ve just launched a new website and your client loves it. But don’t break out the champagne just yet. A website is a dynamic and evolving marketing resource, which makes it a fantastic tool for businesses. It means they can add a new service, remove out-of-stock discontinued products, and add new content on a regular basis. It also means that – in order to take great care of your client – you now have to figure out a way to make their requested updates, keep the website safe, and update it with the latest software and plug-in versions.