Episode 3: No Code Websites

April (00:00):

Welcome to Digital AF. In today's episode, the mic will be handed to Jessi as she interviews me about our no-code web design service, and why we believe it's the way of the future.

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Speaker 1 (00:12):

Digital AF, the digital marketing podcast that features real conversations from those who live and breathe the digital agency life. April Ford Digital Agency shares their tips, tricks and exposes the truth about what works and what doesn't. Welcome to Digital AF. Let's get into it.

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Jessi (00:40):

Thanks, April. First of all, can you explain what no-code web design is?

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April (00:45):

So literally that, it's no custom coding. So we don't require a web developer in creating the websites for our client. So we use certain platforms to do that, and basically what that allows us to do is bring design and brand to the forefront instead of needing to custom code for it to function.

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Jessi (01:03):

Yeah. So what platforms are considered no code?

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April (01:06):

So there are a few. So you've got Webflow, Shopify, Squarespace, even things like Wix and whatnot. So we work with three brands in particular, dependent on what the requirements are of the clients. So whether e-commerce, or whether they're service, or if they're just one product e-commerce, things like that. And the reason why we have gone down this direction is you've got these platforms and they are just investing huge amounts of money into building these platforms for their customer base. It's not stopping. So yeah, it allows us to focus more on the design rather than having to worry about how we can get it to function.

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Jessi (01:42):

Does that mean, you don't have a web designer?

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April (01:44):

So quite the opposite, actually. So we still have a web designer in house and their job is to actually build out the websites on these no-code platforms. So I suppose we don't necessarily stick to templates or anything like that, depending on what platform you're using. Things like Shopify, you still have is a template even just to kind of get it moving and functioning. But we have an internal web designer that works with our art directors and our creative director in rolling out a web design that suits the client. So that process takes between 10 and 21 days, we've kind of got a website development that design and dev down to. So it's quite an intense process that involves multiple members of our team and multiple workshops with the client, but it's a really fast and effective way to get the job done.

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Jessi (02:36):

Yeah. Great. So the topic of the podcast is four reasons why we love no-code web design. So let's talk about the first on your list, which is design led. What do you mean by that?

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April (02:46):

So when people visit a website, they notice what is in front of them first, and it can be the beautiful creativity and the experience.Things like imagery and the words and the transitions and the relevancy to the customer. By taking this no-code approach, it allows us to really focus on the design and art direction. And when we talk to our clients in our workshops, we hone in on this and we don't have to worry about if it can be coded or if it can be developed.

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April (03:13):

So it allows us to think and opens up the possibilities for more creativity to show a case the brand in a better light. The customer journeys we develop with our clients in these workshops are based on the limitations of the no-code platform that we are working on. But to be honest, they aren't that limited if that makes sense. So instead of spending 10 to 20 grand on custom code, they can invest in creative direction or product styling or beauty photography assets that can be used across their entire marketing suite.Whether they're using that on billboards, or if they're using that on social media. Like I find as soon as we start to talk to some web clients, all of a sudden they kind of become like a tech tycoon where they're wanting to like create these like crazy customer journeys. And they don't actually know whether that's what the customer is going to do. So what we try and focus on is keeping the customer journey really simple and really efficient for the business.

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April (04:08):

So they are generating those transactions or the enquiries because we're thinking about the customer at the end of the day, what they're experiencing, what they're being told and what they're being shown as,I suppose.

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Jessi (04:20):

Yeah. Great. The next on your list is future focused. What do you mean by that?

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April (04:25):

So these no-code platforms are literally shaping the future of our online experiences and I'm sorry, but they have more research, more data, more funding, more people than what I, or any other brand or web developer will ever have and know what works and what doesn't. It's their job.So they are providing a service to brands. So these platforms, I believe have superseded web development in a lot of ways. And they think about the customer journey first, rather than like how many lines of code they can write. So at the end of the day, I want to be a part of the future and I think our clients do too.

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Jessi (05:00):

Yeah. Okay, cool. You also talk about accessibility. What is that and why is it important?

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April (05:06):

So websites are like the necessary evil of marketing. And I truly believe part of that is the frustration people experience when they want to make updates themselves. So things like just changing a word or changing an image or adding a blog post. So what's important with accessibility is that clients can update their websites easily without fear of breaking something or doing something wrong. Personally, I've opened up what feels like a million different websites and those built on open source platforms likeWordPress are different every single time. So I've got to relearn how to use that website every single time. It's quite frustrating. I've learned how to click around and work my way around it, but for the person who's not living and breathing websites like we do in digital, I can understand why that is very frustrating.

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April (05:54):

So accessibility to me is that these platforms are for everyone. So there's things like plenty of help articles, how to courses and support right from the source, not from a random blogger who has worked out a hack to fix the problem. So you can basically self-service your online presence as easily as opening and shutting the front door of your office space is how I see it.

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Jessi (06:16):

The last on your list is no need for random plugins, page builders or random custom code. What do you mean by that?

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April (06:23):

So exactly that. So historically, a lot of websites are built on open source platforms, which people from all over the world have built page builders and plugins to add functionality for users on these platforms.The issue with that is outdated plugins can be a security risk, not to mention you don't know actually who made this piece of software, where it's come from, does it, even installing it create a security risk rather than it just being outdated?

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April (06:47):

So to be honest, it all just feels a bit hacky and outdated to me and a bit scary to be completely honest. So the thing that I love about the no-code platforms is some of them still have plugins, but they're kind of like vetted through the software. So they're accredited, they've been checked by that software, et cetera. So I really like that. It feels safe for recommendations for clients, but also from just from a brand safety perspective. And you know they work. So often you'll download plugins on the open source too often they might not work or they work for a short period of time, but then the open source platform has had an upgrade and then it stopped working. You don't know, no one's told you, until a client goes, this didn't work on your website or something along those lines. I also love that about it.We don't have to worry about those things.

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Jessi (07:35):

Thanks for taking us through the four things you love about no-code web design. Is this a solution for everyone?

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April (07:41):

So no, it's not for everyone. And we will be the first person to tell potential clients that. There are instances where people do need quite a lot of custom coding and that's completely fine. It's just not something that we offer, but we do have other agencies and other suppliers that we with that we refer this work to, who we trust and we know do a really good job. And what we always like to explore first is, do you actually need the custom code? Why do you need it? Why, why, why, why? Like are you doing it because you want to be a tech tycoon and this is your time to shine, or is it really truly something that will improve the customer journey and have a really big impact on processing your business, et cetera. So yeah, it's not for everyone. And we do refer our clients to reputable developers who we know can offer abetter solution and will be the first person to say that to them as well.

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Jessi (08:33):

Okay, great. Well, thanks so much for talking with me today about no-code web design. We've recently launched our new website using this ethos. So to check it out, go to aprilford.com. Thanks for tuning in.

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