Abhishek Jain

In the last decade, the popularity of online shopping has gone up visibly, and the ongoing pandemic has added fuel to the fire! Developing an e-commerce website can be quite profitable. However, it is also necessary that you use the right platform for developing an e-commerce portal. There are many tools that you can use for developing such websites nowadays. However, it is prudent to pick a PHP-based tool or framework for setting up e-commerce websites.  Why is using PHP for developing an e-commerce portal a prudent idea? PHP is a server-side scripting language that has been in the web development scene for almost as long as HTML. Over the years, it has become more feature-packed and versatile. In fact, a majority of existing websites are powered by PHP- in some form or the other. It can be useful for developing feature-rich and fully functional e-commerce websites. However, to ensure your e-commerce website is designed using PHP in the best way, you should hire a suitable PHP web application development company. Diversity of platforms- There was a time PHP developers resorted to hand-coding for developing various types of websites. However, that is no longer the case. Nowadays, you can pick from a wide range of PHP-based tools to develop an e-commerce portal. There are CMS solutions like WordPress, Drupal or you may pick from e-commerce-specific solutions like Zen Cart and Magento. The benefit is you get many elements required to create stunning e-commerce websites in place. Cost-saving- You may have set a certain budget for setting up an e-commerce website. If the budget is not high, opting for a PHP-based tool makes sense. PHP, after all, is an Open-source language, and many of the derivatives based on it are also available free of cost. So, this keeps website development costs on the lower side. This can be ideal for e-commerce entities with a modest budget. Developer availability- Since PHP has been in the web development scene for a very long time, it is not hard to locate skilled PHP developers anywhere. This can be advantageous when you want to get an E-commerce portal designed using PHP tools. You can look for skilled PHP developers and custom PHP web development agencies offering such services in your location. In fact, there are many options available. You can hire an offshore PHP agency to outsource the work. You may also hire a skilled freelance PHP developer.  Speed- Web users are not exactly known for their patience, and the same can be said about people who buy things online. If your e-commerce website is sluggish, the majority of users will prefer buying from other websites. Using PHP, developing a fast e-commerce website is not tough. The latest version of PHP is even better in this regard. Even the PHP derivatives based on the newer versions offer faster performance.  Huge community support and documentation- The online community support for PHP is huge, and the same is true about PHP-based CMS and tools like WP and Magento. So, developing an e-commerce website using PHP frameworks and tools is never an uphill task. If the developers get stuck while the project is underway, they can seek support online. The online forums and communities will revert within a short time.  Security- In the past, PHP was often criticized for some security loopholes. However, the new version of PHP has got most of these security loopholes fixed. So, you need not worry about e-commerce site security issues if PHP is used. Moreover, if you pick PHP-based CMS tools like WP, you can use security plug-ins.  Integration with other tools- Your e-commerce website may have to be integrated with specific online services and tools. This can be necessary for the benefit of the end-users. PHP-based tools like WP and Magento offer excellent interoperability and integration with popular online services and tools. The expertise of a veteran PHP development company can be useful in this regard.  Picking the right PHP agency for developing an e-commerce website Nowadays, you will find so many agencies offering PHP development services, and some of them also offer e-commerce development packages. You can also pick from the PHP website development services that outsource work for foreign clients. However, assessing these entities using the vital aspects is something you can’t skip.  Here is what you need to assess: First of all, learn about the tenure of the agency in this sector. A long-time player is likely to offer better services. Check out the portfolio of the agency and see how its E-commerce websites function. Check for aspects like security, speed, and overall experience. You also need to look out for reviews of its clients using online resources.  Before signing up for the agency, ensure you learn about cost and support terms.  You can opt for either a PHP development agency or a freelance PHP developer to get an e-commerce website developed. It is hard to say what is the better option, and you have to analyze your needs and situation. If there is no hurry and the website to be developed is not huge, hiring a freelance developer may suffice. However, for creating a large-sized e-commerce website with third-party integrations, opting for the services of a PHP development firm is a better choice.  Summing it up PHP-powered platforms and tools are ideal for creating a secure, functional e-commerce portal. However, perform proper research before choosing the right agency offering such services. 

For developing a website, you can pick from so many tools and frameworks these days. However, PHP continues to be the first choice for website development for a majority of businesses and web developers. A large part of the internet comprises websites made either with PHP or PHP-based CMS and frameworks, as it is. While choosing PHP for developing your company website can be a good decision, it is also necessary to think of the cost too.  Is PHP development cost lower than other tools? This is a dicey subject. PHP web development cost tends to be lower than other tools owing to its Open source license. However, in finer analysis, other costs crop up, including developer charges, extension costs, hosting charges, support-related expenses and so on.  Factors that affect the cost for developing a website using PHP PHP web development cost depends on a number of factors. These are: PHP Platform used- While PHP is an Open source scripting language and thus free to use, the same cannot be said about all the derivatives based on it! For Example, WordPress is a PHP-based CMS, also free to use. Magento, another PHP framework- comes both in free and paid versions. So, based on the platform chosen, PHP web development costs may vary a lot. Additional cost factors- The PHP web developers working with platforms like Laravel, WP and Magento often need to use extensions and third-party plug-ins. These extensions are required to enhance website functionality and user experience. However, not all such plug-ins come for free. Based on the project's need, using paid plug-ins can be necessary. In such cases, the development cost goes up. Experience of the developer/agency- If you hire a veteran and reputed PHP development company, its charges are likely to be on the high side. On the other hand, a freelance PHP developer or a newcomer agency is likely to charge you less.  Location of the developer- Typically, the US-based and European web developers have the highest charges for developing PHP applications and websites. In Australia and lesser-known European countries, PHP development charges are moderate. For affordable PHP development, Asian countries are the best as the developers in these nations charge a reasonable amount.  Website functionality- Not every company opting for PHP web development has the same needs. If you want to hire an agency for developing a large-sized PHP website with database connectivity, charges may be steep. However, the same agency may charge you less for developing a smaller site with fewer pages. If you want your website to be laden with specific security measures, that can add to the overall cost too. Tips to keep PHP web development cost within limits Whether you opt for laravel website development or WordPress web development, keeping the project cost within a range is prudent. This is even more important when you own a start-up, and monetary constraints are there. Look for agencies that offer bundles services- You will find some Web development firms that offer PHP web development as separate packages, and there are agencies that focus primarily on PHP. However, it makes sense to hire an agency that also offers allied services. For example, you may want to hire an agency that not only develops websites using PHP but also offers SEO services. Some entities may also offer bundled hosting services. When you get such bundled packages, it proves to be cost effective. Use various methods to locate PHP development agencies- You should explore all means to find and hire PHP developers offering packages matching your budget. These include:  Online search- Use the popular search engines to locate PHP developers and agencies. You may use region-specific search keywords to locate PHP development agencies in your region. It is also an option to use a price range to find developers matching your budget for PHP web development. Professional networking platforms- You should also make use of the popular professional networking platforms to contact PHP developers.  Social media platforms- In the top social media platforms, you can find groups and communities comprising veteran PHP developers and programmers.  References- Additionally, you should make use of professional references to find suitable PHP developers in your region or abroad. After using all such means, you should be able to locate several PHP developers and agencies. Then, you can compare and assess their services and rates to zero in on the most feasible one. You may also keep some time for checking out client reviews of these agencies. Apart from overall service and reliability, check for client feedback on pricing-related issues.  Opt for outsourcing- By outsourcing PHP web development, you can save a significant amount, for sure. There are web development agencies in Asian countries like India that offer PHP outsourcing for clients located in foreign countries. You can sign up for the services of such an offshore-based PHP development company to keep the project cost within limits.  Opt for detailed consultation- Whether you hire a freelance PHP developer or sign up for services of a PHP outsourcing agency, opt for an in-depth consultation session. In fact, the top agencies will offer you an initial session. When resolving your queries on nuances of their services, ensure you get facts clear on the costs too. Some developers may charge you per hour, while others will offer you a comprehensive package and charge a fixed amount.  Learn about support cost- While getting a website developed by a veteran PHP web development agency is fine, you have to think of the maintenance as well. The top agencies will offer you yearly maintenance packages. This may seem like an additional cost, but it comes in handy in the long run. A glimpse at approx. cost of PHP web development The cost of PHP web development varies on factors like the experience of the developer, region, and client requirements and so on. Still, it is important that you have an approx idea about the rates for PHP web development. This will help you in negotiating with the PHP development agencies better.  Hosting charges- There are various types of hosting available. Shared hosting may cost you anywhere between $5 – $30/ year. For VPS hosting, you may have to shell out $ 50 – $250 approx. Dedicated hosting is quite expensive, and it may cost you over $1000 a year.  Developer charges- The charges of a PHP developer vary on region and expertise level, mostly. A PHP developer may charge you $80 per hour, and veteran developers may charge around $200. If you want to spend less than $100 an hour for a PHP developer, opt for outsourcing agencies located in Asian nations.  Design options- PHP websites can be made using pre-designed templates, and you can opt for a custom design option too. The latter option is costlier- for sure. Opting for premium themes in tools like Magento and WP can cost you a significant amount.  Maintenance charges- For the maintenance of a PHP website, you may have to pay $500 per year. Again, for a large-sized website, charges can be higher.  Wrapping up PHP web development cost can be moderate or steep, based on the project requirements and the developer chosen. It is prudent to do adequate research before signing up for an agency offering PHP or Laravel application development. Take time to compare the available contenders and get all your queries on cost clarified before hiring such an agency.

There was a time when less than 5% of the total work population of the USA were working remotely. Now we live in a different world. The covid 19 worlds where billions of people are under homebound and under lockdown. This has brought about a massive shift in the working conditions, and we are on the verge of a long-term work culture change.  While the idea of remote working is not new for experienced freelancers, the teams which have been working in a constant face-to-face interactive environment are new to this arena. Software development teams are one of them.  Covid 19 pandemic has truly changed the face of work worldwide and brought outsourcing to the forefront of software development. It was always a close working affair for software development and businesses managing them. But now, there is another option that many companies and enterprises have been choosing - outsourcing.  What is outsourcing in software development? When a company or business hires an offshore partner to build software solutions, and products it is termed outsourcing.  Let's understand with the example of Apple. The tech giant has offices and staff in many cities across various countries. What's the need? They can design their products in California with all the staff hired locally. But it's not the case. Two main reasons companies opt for outsourcing and expanding their business in other countries are the high cost of hiring in-house employees and the easy access to world-class talent.  Now Apple is an MNC. But if you think about how small and medium can apply the same logic and technique of outsourcing their IT needs to save time and money.  Now in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, developers are working online anyway, so why not save some capital and get the same quality product at a lower price.  Reasons why outsourcing is preferred over in house software development  Subject matter expertise Companies outsource software development projects only for reduced cost is not entirely true. There are other aspects to this as well. Many companies outsource today to take advantage of special knowledge and skillsets and gain the expertise which the in-house team is lacking.  But again, we come to the lower cost conclusion as hiring a dedicated expert via outsourcing is far more cost-effective relative to the cost of hiring an employee with similar skills full-time.   No extra costs and faster deployments  Another good reason why software development outsourcing is trending is that software development outsourcing companies complete the job at predetermined deadlines and with the assured quality even during any overhead expenses or uncertainty. Software development companies who outsource their projects or parts of their projects are more focused on their core expertise and thus maintain a good pace of development, testing, and deployments.  And as there are no delays in development, there are no delays in deployment to the market.  More focus on core business capabilities  Any business is successful because, collectively, they're clear about their goal. Without the clarity of what the team is trying to achieve, collaborative efforts from everybody are difficult. Focus is very important for any business. That is why many software companies choose to outsource over in-house development teams so that domain experts work their magic to complete a project in a shorter period.  This gives businesses and in-house teams to focus on their core business expertise like production and marketing. Software development outsourcing is the key to grow a business in a short period.  Risk management  Software development companies, as you know, are hired to manage every aspect of the project development without actually being on the payroll. So there is a minimum possibility of risk of any employee leaving before project completion or server breakdown, or other glitches that might occur. It's the responsibility of the offshore company to handle all aspects of software development.  Still not 100% convinced that software outsourcing is the new normal in the IT industry?  Here, look at some mind-blowing facts that let you know how the world of business is changing via outsourcing.  Here are some crazy facts to change your mind about outsourcing  According to a study by compare camp, more than 94% of companies outsource their software needs. This percentage includes many IT companies as well. Several custom software development companies provide reliable, affordable, and scalable solutions for both non-tech businesses and IT businesses.  As per a Statistareport, the size of the IT industry is estimated to grow up to $413 billion by the end of 2021. More than 70% of these statistics will come from outsourcing.   Many businesses recognize that technology is evolving fast but fail to act at the right time. To beat the competition, it is necessary for both big and small businesses to optimize their internal processes. And IT outsourcing is the way to do that. There is no doubt that the software outsourcing industry will grow more significantly, and there will be more strategic partnerships between parent companies and outsourcing companies.  Manufacturing companies outsource 70 - 80% of their finished products.  Earlier in the blog, we saw an example of Apple with manufacturing plants in different parts of the world. This is a proven strategy used by other big manufacturing companies from different industries. The cost factor is the primary reason for outsourcing outside companies to build and assemble products.  India has the leading edge in global IT outsourcing.  India is the most mature market for offshoring. Over the years, India has emerged as the best choice for software development projects, including web development and design, mobile app development, data processing and visualization, and other top-level services.  India has a very sought infrastructure for software development and technical support teams. The outsourcing services in India are much cheaper with the assurance of quality. It costs way less than employing a group of local talent.  The outsourcing industry is expected to grow bigger and better in the years to come. 2021 is the right time to grab this opportunity for your business and beat your competitors to it. To get more help and information about getting started with software outsourcing for business, contact our offshore custom software development agency. We would love to help you solve your business problems.