Jamstack Development

The speed at which a webpage loads is more important than ever. If a site takes longer than a couple of seconds to load, it significantly increases the bounce rate. This means that businesses will lose users to their competitors if their loading speeds are too long. With a knock-on effect on conversions too, businesses can lose a substantial amount of custom simply due to poor loading times.

However, this isn’t the only reason that loading speeds are important. As well as improving the UX, a fast loading speed is essential if you want to rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs). Google places a considerable amount of importance on page loading speeds in terms of SEO, so clients will always be keen to create sites that load in nanoseconds.

Jamstack prioritises loading speeds by removing the database from the web architecture. This effectively means that the site doesn’t have to make multiple queries every time a user makes a request.

As many businesses currently use websites built on CMS platforms like WordPress, loading speeds can be significantly improved by switching to a static site created with Jamstack. With the absence of slow plugins, for example, the potential to increase loading speeds with Jamstack is a primary reason for developers to make the switch.

An online security breach can be devastating for businesses, so it’s vital that site security is a top priority. Many companies struggle to escape the reputational damage that occurs following a data leak or site outage, so your clients will want to know which development methods will offer the best security. Furthermore, the introduction of strict data legislation in many jurisdictions means that businesses are taking site security more seriously than ever before.

Of course, site security plays a role in search engine optimisation too. With Google and other search engines making site security a ranking factor, clients and site owners will need their webpages to be utterly secure if they want to rank highly for relevant keywords and terms.

As many businesses currently use dynamic sites, switching to a static site created with Jamstack will automatically improve their online security. With fewer moving parts, a Jamstack site has fewer vulnerabilities, which means it’s harder to attack. Additionally, the removal of the database ensures that would-be hackers are dissuaded from targeting the client’s site, particularly when they’re going to face virtually impenetrable barriers.

Although Jamstack sites can still contain dynamic elements, the static nature of the site makes them inherently more secure. While businesses may have previously been happy to use CMS platforms, the on-going use of third-party plugins renders them somewhat lacking in security. Following high-profile security breaches, clients will be actively looking for an alternative that offers better security and Jamstack does just that.

If clients are outsourcing their web development to a third party, it’s a good indicator that they don’t have an in-house IT department to create or manage their website. While all businesses will require some form of IT support at one time or another, creating easy-to-maintain sites makes it easier to meet your client’s needs.

In addition to this, many web developers will face constant queries and requests for help when sites are tricky to maintain. By using Jamstack to create client sites, you can minimize the amount of follow up queries you receive and simplify your workstreams.

When a pre-generated site created with Jamstack is served from a host or a content delivery network (CDN), there is no need for on-going expert intervention or maintenance. By completing essential tasks during the build, you can ensure that clients are able to maintain their site with minimal intervention or expertise.

As well as reducing the practical burden client’s face, this also substantially reduces their costs. While clients may be willing to invest heavily in creating a site, they typically don’t want to commit to paying costly maintenance fees. If you can offer a comprehensive site that’s supremely functional and easy to maintain, you can even increase your own profitability by meeting the increasing demands of clients.

Sites created using the Jamstack web development architecture are, by definition, static sites. This means that clients will have plenty of options when it comes to hosting sites. While other languages and architectures greatly restrict hosting options, clients can reap the benefits of working with virtually any hosting company.

This ensures clients can choose competitive hosting platforms and combine top-quality services with low costs. In fact, you’ll find that many hosting companies offer hosting for static sites completely free of charge. For small businesses, sole traders or entrepreneurs, the opportunity to access free hosting with a Jamstack site makes it a popular choice.

Furthermore, clients can easily move from one hosting company to another, whenever they need to. If you want to avoid price hikes, declining service quality or poor communication, for example, you’ll have no issues finding an alternative hosting platform for your Jamstack site. For clients who don’t want to be locked into one infrastructure or forced to work with a particular hosting platform, this flexibility makes Jamstack an obvious choice for developers.

Scalability has become something of a buzzword in recent years but it’s a very real concern for businesses. When investing their resources, clients will want to be confident that their new site can grow and evolve with their business. As business models can change rapidly, it’s vital that sites are scalable.

As Jamstack sites can be placed directly on a content delivery network (CDN), they offer impressive scalability. If a client’s business grows and they’re serving a greater number of users, for example, placing the site on a CDN ensures a larger target audience can be served without any reduction in quality or UX.

When pitching your skills, services or ideas to a client, it’s essential to show how their site will serve their business in the long-term. By doing so, you can confirm that their new Jamstack site can be scaled alongside their business and that their investment will continue to reap rewards for many years to come.

Although developers use Jamstack to create static sites, they don’t have to stay that way! Dynamic features can easily be incorporated into Jamstack sites, which ensures that clients can specify any feature they like during the planning phase.

When using third-party dynamic services to enhance your website, you’ll have peace of mind that they’re secure and fully functional. Unlike using third-party plugins from unknown creators, you can choose to use well-established dynamic services to customise your website.

You can incorporate comments sections on blog pages, for example, forms to collect user data and even eCommerce facilities if you want to enable customers to purchase products and services directly from your website. While many people assume that you must have a dynamic site in order to facilitate these types of features, this isn’t the case at all.

Instead, Jamstack allows you to reap the benefits of having a static site while incorporating the dynamic features that are important to your business. No matter what industry you or your clients operate in, the control and customisation options ensure your Jamstack site can be anything you want it to be – and more.

When workflows are simplified, clients will find it easier to update their webpages, remove content and modify their sites. Many businesses chose to use dynamic sites based on content management systems (CMS) to ensure they would retain control, despite not having expertise in HTML, CSS or JavaScript. However, it’s quickly become clear that cluttered, dynamic sites based on a CMS don’t offer the control, flexibility or performance that businesses need.

In contrast, the lack of database and plugins associated with Jamstack developments ensure that sites are easy to update. While a CMS tends to encourage clients to add as many features as possible, Jamstack development allows clients to focus on the features that are really important to them and their target audience. As well as simplifying their workflow and reducing their costs, this approach prioritises the user experience.

With so many benefits associated with Jamstack, it’s easy to see why an increasing number of developers are embracing the architecture. By eradicating common issues associated with current frameworks and offering a simple, viable alternative, Jamstack is enhancing developer experience, as well as meeting the needs of businesses and website owners.