When you order marketplace platform development services, you need to choose a programming language and a framework or CMS suitable for the tasks of the site. Secondly, you will need to choose the right JavaScript framework for the frontend.
The main question that will have to be solved is “CMS or framework?”. CMS allows you to quickly launch the basic functionality of the site. They already have ready-made universal HTML templates and a ready-made control panel, so the CMS is well suited for a typical site, for example, a product catalog or organizations with filtering by some criteria. But the TOR of the project may go beyond the standard framework. It may turn out that there is no ready-made solution for CMS, and then development can become much more complicated. In this case, you can look towards web frameworks that do not have the same limitations that CMS has. CMS is designed only to simplify and speed up the development of the site from scratch. At the design stage, a technical specialist must carefully assess the complexity and “typical” of the project, then it will be possible to answer the question “CMS or framework?”.
If you choose the path of creating a site on a CMS, then it is easy to decide on a tool. CMS should be just popular. It will be possible to find the maximum number of ready-made solutions for it. It will be easy to find a specialist in a popular direction. Furthermore, it will be easy to find answers to questions during development. The most popular CMS is written in PHP, which is also one of the most popular languages in web programming. For many years, the leader in CMS WordPress. Most likely, it will be possible to stop there. WordPress has all the inherent qualities of a CMS, and has the largest database of modules, templates, and plugins. The next most popular is 1C-Bitrix, although its use may not always be logical. But what if you decide to develop from scratch? What qualities should a programming language have for an aggregator site? We will not consider developing in a pure language without a framework. The framework is the framework of the site and already contains functions that a programmer would have to write anyway. Therefore, the choice of language comes down to the choice of a framework. As in the case of CMS, the most important quality will be the popularity of both the language and the framework itself. For the site of the aggregator, the speed of development will also be important. In our case, a lightweight and flexible framework is better suited. Finally, there will be experts on the chosen platform. For the PHP language, the best choice would be Laravel, Yii frameworks. For Python – Django, Flask. Ruby on Rails for Ruby and .NET can also be considered as an option if there are developers for them.
After choosing a backend platform, you need to pay attention to the frontend. Simple JavaScript and the popular jQuery library may not be enough to create a dynamic and modern-looking website. Modern websites are usually developed on the so-called reactive JavaScript frameworks. The leaders are React and Vue, their popularity is only growing. Angular is also popular but can be too complex and slow for an aggregator site.
How to choose a contractor?
You can contact an agency (https://peiko.space/) or assemble your own team of freelancers, which should include the following specialists:
- Project Manager
- Designer
- Programmer
- Typesetter/frontender
- Tester
- Content Managers
- SEO optimizer
Of course, it is more reliable to work with an agency, they have well-established business processes and experience in creating complex web projects. It is generally accepted that freelancers are cheaper, but when it comes to complex projects, the risks will be much greater than the benefits. A good agency is always interested in making a good product that can be added to the portfolio, which cannot be said about freelancers.
How to Maintain Content?
In addition to promotion and technical support, do not forget that the main advantage of the aggregator is up-to-date full-fledged content. There are several possible ways to collect data:
- when the data is collected and placed by a specialist on your side
- when partners themselves post information using the site’s capabilities (usually this is a personal account)
- when the data is updated automatically (via integration, feed, upload, etc.)
Depending on the area, combined methods can be used.
You need to take on a startup with the launch of an aggregator with the understanding that you are unlikely to succeed in “cutting the dough quickly” – it’s not even so much about the development time as it is about the timing of promotion. After launch, you will first need to gain a critical mass of users and first customers, and only after that proceed with monetization. In addition, it may seem to you that you are entering an absolutely undeveloped niche, and after a month or two, when work on your startup is in full swing, competitors suddenly appear in the search results. There is nothing to worry about if you followed all the points that we wrote about above because, as already mentioned, the best one wins in this matter. The most important thing when creating such a project is to remember that the main goal of your aggregator should be to help people. If your site is useful to people, it will be able to benefit you too.