Software Integrations
Several loose connections over one tight integration.
My approach is to loosely connect several best of category services instead of coding one complex highly integrated website. There are tradeoffs between the benefits and drawbacks.
A key factor to consider is the size and technical maturity of your company. Silos between people and/or tasks that have don't need to interact frequently keeps the tools simpler. If you only look at analytics quarterly a highly integrated dashboard might be overkill compared to a good a manual spreadsheet.
Management should also be considered. A suite of loosely integrated tools allows for experimentation while a highly integrated setup makes oversight easier.
Pros
- Fast setup as integrations require minimal code.
- Nimble Workflows mixing DIY, outsourcing and automation.
- No Maintenance - Code maintenance and updates are included in subscriptions.
- Overall Cost - It's cheaper than a highly custom setup.
Cons
- More Interfaces - Learn a few easy interfaces instead of mastering one complex setup.
- Functional Limits - Cannot customize everything on most one-stop DIYÂ services.
- Branding Limits - Branding might range from seamless matches to just colors and logos.
- Tiered Functionality - A higher pricing tier to unlock a function you really need.
- Siloed Data - Reporting across silos will likely rely on exporting and merging spreadsheets.
Provider Criteria
When I started VeryCleverDesign in 2014 there were a lot of new SaaS providers focused on growth who offered tremendous value at little to no cost. I had no hesitations recommending my favorites. Those options are few and far between in 2024. Providers also change their pricing and feature tiers more frequently to tweak profitability.
I look at providers with the following criteria:
Value
Is the provider's feature set offer worth the cost. I'm wary of metered vs flat fees as the former is often opaque and vulnerable to circumstances beyond your control.
Data Ownership
Who owns your customer information and analytics, you or the services? Many directories or marketplaces do not let the sellers access customer information directly.
MONETIZATION
Are you are using a service as a form of marketing to attract interest in your business or are you selling content? Attracting a paying audience for high quality entertaining content is highly competitive, and requires a substantial investment in marketing.
Lock-In
How difficult is it to change providers? Can you export your content, customer contact information, or analytics in any useful form?
Integration
Does the provider interact with your site through an API, a code snippet, plugin, or as a standalone page in a subdomain?
Design
How much control do you have to match the look of the integration with your main site and at which pricing tier?