10 most common web development challenges + their solutions

In the digi-verse, where websites weave tales of customers and businesses, lies a series of burning pits. These are challenges that web developers must negotiate. Why? For their names to be engraved in history. 

From the forbidden fire-breathing compatibility pit to the snares of security, developers must remain vigilant to survive.

Many have gone ahead and fallen into the pits. Others have pitched their tents beside them for fear of falling.  

But you have come to the right place where you’ll discover secrets needed to cross.

In this tale, we’ll tell you about ten such challenging pits and give you ideas on how to cross them safely. 

When we arrive at the final one, you’ll be on your way to becoming a legendary web developer. 

So, are you ready to begin? 

Let’s get started!

Table of contents

Challenge #1: Platform and browser compatibility

Challenge #2: Security implementation

Challenge #3: Performance

Challenge #4: Choice of tech stack

Challenge #5: Meeting web standards

Challenge #6: UI and UX

Challenge #7: Maintenance

Challenge #8: Website and database scaling

Challenge #9: Integrations

Challenge #10: Setting and managing daily goals

Challenge #1: Platform and browser compatibility

The first pit we talk about is the challenge of compatibility. And it traps many developers. 

But why is it such a problem? Because many have a hard time making their website look consistent across all platforms. 

Here’s why they remain stuck:

You know that all platforms, browsers, and operating systems work differently. They’re all unique, with different powers. So a site that looks great on one might not look so good on another. 

There are ways around this problem, yes. But it can be time-consuming and hard to get everything right. 😥

Besides, new technologies come out all the time. 

This only worsens compatibility problems. It causes web developers to waste a lot of time and effort troubleshooting. 

Solution

The best way to overcome these challenges is to use a cross-platform framework. 

The frameworks provide HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. The best part? They’re already compatible with multiple browsers and operating systems. 

That’s not all! Another solution is to test your web pages on the browsers and platforms you want to support. This can be a tedious process, but it will give you a better idea of where potential problems might lie.

In conclusion? 

It’s best to plan ahead. Be ready for any platform or browser compatibility issues. Use cross-platform and test your pages. 

Only this way can you minimize the impact of these issues on your project. 

Challenge #2: Security implementation

Moving on to the second snare: the security pit. It’s one of the top web development challenges to overcome. 

Developers failing to cross this pit exposed their client’s websites to unspeakable dangers. It left them vulnerable to hackers and unethical individuals. 

What’s the lesson here? Apply security measures to protect its website, users, and your reputation as a developer. 

Why?

The ones who use websites and applications are people. Potential clients who leave their private information on them. Without a proper security measure in place, their data is at risk of being breached. 

Luckily, there are many ways to cross this pit. Think of using encryption, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and user authentication. 

You just need to make sure to choose the right ones.

Let’s take a closer look at this.

Solution

When it comes to security, there are a few key considerations you need to take into account during the development process:

1. Ensure that all data is encrypted when it is transmitted between the server and the client. This can be accomplished using TLS/SSL certificates.
2. Make sure that all data is stored securely on the server. This means using a robust database system with appropriate access controls in place. 
3. Apply security measures on the client side as well. We mean solutions such as input validation and output encoding. By doing so, you can help prevent malicious attacks and safeguard your data.

Challenge #3: Performance

As a web user yourself, how would you feel if you visited a site and had to wait minutes for it to load? 

Unless it’s a site you have to access, there’s a good chance you’ll leave after waiting a while.

Performance is a big deal in web development. So ensure your website loads quickly and efficiently. That’s the key to success! 

Now, different factors impact a site’s performance. Some are within your control and others, not so much.

Let’s highlight a few of them:

• Code quality: Poorly written code is hard for machines to analyze. It can also be hard for humans to read. This leads to longer load times while one tries to make sense of it all.
• Website server: The server on which the site runs also plays a role in its performance. A powerful server with plenty of resources will be able to handle more traffic than a low-end server.
• Internet traffic: If there is a lot of traffic on the Internet in general, your website may suffer. Other external dependencies, such as third-party plugins or services, can also affect performance.

So, how can you resolve performance issues?

Solution

You know what you need to improve site speed? Here, let us help you: 

• Optimize code and images.
• Reduce HTTP requests.
• Use caching techniques.

Also, remember to look for a powerful server for the website you are building. If you expect a high volume of visitors, make sure your host can handle it. Otherwise, you may experience slow loading times or even crashes.

A thing to remember: Internet traffic is beyond your control. BUT you can try to schedule heavy content updates. You can do updates when Internet usage is typically low. 

Late in the evening, for example.

Challenge #4: Choice of tech stack

You’ll need to use a lot of apps and digital tools when building a website users will want to interact with. 

But here’s the challenge: there are too many technologies out there! Figuring out which one to use for your web development project is tough. 

The right tech stack should support the features and functionality needed for your website or application. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lot of back-and-forth with the clients about the project down the line.

Wondering how to choose the right tools for your arsenal?

Solution

First, consider the objective of the website or application you’re building. What site are you building? A dynamic one? A  site that shows different content to users based on their likes and actions? 

Then, you need a server-side scripting language such as PHP, Ruby on Rails, or Node.js.

Need it to be fast and scalable? Consider using web development tools that can accommodate future expansion. More specifically, a caching system and a database like MongoDB or Cassandra. 

Overall, here are some tips to consider when selecting the software to use for your  site: 

• Weigh up the needs of the project, e.g., performance needs, purpose, scalability, functionality, etc. 
• Think about tools that suit your development teams’ skill sets. It ensures you have a smooth development process.
• Make sure they get along with third-party services and APIs. Just like how MarkUp.io mingles with Zapier. 😉
• Contact a web or app development community like webdeveloper.com or the Stack Overflow forum.
• Think about the price of the tools you wanna use and ensure it’s within your budget.
• Select tools that allow you to develop a responsive, attractive, and user-friendly website.

Whatever your needs, make sure you do your research. Don’t settle on any tool without careful mulling. 

Challenge #5: Meeting web standards

How do you attain legendary status as a web developer if the sites you build are below the latest web standards? 

Web standards are guidelines for how you should craft a website. They’re set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

But why is it such a major challenge for developers? Because standards constantly change and evolve. 

However, adhering to web standards helps:

• Ensure that your website is accessible to everyone.
• Make your website load quickly and efficiently.
• Keep the site more secure. It’s vital if you’re working with sensitive data.

In addition, complying with web standards is simply a good business idea. It shows that you’re a competent and professional developer and you take pride in your work.

So how do you make sure your website meets web standards?

Solution

Well, you could use a code validation tool like the W3C Markup Validation Service. This will check your code against the relevant standards and let you know if there are any errors. You can then fix them and re-check until your code is error-free.

Another good idea is to keep an eye on the latest trends and technologies. Subscribe to newsletters in the web development industry (like Web Design Weekly). Or follow leaders such as Dr. Nicole, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim. 

Doing this helps you provide users with an excellent experience. And makes sure the site is always compliant. 

***

We’re halfway through the challenge pits. Five more to go and you stand a chance of your name being engraved in history.  

Challenge #6: UI and UX

Another common challenge is creating an appealing user interface (UI) and effective user experience (UX). It’s largely due to how alike they both are. 

Some even think that UI design is the alpha and beta of web development — anything to attract visitors. 

But UI isn’t complete without UX design. Mostly because UX considers the visitors’ needs. In an ideal world, it should come first. 

This should be easy, right?

Well, not really when you consider the factors to keep in mind during the UI/UX process such as:

• The target audience: You must design the interface in a way that’s accessible and easy to use for the intended users. For example, an interface for children should be different than one for adults. 
• The purpose of the interface: Should you use it for information retrieval, data entry, or something else? Each of these requires a different approach.
• The overall aesthetic: Your interface should be visually appealing. Plus, it should be consistent with the branding of the company or product. 

Solution

To create a UI/UX that will help your web application development stand out from the rest, you need to:

• Hire UI and UX experts: If you don’t have them on your team, it’d be a good investment for you. They’re professionals who know this area better than you, the developer. 
• Put money into research: You need to understand your target audience and its needs. It’s the foundation for creating a seamless user experience. So feel free to put time and resources into this. 
• Keep it simple: A complex UI/UX is overwhelming for users.  It’ll make them less likely to use your website or application. Instead, focus on creating a clean and straightforward web design. It’s ten times easier to navigate.
• Have a feedback mechanism in place. It keeps users informed about their actions. And reduces confusion.
• Make it visually appealing: People will use a website or application if it’s pleasing to the eye. Use colors, images, and other design elements to make your UI/UX pop.
• Consider usability: Make it easy for users to find what they are looking for and complete the tasks they need to.
• Add engaging micro-interactions like animations and interactive elements. It provides visual feedback. And keeps the UI attractive.  

Challenge #7: Maintenance

As websites evolve and get more traffic, they’ll be met with security threats, issues, and bugs. It’s in the unwritten constitution. 

It’s up to web developers to monitor and address any issue challenging the website’s performance. 

What does this mean? That developers face many headaches. Identifying the cause of the issues. Fixing the bugs. Maybe even occasionally testing the changes to make sure it runs smoothly. It’s no easy feat. 

Maintenance is a problem because your main job is to create websites. Making updates to existing ones might seem a bit out of place. But at the same time, it’s an important part of the job.  

So, how do you maintain a website before it’s too late? 

Solution

The first step: stay proactive. Keep an eye out for potential issues before they become a headache. If you have a team, assign different clients to each team member. It makes it easier for you to monitor everything. 

You can also talk to your clients. Ask them if there’s any chance they have a programmer on retainer for maintenance. 

Either way, here are some practices that can help ensure the site is up and running at all times. 

• Regularly updating the site’s code and content, including alt text, design, and images.
• Staying up-to-date with software upgrades, content management systems (CMS), plugins, and themes. Sometimes, updates come with bug fixes and security patches. They protect your site from potential cyberattacks or vulnerabilities. 
• Testing the website for speed. And engaging in ongoing performance optimization. You can do so by compressing images, applying caching techniques, and minifying code. 
• Regular backups in case of hacking attempts, accidental deletion, or server failures. 
• Tracking user behavior on the site and performance to identify emerging issues. 

All of this requires time and effort and it can be difficult to keep up with everything. 

But if you want a website that functions properly, then this is the way. It provides users with the best possible experience. 

Challenge #8: Website and database scaling

You know your website is growing when there’s an increase in traffic. 

That’s good news and congratulations are in order. 🎉

But are you sure your website and database can handle increased traffic? Or will there be a looming 404 error code when it happens? 

In this case, you’ll need to scale both the site and database. Only this way you’ll handle the increased number of visitors and requests. 

Typically, it involves increasing the amount of bandwidth and CPU power available. Or optimizing the code to run more efficiently. 

Be careful; it’s a complex process. But it’s vital for making sure that your website remains responsive. Or that your database can handle the increased load. And that your business continues to grow without interruption. 

Solution

To scale your website, you will need to consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN is a network of servers that deliver content to users based on their geographic location. 

Using a CDN means one thing. You can ensure that your website loads quickly to users around the world. 

To scale your database, you will need to add more servers and storage capacity. You will also need to optimize your database for performance. This can be a challenge. You need to have enough resources to make sure your database performs well. 

Challenge #9: Integrations

Let’s say you’re building an e-commerce website. You need a way to process payments, forms for collecting customer’s details, and more. 

Building a system that handles these tasks is gonna cost time and money. 

A better approach to this software development project is to use integrations. It’s a way to connect different software so that they can share data and functionality. 

All you need to do is integrate them into the site. The other software completes the process for the users. 

But then, you can’t use that same integration for other types of websites. Plus, there are so many different types of integrations, it’s hard to keep count! You wanna make sure you use the right one for your web app. 

That’s where it gets tricky. 

What’s the way out?

Solution

To begin, you definitely need to know the purpose of the site so you know which integrations to use. 

You also need to understand them. 

APIs (application programming interfaces), webhooks, and third-party libraries. They all have different purposes in web development. 

Here’s a breakdown:

• API: An API is a set of rules and protocols, It allows one piece of software to communicate with another. 

APIs let two software components exchange data. Or one software component to access the service of another. 

• Webhook: It notifies another software when something happens. 

For example, a user submits a form on your website. You want to send that data to your CRM system. Why? To add it to the customer’s record. 

To do this, you would set up a webhook between your website and your CRM system. Whenever a form is submitted on your website, the webhook would trigger and send the data over to the CRM system.

• Third-Party Library: This is a set of code that someone else has written that you can use in your own project.

Challenge #10: Setting and managing daily goals

Web development is like a wheel of color with so many parts. 

There’s back-end and front-end development. But you also have user experience design, and content creation. And this is just to mention a few! 

All of them have specific deliverables. But they approach them in different ways. So, how do you create synergy and make sure everyone is productive? 

By setting business goals!

It sounds simple. But it’s really not. Your web development team is complex. 

On one hand, you’ve got someone writing different programming languages. On the other hand, you have a person creating high-quality web copy, etc. 

Which are different fields entirely. 

It’s kinda unfair. That’s why it’s almost impossible to set similar goals to both of them. Even if there are time constraints. 

There are other reasons why your web development company can’t set daily goals: 

• You can meet unexpected bugs, compatibility issues, or technical hurdles. These disrupt daily goals.  
• There’s the risk of scope creep. It refers to when new requirements pop up during the project. 

It happens especially when you don’t define the scope. The result? Difficulty in managing daily goals. 

But setting goals isn’t impossible. You just have to be smart when doing so. 

Solution

Here’s how:

• Find your daily goals based on the overall project needs, deadline, or dependencies. 
• Break it down into smaller, actionable tasks so they’re manageable. For example, let’s say your goal is to finish the homepage by the end of the day. 

You need to break this down into who’s designing the layout, coding the pages, testing, writing the copy, etc.

• Ensure the goals are realistic and can be achieved within the time frame set. 

Maybe someone works best in the morning. Assign them the most important tasks then. And save the less important ones for later in the day. 

• Prioritize tasks with the most impact on the project. 

And don’t forget to give yourself breaks! Working non-stop will only lead to burnout and make you less productive in the long run. So take some time each day to relax and recharge your batteries.

***

Congratulations, you made it to the final pit!

It’s now time to begin your journey to becoming a legendary web developer. Just one more thing and you can be on your merry way.

Now over to you

You know who achieves the legendary developer status? Those whose work has been reviewed and approved by their clients. 

Do you have a way to request reviews on your websites?

If you don’t, that might be one of the biggest challenges in web development, in our opinion. 

The good news is that we’ve got the just right solution for you. 

MarkUp.io helps professionals, teams, and companies request review and approval on live websites. It can come from many different clients and stakeholders. 

These guests can leave pixel-accurate feedback on the website. And it’s easy! You’ll know in no time what to improve on. 

See for yourself and request reviews when you sign up for a free 30-day trial on MarkUp.io.