How to choose a technology for the site, so that then do not overpay for redesigns

Choosing technology for a website is a strategic decision that will determine the fate of your project for years to come. But there is a paradox: many people focus on choosing the ‘right’ technology, forgetting about the most important thing - the quality of the team and the long-term support of the solution.

The basic truth: the team decides everything

The most important principle to understand: technology is secondary, the team is primary. Experienced developers will create a high-quality, scalable, and secure product on any reasonable technology. Beginners will ruin the project even on the most modern tools.

Why it is so critical:

• Architecture is more important than language - a properly designed system in PHP will perform better than one poorly written in fancy Go
• understanding of business logic - an experienced team immediately sees potential problems and lays out solutions for the future
• Code culture - a quality team writes readable, testable code that is easy to maintain

How to assess the level of the team

Key Criteria:

• Experience with the chosen technology for a minimum of 3 years
• Portfolio of projects of similar complexity and scale
• An understanding of security, performance and architecture principles
• Ability to justify the choice of technology from a business perspective

Red flags:

• The team proposes technologies that they learn "as the project progresses"
• Failure to explain the benefits of the chosen solution
• Imposition of exotic or too new technologies

Technology diffusion is the key to the future

After team evaluation, the second most important factor is the prevalence and stability of the technology. This is critical for the long-term support of the project.

Why prevalence is important:

Ease of hiring specialists - popular technologies mean a large pool of developers. If your current contractor becomes unavailable, it will be easier and cheaper to find a replacement.

Active support - pervasive technologies have:

• Regular security updates
• Large developer community
• Many ready-made solutions and libraries
• Extensive documentation and tutorials

Long-term stability - large companies do not abandon popular technologies, investing in their development for years.

Proven technologies for web development:

PHP - 78% of all websites run on PHP. Huge community, many specialists, constant development of the language.

JavaScript/Node.js - versatility, single technology for frontend and backend, largest community of developers.

Java - huge ecosystem of solutions for different types of projects, such as: large corporate web applications and portals, big data systems, microservice architecture and cloud solutions.

Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL - proven solutions with decades of development and a huge base of specialists.

The danger of exotic solutions

Many startups make the mistake of choosing the newest and ‘coolest’ technologies. A couple of years later, it turns out that:

• Technology support has been discontinued
• There are virtually no specialists on the market
• Migration to another technology costs as much as new development

Avoid:

• New programming languages without an established community
• Experimental frameworks
• Technologies without active support from large companies

WordPress and off-the-shelf CMS: when savings are justified

Despite the focus on custom development, WordPress and other popular CMSs remain a great choice for certain tasks:

Where WordPress works great:

• Corporate business card sites with a typical structure
• Blogs and information portals
• Simple online shops with basic functionality
• Landings for hypothesis testing

Benefits of WordPress:

• Speed of launch - from a few days to a month
• Low cost of development and support
• Huge community - finding an expert is easy
• Easy to manage content for customers

When WordPress isn't the right fit:

• Complex business logic that cannot be implemented in CMS
• Integration with corporate systems (1C, CRM, ERP)
• High performance and security requirements
• Unique user interfaces

Practical recommendations

For simple projects

WordPress or other proven CMS. Saving time and money is justified, especially if the team has experience with the chosen platform.

For growing businesses

Hybrid approach: CMS for the content part + custom modules for specific functions. Allows you to save on typical tasks and invest in uniqueness.

For complex projects

Only custom development on proven technologies with an experienced team. Initial costs will be recouped by flexibility and scalability.

For startups

Start with an MVP on simple, common solutions. Scale up as you grow and resources become available.

Planning for the future

When selecting technology, consider not only your current needs, but also your development plans:

• Expected load growth
• New features in roadmap
• Integrations with other systems
• Mobility requirements

The golden rule: choose technology not for today's challenges, but for tomorrow's opportunities. But remember - the most common technology in the hands of an experienced team will always outperform an exotic solution in the hands of newcomers.

Conclusion

There is no such thing as perfect technology. There is a technology that suits your objectives, budget, team and long-term plans. Invest time in finding a quality team that works with common technologies - it's a guarantee of your project's success.

Remember: redesigns cost 3-5 times more than the initial right solution. Spend time analysing the team and technologies in the beginning - you will save money and nerves in the future.