Pick the right stack for your business stage
The single biggest decision in any web development project is the platform. Pick wrong and you'll spend two years fighting your CMS instead of growing your business. Here's how we recommend stacks based on stage and budget:
- WordPress - Best for content-heavy SMBs, brochure sites, blogs, lead-gen sites. Mature ecosystem, low-cost developers, easy CMS for non-technical teams. Watch out for plugin bloat and security patches.
- Shopify / Shopify Plus - D2C and ecommerce. Fast launch, payment-ready, mature app ecosystem (Klaviyo, Yotpo, Loox). Shopify Plus for multi-store + B2B + headless.
- Laravel / PHP custom - Mid-complexity SaaS, marketplaces, B2B portals where WordPress isn't enough but you don't need a full SPA. Cost-effective, large Indian dev talent pool.
- Next.js / React + headless CMS - Performance-first brands, SEO-critical content sites, ecommerce that needs custom UX, JAMstack with edge caching. Higher build cost, much higher long-term flexibility.
- Webflow - Marketing sites for SaaS and B2B where the marketing team needs visual control without touching developers. Premium aesthetic, modest CMS limits.
We don't have a "favorite stack". We pick what fits. About 55% of our work is WordPress + Shopify, 25% is Next.js + headless, 12% is Webflow, 8% is custom Laravel.
What every web development engagement should include
- Discovery & scoping - Wireframes, technical spec, milestone breakdown, fixed-price quote. No "we'll figure it out as we go".
- Design system + prototyping - Figma component library, interactive prototype, stakeholder approval before any code is written.
- Mobile-first development - Built mobile-first (67% of Indian traffic), then desktop. Not the other way around.
- SEO foundation - Schema markup, semantic HTML, sitemap, robots.txt, OG tags, Core Web Vitals optimization - baked in, not bolted on.
- Conversion tracking - GA4, GTM (server-side), Meta Pixel, Google Ads conversions, hotjar/Clarity heatmaps installed before launch.
- Performance budget - LCP < 2s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1 enforced via lighthouse CI in deployment pipeline.
- Security & compliance - SSL, security headers, GDPR/DPDP-compliant cookie banner, bot mitigation, DDoS protection.
- Documentation & handover - Admin training, video walkthroughs, written documentation, 30-90 day post-launch support window.
Web development pricing in India
- Starter (₹40,000-1,20,000) - Single landing page or 4-6 page brochure on WordPress/Webflow. 2-3 week build.
- Growth (₹1,49,999-4,99,999) - 10-25 page custom WordPress, Shopify launch with theme customization, or marketing site on Next.js. 4-8 week build.
- Performance (₹5,00,000-30,00,000+) - Headless ecommerce, multi-vendor marketplace, custom SaaS dashboard, B2B portal with role-based access. 8-20 week build.
All projects include 30-day post-launch support. Optional retainers from ₹14,999/mo for ongoing maintenance, security patches, and feature additions. We pair every web development engagement with our SEO services and performance marketing so the launch becomes a campaign launch.
