In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, the democratization of the web is more than a trend—it’s a necessity for sustainability and inclusivity. Like many forward-thinkers, you probably recognize the importance of making creation on the web accessible and empowering for all, not just the technically elite. 

We’ve worked with clients at every scale – from small startups to some of the biggest multinational corporations you can think of. After driving nearly $2 billion in revenue for our clients, we’re proud of the ways we work to craft the exact right solution for each, focusing on creativity and nimble thinking and cost vs benefit ratios versus sticking to the status quo.

Over the past two years, it’s become even more apparent that what works for the largest teams doesn’t necessarily translate to smaller, scrappier teams where individual departments may need to move quickly and reliably on their own. 

At Quarry, we share your commitment to this vision, making it one of our core values. We’re dedicated to creating solutions that reflect this belief, ensuring that creating on the web is not just for the few but for everyone.

The Real Opportunity Cost

In the past, enterprise organizations used their own in-house technology and engineering teams for the development and maintenance of marketing sites, internal informational websites, and even public informational sites for certain departments of an organization. Once sites were live, minor site updates required navigating through an engineering team’s workflow. 

For example — if a member of the marketing team wanted to change a headline on the site or react to marketing trends they had to submit a JIRA ticket or deal with complicated systems to get a simple update completed. All the while losing valuable time as site visitors see old content.

This bottleneck isn’t just a minor inconvenience, it’s a visible sign of a deeper malaise affecting your ability to stay fresh and relevant online.

Beneath the surface, there’s a rift growing within your teams. Non-technical staff often find themselves sidelined, their ideas for the web stifled because they lack the means to implement them directly. This isn’t just about a lack of autonomy; it’s about a growing sense of disempowerment and the silent frustrations that emerge when creative energies are blocked by technical barriers. This internal conflict isn’t just a morale killer; it’s a productivity drain that many organizations fail to recognize.

But the real kicker? It’s the opportunity cost – the ideas that never see the light of day, the trends you’re always a step behind on, and the competitor edges you’re unknowingly ceding. In a world where speed and agility are paramount, being shackled by slow content deployment isn’t just a technical issue; it’s a strategic misstep. The true extent of what’s lost in translation from idea to online presence can often go unnoticed, yet its impact on your competitive stance in the market is anything but trivial.

Real-Life Results: Quarry’s No-Code Solution for Consult List 

Quarry’s client Consult List – a startup dedicated to connecting therapists with professional consultation referrals – faced a common dilemma. 

They needed a marketing site that could evolve with their business without constant technical support. Their goal was ambitious: a site that was not only user-friendly but could be updated by anyone on their team, regardless of their tech skills. 

Quarry created a hybrid, headless architecture that combines the strengths of Next.js, Storyblok, and AWS Amplify Studio’s Figma to React feature. This setup promised a seamless blend of design and content management, empowering them to bring their vision to life using Figma for design—a tool they were already comfortable with.

The elegance of Consult List’s new marketing site lies in its innovative architecture. At its core, a headless Next.js application integrated with Storyblok ensures that content updates are a breeze. Informational pages are easily managed, reflecting updates every 30 minutes thanks to Next.js’ incremental static regeneration. The design process was made simple by AWS Amplify Studio’s Figma to React feature, enabling the conversion of Figma designs into React components through an almost no-code interface. This blend of technologies meant that Consult List could maintain their site’s aesthetics and functionality without external help.

The end result is a marketing site that Consult List can not only maintain but also iterate swiftly, with zero dependency on regular engineering support. This autonomy in managing their online presence marks a significant milestone for Consult List, showcasing the potential of no-code solutions in empowering startups.

Consult List now boasts a marketing site that aligns with their dynamic needs, allowing them to focus on their core mission of serving therapists.

Discover the Complete Case Study of Consult List Here

5 Steps to Leverage Modern Platforms to Streamline Content Deployment

Step 1: Embrace Modern Web Development Platforms

Gone are the days of completely creating a site from scratch, from hiring engineers, or from begging for budget at your enterprise company. The trend is finally shifting –  we’ve seen it not only at SMBs but large enterprise companies, powering up one-off marketing and internal websites.

In today’s digital landscape, platforms like Webflow, Notion, and Squarespace have emerged as transformative tools for businesses seeking to innovate and streamline their web creation and publishing processes. 

These platforms offer a suite of key features that democratize web design and content management, enabling users with varying levels of technical expertise to create, manage, and deploy stunning websites with ease. The benefits of adopting these modern web development platforms include intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, customizable templates, and robust security features, all designed to enhance creativity and productivity.

Step 2: Strategically Integrate into Company Workflows

Adopting new technologies requires a strategic approach to ensure a smooth transition and widespread adoption. Make sure that you’re selecting the most suitable platforms based on your company’s specific needs, and prioritizing comprehensive training for non-technical staff. (Thankfully, most of these modern tools have amazing training resources!)  

Step 3: Cultivate a Collaborative and Empowering Environment

Encouraging departments to work together in using these platforms enhances cross-functional teamwork and breaks down silos within the organization. Empowering employees across the board to contribute to the company’s web presence not only enriches the content but also instills a sense of ownership and pride in their contributions. Adopting a platform accessible to all helps fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration that can trickle into every area of work. 

Step 4: Ensure Security and Brand Consistency

Implementing best practices such as regular security audits, access controls, and brand guidelines can help mitigate risks inherent with democratized web content. Educating all users on the importance of adhering to these brand standards and security measures ensures that while the process of content creation is decentralized, the quality and integrity of the content remain uncompromised.

Step 5: Evaluate and adapt

Perhaps the most important step is the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the impact these platforms and practices have. Leveraging analytics tools to track user engagement, website performance, and content effectiveness provides valuable insights and these democratized platforms make this easier than ever. 

These insights enable companies to refine their strategies, celebrate successes, and identify areas for improvement, ensuring that their efforts remain aligned with overall business objectives and team wellness.

The Benefits of Ultra-Simple Publishing: Empower Your Team and Optimize Resources

Creating an ultra-light solution significantly reduces the time to update and deploy web content, enabling the company to respond swiftly to market demands.

Putting power in the hands of smaller, non-technical teams can also lead to more creative and effective web content strategies.

Plus, when budgets are constrained and every dollar counts – freeing up engineering resources for core development tasks can lead to better use of company talents and investments. And, the ability to quickly adapt web strategies in real-time can make a big difference in the ever-changing world we live in. 

Ready to offload some heavy lifting from your internal engineering department and implement an ultra-light solution for your non-technical team? 

Quarry is a bolt-on product and technology department for your organization, dedicated to crafting great digital products and experiences that bring real, measurable benefits.

Reach out to us now to kickstart your project and see results.

Disclaimer: We love efficiency and we also believe in transparency. LLMs (Large Language Models) were used to assist and save time while writing this piece.