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Integrating Services in Website Platforms
Website Platforms
Website platforms include website builders, Link In Bio, and client portals, among others.
Interaction with users, including calendar appointments, video calls, and on-site chat, is now considered standard practice on websites providing any service.
Integrate or Build
When building website platforms, you can consider several approaches to include such services.
You can:
- Build the integration yourself
- Using some widget for service authorization, like Google Calendar integration
- Use an integration service, such as Nylas, for calendar integration
- Use an infrastructure service, such as Agora, for video/audio calls
Your choice from a cost perspective is derived from:
- Cost of building the integration or service yourself
- Cost of the integration service or cost of service.
From a platform architecture and user experience, the tradeoffs are clear. Building your system and integrations is much more work. Yet, you have more control over the experience.