Offshore Web Development - What is it? And Why It's in Trends

You have a great idea for a website or app, but you don’t have the skills, time, or budget to make it happen. What do you do?

You could try to learn web development yourself, but that could take months or years of hard work. You could hire a local web developer, but that could cost you a fortune.

Or you could choose offshore web development, which is a smart and convenient way of getting your web projects done by professionals from another country.

Offshore web development is a process where you hire web developers from a different country to work on your web projects remotely. Offshore development can help you save up to 70% of your web development costs, while also giving you access to a global pool of talent and expertise.

But how does offshore web development work, and what are the benefits and risks of this option?

In this blog, we will tell you everything you need to know about offshore web development, and why it is a hot trend in the web market.

Understanding offshore web development

Offshore web development is the practice of outsourcing web development projects to a third-party service provider located in a different country or continent. One of the main reasons for choosing offshore web development is to reduce costs and access a larger pool of talent.

The process of offshore web development involves the following steps:

First, finding and hiring a reliable offshore web development company or freelancer that meets your requirements and budget.
Communicating your project specifications, expectations, and deadlines to the offshore web developer.
Reviewing and approving the deliverables, such as wireframes, prototypes, code, and documentation, provided by the offshore web developer.
Finally, testing and deploying the final product to your target audience.

How offshore web development differs from onshore and nearshore development

Offshore web development differs from onshore and nearshore development in terms of the geographical distance, time zone difference, and cultural diversity between the client and the service provider.

On the other hand, onshore web development refers to outsourcing web development projects within the same country, while nearshore web development refers to outsourcing web development projects to a neighboring country or region.

As a result, the types of projects typically outsourced in offshore web development include:

Website design and development
E-commerce development
Mobile app development
Web application development
Content management system (CMS) development
Software as a service (SaaS) development
Application programming interface (API) development
User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design

The rise of offshore web development

Offshore web development has been growing steadily over the past few decades, as more and more businesses realize the benefits of outsourcing their web development needs to foreign countries.

According to a report by Grand View Research, the global IT outsourcing market size was valued at USD 333.7 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7% from 2020 to 2027.

Some of the key factors contributing to the rise of offshore web development are:

Firstly, it can save money by outsourcing the web development work to countries where the costs are lower. For example, a web developer in India charges only USD 18 per hour, while a web developer in the US charges USD 75 per hour. This can help businesses reduce their project budget by up to 60%.
Secondly, it can access talent from different parts of the world, where there are many skilled and experienced web developers. According to a report by HackerRank, the top 10 countries with the best web developers are China, Russia, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Japan, Taiwan, France, Czech Republic, and Italy. These web developers can offer diverse perspectives, expertise, and creativity to the web development project.
Thirdly, it can work faster by taking advantage of the time zone difference. For example, a business in the US can assign a task to an offshore web developer in India at the end of their workday, and receive the completed task the next morning. This can help businesses increase their productivity and efficiency, as they can work around the clock.

Why offshore web development is trending

Offshore web development is trending because it offers several advantages for businesses of all sizes and industries. Some of the main benefits of offshore web development are:

Save you money and optimize your budget

A study by Deloitte found that 59% of businesses outsource their IT functions to reduce costs.

Offshore web development can help businesses reduce their web development expenses significantly, as they can avoid hiring, training, and managing in-house web developers, as well as paying for infrastructure, equipment, software, and licenses.

Offshore web development can also help businesses optimize their budget allocation, as they can pay only for the services they need, and adjust the scope and scale of the project as per their requirements.

Access to a global pool of skilled and experienced web developers

A survey by KPMG found that 65% of businesses outsource their IT functions to access skills that are not available in-house.

Offshore web development can help businesses access a wider range of web development skills and competencies, as they can choose from a large pool of qualified and experienced web developers across the globe.

Offshore web development can also help businesses overcome the talent shortage and skill gap in their local markets, as they can find and hire web developers with the specific domain knowledge, technical expertise, and language proficiency they need.

If you’re uncertain about the benefits, check out our blog post on “The Benefits of Global Outsourcing“

Focus on core business activities and improve your competitive edge

A report by IBM found that 57% of businesses outsource their IT functions to improve their focus on core business.

Offshore web development can help businesses focus on their core business activities, such as strategy, marketing, sales, and customer service, by delegating their web development tasks to a dedicated and professional offshore team.

Offshore web development can also help businesses improve their competitive edge, as they can launch their web products faster, enhance their online presence, and offer better user experience to their customers.

Scalability and flexibility for your web development projects

A study by Accenture found that 47% of businesses outsource their IT functions to increase their flexibility and scalability.

Offshore web development can help businesses scale and flex their web development projects according to their changing needs and demands, as they can easily add or remove offshore web developers, modify the project scope and specifications, and adjust the project timeline and budget.

Offshore development can also help businesses cope with seasonal fluctuations, unexpected events, and market trends, as they can ramp up or down their web development capacity and resources as per the situation.

Some examples of businesses that have successfully leveraged offshore web development are:

WhatsApp: A Global App Made by Russian Web Developers

The popular messaging app was developed by a team of offshore web developers from Russia, who were hired by the founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum. The offshore web developers helped WhatsApp create a fast, reliable, and secure web platform that could handle millions of messages per day.

How Canadian Web Developers Created Slack

The leading collaboration tool was developed by a team of offshore web developers from Canada, who were hired by the founder Stewart Butterfield. The offshore web developers helped Slack create a user-friendly, feature-rich, and scalable web platform that could support thousands of teams and integrations.

Alibaba: China’s Web Developers Behind the E-commerce Giant

The e-commerce giant was developed by a team of offshore web developers from China, who were hired by the founder Jack Ma. The offshore web developers helped Alibaba create a powerful, innovative, and diverse web platform that could cater to millions of buyers and sellers worldwide.

Challenges and considerations in offshore web development

Offshore web development is not without its challenges and considerations, as it involves working with a remote and culturally diverse team. Some of the common challenges and considerations in offshore web development are:

Communication barriers in Offshore Development

One of the main challenges in offshore web development is communication barriers, such as language differences, accent issues, misunderstanding of instructions, and lack of feedback. Communication barriers can lead to delays, errors, conflicts, and dissatisfaction in the web development process.

To overcome communication barriers, businesses should use clear and simple language, provide detailed and written specifications, use multiple communication channels, such as email, phone, video call, and chat, and establish regular and frequent communication with the offshore web developer.

Quality assurance

Another challenge in offshore web development is quality assurance, such as inconsistency, incompleteness, and inaccuracy of the web development deliverables. Quality assurance challenges can affect the functionality, performance, and security of the web product.

To ensure quality assurance, businesses should define and communicate their quality standards and expectations, use reliable and relevant tools and methods for testing and debugging, and conduct thorough and timely reviews and feedback of the web development deliverables.

Legal and security considerations

Besides the technical challenges, offshore web development also poses legal and security considerations, such as intellectual property rights, data privacy, and cyberattacks. Legal and security considerations can expose the web product and the business to potential risks and liabilities.

To address legal and security considerations, businesses should verify the credibility and reputation of the offshore web development company or freelancer, sign a comprehensive and enforceable contract that covers all the legal and security aspects, and implement appropriate and adequate measures for data protection and encryption.

Management and integration

Finally, offshore web development can pose management and integration challenges, such as lack of coordination, collaboration, and alignment between the offshore and the in-house teams. Management and integration challenges can affect the efficiency, productivity, and quality of the web development process.

To facilitate management and integration, businesses should assign a dedicated and experienced project manager, who can oversee and coordinate the offshore web development project, use effective and compatible tools and platforms for project management, communication, and collaboration, and foster a positive and respectful work culture and relationship with the offshore web developer.

Future trends in offshore web development

Offshore web development is constantly evolving and adapting to the changing needs and demands of the market and the customers. Some of the future trends in offshore web development are:

Artificial intelligence (AI)

One of the most prominent trends in offshore web development is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is the technology that enables machines to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and decision making. AI can enhance offshore web development by automating and optimizing various aspects of the web development process, such as coding, testing, debugging, and maintenance.

Artificial intelligence can also enable offshore web developers to create more intelligent, personalized, and interactive web products, such as chatbots, voice assistants, and recommendation systems. These products can improve the user experience, increase customer loyalty, and generate more revenue.

Blockchain

Another trend that is influencing offshore web development is blockchain. Blockchain is the technology that enables a distributed and decentralized ledger system that records and verifies transactions without the need for a central authority or intermediary.

Blockchain can improve offshore web development by increasing the security, transparency, and efficiency of the web development transactions, such as payments, contracts, and data exchange.

This trend can also enable offshore web developers to create more innovative and disruptive web products, such as smart contracts, digital currencies, and decentralized applications. These products can offer new possibilities for business models, governance, and social impact.

Cloud computing

A third trend that is impacting offshore web development is cloud computing. Cloud computing is the technology that enables the delivery of computing services, such as servers, storage, databases, and software, over the internet.

Cloud computing can enhance offshore web development by providing access to scalable, reliable, and cost-effective computing resources, without the need for investing in and maintaining physical infrastructure.

Cloud computing can also enable offshore web developers to create more dynamic, responsive, and collaborative web products, such as cloud-based applications, web services, and platforms. These products can leverage the power of the cloud to offer better performance, functionality, and accessibility.

How businesses can prepare for future trends in offshore web development

Offshore web development is constantly evolving and adapting to the changing needs and demands of the market and the customers. To stay ahead of the competition and benefit from the future trends in offshore web development, businesses need to prepare themselves in the following ways:

Embrace artificial intelligence (AI)

Businesses should embrace AI as a strategic tool to enhance their offshore web development process and product. Businesses should invest in AI-enabled tools and platforms that can automate and optimize various aspects of offshore web development, such as coding, testing, debugging, and maintenance.

Businesses should also leverage AI to create more intelligent, personalized, and interactive web products, such as chatbots, voice assistants, and recommendation systems. Businesses should also train and educate their offshore web developers on how to use AI effectively and ethically.

Explore blockchain

Businesses should explore blockchain as a potential solution to improve their offshore web development transactions and products. Businesses should adopt blockchain-based platforms and protocols that can increase the security, transparency, and efficiency of their offshore web development transactions, such as payments, contracts, and data exchange.

Businesses should also experiment with blockchain to create more innovative and disruptive web products, such as smart contracts, digital currencies, and decentralized applications. Businesses should also familiarize themselves with the legal and regulatory implications of using blockchain in offshore web development.

Utilize cloud computing

Businesses should utilize cloud computing as a key enabler of their offshore web development projects and products. Businesses should migrate their web development resources and services to the cloud, where they can access scalable, reliable, and cost-effective computing resources, without the need for investing in and maintaining physical infrastructure.

Cloud computing can help businesses create more dynamic, responsive, and collaborative web products, such as cloud-based applications, web services, and platforms. Some examples of cloud computing solutions for offshore web development are:

AWS: A comprehensive and widely used cloud computing platform that offers various services and tools for web development, such as EC2, S3, Lambda, and Elastic Beanstalk.
Google Cloud: A powerful and flexible cloud computing platform that offers various services and tools for web development, such as Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, and App Engine.
Azure: A robust and versatile cloud computing platform that offers various services and tools for web development, such as Virtual Machines, Blob Storage, Azure Functions, and Web Apps.

Also Read: Most Popular Java Frameworks for Web Development 2024

In Nutshell

Offshore web development is a growing and trending practice that offers many benefits for businesses, such as cost efficiency, access to global talent, focus on core business activities, and scalability and flexibility. However, offshore web development also comes with some challenges and considerations, such as communication barriers, quality assurance, legal and security considerations, and management and integration.

To prepare for the future trends in offshore web development, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing, businesses need to embrace, explore, and utilize these technologies effectively and ethically.

If you are looking for a reliable and professional offshore web development partner, look no further than. is a leading offshore web development company that offers two models of offshore web development: dedicated virtual employees and project outsourcing.

Hire dedicated virtual employees who work exclusively for you, as an extension of your in-house team. You can choose from a pool of highly skilled and experienced web developers, who can handle any web development project, from simple websites to complex web applications. You can also manage and communicate with your virtual employees directly, using the latest tools and platforms.

Outsource your web development projects to , who can deliver high-quality and cost-effective web solutions, within your budget and timeline. You can choose from a range of web development services, such as website design and development, e-commerce development, mobile app development, web application development, content management system development, software as a service development, and application programming interface development.

Invedus is your trusted and preferred offshore web development partner, who can help you achieve your web development goals and objectives, with the best quality, value, and satisfaction. Contact today and get a free quote for your offshore web development needs.