In the process of creating a website or some other application, we will always need certain extensions of functionality. To integrate a service into our application, we must use the service API.
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of specific rules and controls that developers follow in order to be able to use a specific service within their applications.
Below we will describe some of the most popular APIs that every developer should use.
1. Google Analytics
I don’t think there’s a developer who hasn’t heard of Google Analytics. This is a mandatory and indispensable application for all business websites and portals.
Every web development company in Chicago should integrate Google Analytics with the website they’re building for the client.
Google Analytics allows you to track visitors to your site, helping you make better business decisions to generate more traffic and get better conversions of visitors to customers.
There is a possibility of monitoring sales in all phases, from the beginning to the realization. Google Analytics has a great and professional interface that, along with a multitude of charts, will give you absolutely all the information to better manage your pages and applications.
2. Google Maps
Google Maps has a great API that you can use to integrate maps into your pages or applications. There is the ability to show 360 degrees maps, street view, and display information about the specific route in real-time.
All data is displayed directly from the Google platform, so in real-time, you can have information about the route, the condition of the route, and thus plan the trip to the destination. This API is very useful for people who live in very densely populated places and want to avoid crowds.
If you’re working with WordPress though, you can get everything done even more quickly if you grab a plugin like Google Maps Widget that will handle everything, and let you enjoy Google Maps from the frontend.
3. Google Translate
Google Translate is a great tool to help you create an international website. The complete content of your pages can be translated into almost all languages in just a few clicks. This is very important so that you can present your services in other places besides your area.
There are many ways you can integrate this API. You can automate the translation depending on the location of the visitor, and you can also set up a translate bar so that the visitor can choose which language he/she wants to translate the content of your pages into.
4. Google Calendar
If you have your own business and want to organize various events or lead meetings, then the Google Calendar API is something you must have.
This API has no restrictions at all, so you can schedule an unlimited number of appointments or post an unlimited number of events. All appointments and events can be extended so you can schedule them for some time far in the future. The neat thing about Google Calendar is that there are many booking plugins that have integrations with it.
5. YouTube
YouTube is the best video streaming service of all kinds of videos and currently has no competition. It gained special popularity by advertising and allowing YouTubers to earn extra money by recording and uploading YouTube video.
If you want to display a video on your applications or websites, then uploading video to your own servers can take a lot of resources. In this case, the YouTube API comes to the fore. You can create a video player on your site to play videos directly from the YouTube platform.
6. Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger is a great tool that will allow you to connect with your visitors. A chatbot is one of the best ways to communicate with clients. There are many quality chatbot services, but only Facebook Messenger is completely free.
Facebook Messenger will allow you to create interaction between your visitors regardless of where they are located. It is a very good and useful tool for marketing and giving more information about your services, and it is used by both individuals and some large companies.
7. Twitter
Another quality service for interacting with visitors is Twitter. Just like Facebook Messenger, Twitter has its own API that you can integrate into your pages or app.
After integrating Twitter into your pages or app, you can post to Twitter directly from your app, and there’s the option of adding buttons to share your pages or links that you’ve set up.
8. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is one of the best services when it comes to email marketing. Their API allows you to integrate all the services they offer into your applications and websites.
This great tool will allow you to contact only the right people. Within this tool, there are many design options to help you create very beautiful and professional emails, and you can also use some of the many predefined templates. All messages you send can be automated; you can send them at a specific time, any day.
Mailchimp is equipped with a very good control panel and monitoring tools; at any time, you will know how many of your emails are open and how many people visited the link that was inside the email. There are many charts that will give you all the information you need.
9. Ahrefs
When it comes to SEO, Ahrefs is one of the most powerful and popular tools. It was created in Singapore back in 2011. Over time Ahrefs has developed into a great company that can help you improve SEO on your website.
Some of the best tools offered by Ahrefs are detailed keyword research, backlink gap tool, internal link audit, site SEO audit, content explorer, and many others.
By using their API, you can have all the solutions integrated within your website or application. Since there is a possibility of free testing for a period of 7 days, we advise you to try it.
10. Amazon S3
Over time Amazon has become one of the major players in the market when it comes to cloud hosting. There are many reasons, but certainly, the most important ones are scalability, reliability, and speed.
By using the Amazon S3 API, you can allow users or visitors on your website to upload files directly to your cloud storage. You will be able to update all files at any time or simply replace or delete them.
Conclusion
In this text, we have described several API services that every developer should try. They make site management easier and can have a good impact on conversions and sales. You can use several services in combination to get the best results.